ARTICLE CRITIQUE “Staff attitudes towards the sexuality of people with learning disabilities: a comparison of different professional groups and residential facilities”

Article Critique

Abstract

While the definition of disability varies widely, in general the term describes any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits at least one major life activity—including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, and caring for oneself. According to this definition, an estimated 28 million women in the United States live with a physical, cognitive, psychiatric, and/or communication disability. Other surveys and studies, using slightly different definitions, come up with somewhat different figures, but there is no question that disabilities are pervasive, even among younger women. In fact, according to a subsample of the 1990 U.S. Census, nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19.4 percent) aged 15 and older has a disability. Not surprisingly, the chance of developing a learning disability increases with age. Approximately 40 percent of women aged 65 and older have at least one functional limitation. Anyone, however, of any age or sex can have a learning disability, either temporary or permanent. Some are inherited, others result from accidents or disease, and many simply develop as part of the natural aging process.

Introduction

Generally speaking, disabilities are more common in women than in men, but they vary in incidence by ethnic group. Rates are roughly similar among Native American, African American, and white women (all approximately 1 person in 5), with Asian Americans and women of Pacific Island origin significantly less likely to be affected (just over 1 in 10). Severe disabilities—defined as an inability to perform a functional activity such as self-care or working—are most prevalent in African American women (12.2 percent), followed by Native Americans (9.8 percent), whites (9.4 percent), and Hispanics (8.4 percent). And, as with milder disabilities, the rate of severe learning disability in women of Asian or Pacific Island origin (4.9 percent) is only about half that for the general population. Women who experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during childhood run an increased risk of developing disabilities that involve physical and mental dysfunction in adulthood. In some cases these disabilities may be related to other health problems common in women with a history of childhood abuse, including a higher rate of substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, eating disorders, and psychosomatic complaints—as well as a tendency to avoid medical care or disregard medical advice . Disabilities, by their nature, come in a huge variety of forms. Many—including vision impairments, arthritis, and neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis—are all more common in women than in men. Some of these disparities may be related to the fact that women generally live longer than men, and thus have more time to develop these age-related disabilities. In the case of arthritis at least, however, relative age does not appear to be a factor; for reasons still not understood, this condition just seems to affect women more than men (Ginsberg, 1996, 98-101).

Literature Review

The health care system seems particularly ill equipped to deal with the needs of relatively young women ...