“The Talk”: Giving Disabled Youth a Seat at the Table

By Megan Warshauer, Fairleigh Dickinson University, MSW Class of 2024

sexual relationships. 3 It wasn’t until 2006 that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities endorsed that people with disabilities have the right to the same quality of sexual and reproductive health services afforded to non-disabled citizens.

Currently, research shows that young adults and adolescents with disabilities are still less knowledgeable about sex than their peers without disabilities. 4 Often this is due to lack of access to modified education and misconceptions about the absence of desire for romantic relationships in the lives of this population. Understanding safe and healthy sexual activity, learning how to confirm or deny consent, identifying physical boundaries and exercising bodily autonomy are all very important when curiosity arises and children start developing romantic feelings for others. When provided with information about healthy sexual relationships, children learn what is safe for them and we empower them to make smart decisions.

Modified and effective learning methods such as visuals, role play, and examples of real-life people with disabilities in healthy romantic relationships are necessary for impartial sex education. To promote inclusive learning, alternative or augmented communication devices should be programmed with vocabulary on sexuality and relationships and educational interpreters must be comfortable conveying this subject matter accurately. As we recognize and respect youth with disabilities, culturally competent sex education policies that use positive representations of the disabled community in learning materials would be most reparable.

This curated sex education could also prevent unplanned pregnancy, as pregnancies among women with disabilities are 53% more likely to be unintended than pregnancies among women without disabilities. 5 Clearly, we are doing a great disservice to the entire disabled community by not involving them in these crucial developmental discussions. The basic rights to bodily autonomy, self-determination, informed decision making, as well as holistic wellbeing, demand we reconsider how we approach sex education with YWD and ensure them a seat at the table for these important conversations.

References:

1 Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Special Tabulation

2 Schneider, M., & Hirsch, J. S. (2020). Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a Primary Prevention Strategy for Sexual Violence Perpetration. Trauma, violence & abuse , 21(3), 439–455. https://doi. org/10.1177/1524838018772855

3 Rowlands, S., & Amy, J.-J. (2019). Sterilization of those with intellectual disability: Evolution from non-consensual interventions to strict safeguards. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 23(2), 233–249. https://doi. org/10.1177/1744629517747162

4 Sinclair, J., Unruh, D., Lindstrom, L., & Scanlon, D. O. (2015). Barriers to sexuality for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A literature review. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(1), 3–16.

5 Horner-Johnson W, Dissanayake M, Wu JP, Caughey AB, Darney BG. Pregnancy Intendedness by Maternal Disability Status and Type in the United States. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2020 Mar;52(1):31-38. doi: 10.1363/psrh.12130. Epub 2020 Feb 24. PMID: 32096336.

My name is Rosemary, and I am a Black Dominican-American graduate student at the Monmouth University School of Social Work (MUSSW), a Predominately White Institution (PWI). I’m working as a member and Graduate Assistant to Growing Together as Allies (GTAA) a group of faculty, students, and alumni working together to advance anti-racism in the program, the university, and our communities. GTAA began its work in 2020, after the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, and the uprisings in response to this violence. GTAA’s work started by reaching out to students and alumni to involve them in crafting an anti-racism statement. Members broke into subcommittees and listening sessions were held with students and alumni to review the draft before it was voted on by the school. These listening sessions also served as a space for BIPOC students to share their experiences, concerns, and express what they believe needs to be changed on campus.

Understanding the need to share the voices of Black social work leaders in the field, GTAA held its first speaker series in Fall 2021. The series brought in social workers from New Jersey and around the country to address the current state of our nation as it relates to anti-racism and voting advocacy. Three of these speakers, and two other leaders in antiracism work are now supportive champions of GTAA: Anjanette Young, LCSW, Dr. Denise McLane-Davison,

Growing Together as Allies: Creating an Anti-Racist University Community

By Rosemary Asencio Samuel, Monmouth University School of Social

Work, Class of 2023

MSW, Joyce James, MSW, Dr. Zaneta Rago-Craft, Director of the Intercultural Center at Monmouth University (MU), and Tawanda Hubbard, DSW, MSW. They have each provided key input and support to our statement, curriculum assessment tool and action plan, and also serve to create external accountability for our work.

Attending a PWI as a Black Dominican-American student isn’t easy, especially while studying social work, which adds the element of discussing social justice and human rights issues. This can make conversations about racism and systemic oppression uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. Unsurprisingly, this experience isn’t unique to social work students, extending beyond the classroom and into the workforce. There are very few Black and Brown faculty members at MUSSW, which often leaves me unable to ask questions about what it’s like to be a Black woman in social work. The fall 2021 speaker series gave me the opportunity to hear from Black American social workers and learn about their experiences in the field. I learned so much about their work and heard them unapologetically tackle the issues of racism within their areas of expertise. They showed vulnerability in a way that was admirable; it highlighted the benefit of deconstructing stigmas that block BIPOC individuals from accessing services like therapy. More importantly they centered joy, which can often be forgotten in anti-racism work.

I’m not sure if everyone had this takeaway from the speaker series, but it was a validating and humbling experience for me. I hope this is an experience BIPOC students can have with BIPOC professors in the future at MU.

Additionally, as one of the few BIPOC students in the full-time social work graduate program, I wanted to figure out how I could contribute to change for myself and future students. As such, in the spring of 2021, I applied for and became the Graduate Assistant (GA) for GTAA. Through my involvement, I’ve contributed to conversations and action plans about the climate at MUSSW and how to make our classrooms safer. I’ve also helped create an anti-racism curriculum analysis tool with faculty. I’ve been able to build stronger relationships with faculty and have had discussions about identity and positionality. For me, this solidified the importance of taking these conversations beyond the classroom.

subcommittee has encouraged me to question assignments from various professors. Although this hasn’t changed any of the assignments I have had to complete, I know it’s still important to express my frustration and seek clarification to ensure assignments are non-biased and take into account the realities of BIPOC students. And since GTAA has created an anti-racism curriculum tool, voicing my opinion DOES matter because the curriculum WILL be analyzed.

Being the GA for GTAA also puts me in a special position because I won’t graduate from MUSSW wondering if the school is taking action to address social work curriculum that often lacks cultural variety. This is an issue that extends beyond MUSSW. It includes the use of theories and evidence-based practices in social work that aren’t inclusive of the various racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of the many populations served by our field. I’m happy GTAA is taking steps to try to change this. As a student, it’s cool to be a part of these conversations and see the process unfold. It also leaves me in a position where I feel more comfortable holding GTAA accountable for their progress and action long after I graduate, because I know we’re not perfect and have more work to do. That said, GTAA’s impact goes far beyond my personal experiences. Our 2021 speaker series was open to the entire campus and community. More than 200 students, faculty, and alumni attended the series—many more than we initially imagined. In the fall of 2022, we hosted another well-attended series called Advancing Anti-racism Through Intergenerational Conversations: Power and Possibility in Latinx Communities. It was followed by a student/alumni-led roundtable processing event. This proves that students and faculty are hungry for diverse and different voices.

I think it’s very easy to get comfortable as a social worker surrounded by other like-minded social workers. This can lead us to believe that our social work institutions have minimal flaws, but that is rarely the case. I’ve been able to reinforce the importance of challenging comfort and complacence within myself and others. For example, serving as a member of our curriculum and pedagogy

I hope students and faculty throughout the university will learn to understand the importance of this kind of racial justice work at a PWI. It’s also important to remember this work is ongoing. Victories are great, but that shouldn’t slow down the momentum. I know there is still more work to be done at MUSSW; but my vision for our work is that it will serve as an example for other departments and schools at our university because for us to eliminate the scourge of racism our efforts cannot start and end at MUSSW.