Much of the current language used in the guidelines imply that sexual health education is primarily needed to prevent abuse both of and by young people with disabilities. While consent and boundaries are important aspects of sexual health education for all people, harm reduction and prevention is not the only need. Alone it will not prevent abuse and harm and may actively perpetuate harmful stereotypes of the individuals it is meant to inform.
All students deserve access to comprehensive sex education. The Disability-inclusive Sexual Health Network (DSHN) staff at SexEdVA highly recommend additional guidelines for choosing comprehensive educational resources so that students can access information to make informed decisions about healthy and fulfilling romantic and sexual relationships. Students should be able to access information on identity, healthy relationships, affirmative consent, healthcare, STI prevention, pregnancy prevention, and methods of protection that are medically-accurate and non-judgmental.
In the current guidelines, a student or parent may opt out of this discussion entirely. We encourage instead that IEP team members be directed to resources for conducting these conversations in safe and inviting ways rather than allowing the first step to be to opt out. We recognize that talking about sexual health can be uncomfortable or unfamiliar and that is all the more reason to talk about it.