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Let's Talk Disability and Sex

A connection day to discuss sexuality and young people with disabilities

Our team at the Bloorview Research Institute is hosting a virtual connection day to bring together young adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, healthcare workers and researchers. 

When: Wednesday April 28 2021 from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM (EDT)

In Canada, there are few educational resources on sexuality for young people with disabilities that are easy to access and based on research. Within healthcare, many healthcare workers do not feel like they can discuss the sexuality needs of young people with disabilities. So, we want to bring together people who are interested and working in this area in order to discuss the problems and come up with solutions!

The aim of this day is to:

  • Bring together young adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, healthcare workers, and researchers
  • Create an accessible resource that will help start the conversation on sexuality
  • Share the research on sexuality and disability
  • Come up with new research questions and identify poorly understood problems

Event Resources:

pdf-iconLet's Talk Disability & Sex! Event Booklet
pdf-iconSpeaker Presentation Transcripts
pdf-icon Presentation Slides- Talk 1 Speaker 2 Gabriella Carafa
pdf-icon Presentation Slides- Talk 2 Speaker 1 Dr. Shaniff Esmail
pdf-icon Presentation Slides- Talk 3 Speaker 1 Dr. Alan Martino

Art Exhibition- Illuminating a Hidden Narrative:

As part of the connection day event, we are excited to present Illuminating, a digital art exhibition that shows how young adults living with disabilities feel about navigating their sexuality in healthcare settings. Click here to visit the exhibit!

Schedule of the Day:

9:00AM-9:15AMWelcoming Remarks: Julia Hanigsberg, Keisha Goberdhan & Amy McPherson
9:15AM-10:00AM

Talk Theme 1: Early intimate relationships
Speaker: Dr. Loree Erickson (15 min)
Speaker: Gabriella Carafa (15 min)
Q&A (10 min)

10:00AM-10:45AM

Talk Theme 2: Meaningful sexual lives and sexual rights
Speaker: Dr. Shaniff Esmail (15 min)
Speaker: Rainbow Hunt (15 min)
Q&A (10 min)

10:45AM-11:30AM

Talk Theme 3: Multiple and converging identities
Speaker: Alan Santinele Martino (15 min)
Speaker: Mari  Ramsawakh (15 min)
Q&A (10 min)

11:30AM-12:00PMLunch and Art Exhibition
12:00PM-12:15PM

Information Sharing:
Sharing findings from our recent research

12:15PM-12:45PM

Panel Discussion:
What are the research gaps?
What is the greatest need for resources?

12:45PM-1:30PM

Small Group Discussion:
What resonated with you the most? What are the key research gaps? What is the biggest need for a resource?

1:30PM-2:15PMBringing It All Together:
Prioritization & Vote!
2:15PM-2:30PMClosing Remarks

Stay tuned for further details!