Sexual Assistance for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Proposal for a Service Delivery Model

Abstract

[EN] The fgure of the sexual assistant is increasingly demanded as a right in the disabilities feld. This fgure requires debate, adaptation to the characteristics of countries and cultures, as well as to the characteristics of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This study presents the work carried out with representatives of Spanish organizations of people with intellectual disabilities to develop a proposal for the fgure of support staf for sexual behavior. Together with a rights perspective, this proposal is aligned with the Supports paradigm to better meet the health and behavior needs of users. The fgure is framed within the auto-erotic and therapeutic model of sexual assistance. This fgure excludes characteristics of the erotic model that involves interaction or sexual exchange between the sexual assistant and the individual with a disability. Several advantages and disadvan tages need to be carefully considered before implementing this support in a delivery service model. We argue that the proposed fgure requires specifc accreditation, training, and monitoring.