Sexuality and physical disability : exploring the barriers and the solutions in healthcare

People with physical disability and/or chronic illness are more likely to seek medical help than their typical peers. Once pressing matters related to their condition are addressed clients may pay attention to how to incorporate the management of their health condition into other aspects of their lives (i.e., sexuality). This paper discusses inhibitory and facilitative experiences that people with physical disabilities may encounter in their interactions with healthcare workers and systems when adapting to changes in their sexuality. Sexual health models (i.e., PLISSIT, Kaplan, ALLOW and Bitzer et al.) for people with chronic illness or disability are summarized and analysed for their value in relation to contemporary health needs. This paper posits that healthcare providers and people with physical disabilities can learn from and teach each other in order to promote positive and agentic constructions of sexuality with significant disability.