Sexuality education for students with intellectual disabilities, a critical pedagogical approach: outing the ignored curriculum

Abstract

In this paper, it is argued that sexuality education for individuals with intellectual disabilities has historically been incomplete to non-existent. While some progress has been made in this area, individuals with intellectual disabilities continue to receive inadequate sexuality education due to its failure to address the ‘ignored curriculum’. The ignored curriculum is defined as the curriculum learned incidentally outside the classroom through peer interactions – interactions from which students with intellectual disabilities are often precluded. Here, comprehensive sexuality education that addresses the ignored curriculum is linked to a person's ability to exercise full rights of citizenship. An argument is made for a critical pedagogical approach to sexuality education as an effective means to teach individuals with intellectual disabilities the ignored curriculum of sexuality.