Youth with disabilities (YWD) need developmentally appropriate sex education to stay safe and healthy and to achieve self-determination. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an international human rights treaty of the United Nations, states that YWD should be afforded the same range and quality of sexual and reproductive health services—including sex education—enjoyed by youth without disabilities. To date, school-based efforts toward inclusion and integration of YWD in classrooms and social activities has not extended to sex education. Further federal and state regulations are needed to ensure that YWD have access to free and appropriate public education on sexual health and can achieve health equity with their peers.
Health and Education Resource Centre