Exploration Towards Pleasure : Knowledge About Sexuality Produced With And For People With Intellectual Disabilities

In both Western societies and academic research, the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities is many times ignored or suppressed, often based on the assumption that people with intellectual disabilities are especially vulnerable and in need of protection. This study analyses the discourse produced by a Swedish sexual education material addressed to people with intellectual disabilities, that challenges this suppression by focusing on the role of the body and pleasure. The study shows that the alternative discourse addresses people with intellectual disabilities as being self-responsible for experiencing a pleasurable sexuality and is build upon two intertwined lines of argumentation: the importance of consent and the en couragement to embrace vulnerability. This thesis calls for more research that includes the sexual experiences and perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities to get a deeper understanding of the discourse’s development