Physically Disabled Women

Sexuality, self-image and identity formation are significant topics for all adolescents, including those with physical disabilities. For youth, gaining an understanding and acceptance of their sexuality plays a significant role in the development of identity and positive self-image, which are key developmental tasks during this stage of life (Rousso 1996; Schachter 2004; Van Damme and Biltereyst 2013). Having a physical disability may limit young peoples’ physical functioning, but it does not always affect basic physiological and sexual drives or their desires for love, intimacy, and affection (Milligan and Neufeldt 2001). However, research demonstrates that youth with disabilities are often excluded from these normative models of sexuality

Stone (1995, p. 413) described this phenomenon as the ‘‘myth of bodily perfection’’ which has established standards that are generally impossible for most to meet. Toward Intimacy: Family Planning and Sexuality Concerns of Physically Disabled Women, a major work on disability and family planning services, noted that disabled women have not yet been established as being societal or sexually eligible ("Task Force," 1980). For those with disabilities, the inability to match the ‘‘ideal’’ body may be even more visible and hurtful (Rousso, 1996). All women face pervasive and invasive messages about how women's bodies should look, move, and develop and they face rigid societal definitions of attractiveness (Institute for Information Studies, 1982). Disabled people must also face the additional stigma of being physically different. Stuart (1980) reports on a study where disabled and nondisabled children were asked to rank the people they would most like to play with based on photographs of both disabled and nondisabled individuals. All children ranked the nondisabled photos as a higher

Visible disabilities such as malformed limbs or disfigurement creates distinctions that often cannot be overlooked. Embarrassment over differences may hinder adolescents with disabilities’ attempts to develop more intimate social relationships. This lack of confidence in relationship building can have serious consequences, as persons who do not gain practice and experience in social settings may not be able to attract and maintain dating partners (Howland & Rintala, 2001). In addition, adolescents with disabilities may be discouraged by parents or teachers from establishing dating relationships, and the disability itself may present communication problems (Rintala et al., 1997). For youth living with disabilities, their inability to match society’s view of the ideal body can be traumatic, often leading to lower self-esteem as well as an attendant desire to fit in with the cultural ideals that govern what it means to be attractive and desirable to others (Rousso 1996). These issues tie into those discussed above about sexuality, as youth with physical disabilities who experience unsatisfactory body image and lowered self-esteem often perceive themselves as less attractive, making it difficult to develop intimate relationships and a strong sense of their own sexualities (Greydanus, Rimsza, and Newhouse 2002). These difficulties are further highlighted when