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Sexual assistance

(Asistencia sexual)

Primer plano de dos manos: una persona le extiende la mano a otra persona que se ve de fondo para que la acompañe.

This may be a paid or unpaid service which allows a person with disabilities to explore and enjoy their sexuality. There is no consensus about whether this should be considered another aspect of personal assistance. However, it is clear that it can contribute to the well-being of people with disabilities and their right to live a full sexual life.

For those who are in favour, there should be no distinction between the nature or type of need that personal assistance addresses. As long as this respects the will and autonomy of the person with disabilities, the areas where they require support to live independently should not matter. The understanding is that one person does not provide all of the necessary support, therefore, the person who provides sexual assistance is not the same person who provides personal assistance.

Nevertheless, others believe that sexual assistance should not be merged with personal assistance. The argument is that the latter refers to a right and a social service provided by the State to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, and it is a goal that has not yet been achieved in many countries.

Finally, people with disabilities should be able to decide whether they wish to access sexual assistance services, although there is still work to be done in developing national regulations so that people can do so in safe environments with clear regulations for every person involved.

References:

Virtual survey.

Photo credit: Blurryme

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