Staff Perceptions on Factors Affecting Access to Intimacy Education

Staff Perceptions on Factors Affecting Access to Intimacy Education and Intimate Experiences for College Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities reveals that a majority of staff members at inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who participated in a national survey agreed that their students think learning about intimacy is a priority, but feel their students lack confidence to ask for support in learning more about sex and dating. Many staff members believed that peer mentors, often used to provide support in social settings, don’t feel prepared or comfortable to talk about intimacy with program participants. Over 90% of IPSE staff members agreed that college students with IDD should be able to engage in intimacy, if they want to. Finally, there was a difference in how staff felt about certain factors related to providing intimacy education or students experiencing intimacy based upon whether their program’s participants lived primarily on-campus or not. Staff members who worked for programs whose students primarily live on-campus affected their perceptions on whether the program provides effective and age-appropriate support, whether staff are effectively trained and confident in providing support in building intimacy knowledge, and whether the residential model allows students privacy to experience intimacy.