Missing sexuality discourse : reality and potentials for people with intellectual disability in Malta

Abstract

It is observed that people with intellectual disability are disabled by social attitudes and these take a particular form in the context of Maltese culture. Malta, a predominantly Catholic country with prevailing medical and charity models of disability, faces many challenges in respect to the topic of sexuality. This paper recounts how people with intellectual disability experience their sexuality in Malta, focusing on opportunities and constraints faced by such persons. Interpretative phenomenological analysis through interviews and focus groups is used to decode qualitative data collected from people with intellectual disability, their parents and service providers. [extract]