Five experts by experience will participate in a study led by postdoctoral researcher Constanza López.
The Millennium Institute for Care Research, MICARE, launched a new advisory group formed by five experts by experience who will collaborate with postdoctoral researcher Constanza López in a study that explores the practices that can help or hinder the exercise of sexual and reproductive autonomy amongst women with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For Constanza López women with intellectual disabilities face important challenges to exercise their rights. “Women with disabilities, specifically those with intellectual disability, cannot completely exercise their rights and one thing that they encounter a lot of problems with is sexuality and reproduction”, she explains.
The researcher argues that there is a lack of gender studies on sexuality and reproduction focused on the problems faced by women with intellectual disabilities, as well as scarce participation of these women in academic research. “Knowledge generated jointly with women with intellectual disabilities has an added value. These experts by experience will take an active role throughout the development of the study and not just as objects-of-study”.
Advisory group’s role
The advisory group will contribute to the study with their personal perspectives about the topics of the research. In the first stage of the project the group will be responsible for reviewing the questionnaire for the interviews that will be conducted to women with intellectual disabilities and their accompanying adults.
The information will be used to describe the practices that help or hinder the autonomy of women with intellectual disabilities, their opinions about such practices and the impact they have on their autonomy.
Among the experts by experience of the group are Pía Anaya (32), an administrative assistant and member of Fundación ConTrabajo. “I want many people with intellectual disabilities to be independent”, she says. Catalina Salgado (26), who works as a cloakroom attendant in a clinic, adds that she sees the group as an opportunity: “We feel that we need protection”. Cheryl Enriquez (27) from the Corporación Síndrome de Williams, comments: “Sexuality is important in many ways: to know more, to take care of yourself more, to protect yourself more, to talk about it more”.
By the end of the project in 2026 the team will produce a guide of careful interactions to promote autonomy aimed at women with intellectual disabilities and their families.
