Autism-Europe: TRASE project promotes the equal right to love this Valentine’s Day

Popular legend says that in Ancient Rome, Saint Valentine was imprisoned and martyred for performing wedding ceremonies for those who were not allowed to get married. Times have since significantly changed, and while we do not always choose who we fall in love with, as adults we have the right to engage in consensual relationships, form families and become parents. Thus if we look at the story behind Valentine’s Day, we see that it is both a celebration of love and a statement in support of freedom of choice. Unfortunately, not all adults are allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to romantic relationships, marriage and reproductive rights. This is particularly the case for people who have learning disabilities, who continue to face discrimination in Europe and around the world, in terms of freedom of choice and access to information.

Article 23 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) provides that people with learning disabilities have a right to “found a family”, “freely decide on the number and spacing of children” and “retain their fertility on an equal basis with others”. Furthermore, Article 25 on Health, upholds that “free and informed consent” must be the basis of providing healthcare, including reproductive health. Despite this, throughout Europe forced sterilisation and coerced abortions are still too often considered an acceptable way of dealing with the lack of available sex education for people with learning disabilities.

Indeed, providing accessible information to people with learning disabilities about sexuality and relationships requires taking a more creative and supportive approach. To respond to this need, the new initiative “Training in Sexual Education for Persons with Disabilities (TRASE)” is aiming at devising a course to train those delivering sexual education to persons with disabilities. It follows on from the outcomes of the SEAD project (Sexual Education for Adults with Disabilities), which developed tools and materials for sex education in cooperation with people with disabilities. Both the TRASE and SEAD projects have been funded by Erasmus+, the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, with the EU committing €14.7 billion to the programme between 2014 and 2020.

TRASE aims to develop and evaluate a training course for adult educators, carers, professionals, teachers and parents for how best to use adapted and creative tools to maximise the engagement and understanding of persons with learning difficulties. This ultimate objective is to empower them by giving them access to essential information about sex, sexuality and relationships.

The impetus behind the TRASE project comes from a consensus among professionals that a training course is necessary for people who conduct sexual education for people with intellectual disabilities. TRASE offers a stepping stone in giving Europeans with learning disabilities the possibility to make informed personal choices, including the choice to engage in romantic relationships, get married and start a family.