Healthy Relationships Training Takes A Close Look At Consent

This month, the Institute for Disability will host a free, online training to help foster more conversation on consent as one part of the Project ECHO Healthy Relationships training.

The November 25 session is called, “What is Consent?” It is the third of nine sessions that make up the series, and people who wish to attend can begin now, even if they missed the earlier sessions. They can also watch past sessions on YouTube.

“Without understanding consent, boundaries, and the power to say no, it is harder to prevent abuse,” said Alex Schiwal, Ph.D and IDRPP researcher. Healthy relationships training is intended to help prevent people with disabilities from being victims of sexual assault. In addition, “There is a need to educate adults with disabilities on appropriate and inappropriate behavior, to prevent them getting into trouble.”

Courtney Edgington, a member of the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council, agrees. “I’ve learned that you need to understand that people, there are just things that they’re not going to like, and things that you may not like, either. So if someone doesn’t like to get a hug from you, you’ve got to respect that, because otherwise it could be crossing the line.”

Adults with disabilities, family members and service providers can sign up for the Healthy Relationships training on our Project ECHO website and view past trainings on our YouTube Channel.

Why Healthy Relationships Training is Needed

If there is a disability-related topic that needs discussion, it’s healthy relationships. And if there’s a topic that is hard to discuss, it’s healthy relationships for adults with disabilities.

To better understand that need, Schiwal conducted a 2024 survey in partnership with the Utah Parent Center and the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council.

Complete responses were gathered from 109 family members, service providers (professionals in the disabilities field and crisis and domestic violence shelters), and adults with disabilities. Here are some key points:

• Only 18 of the 109 people who took the survey were adults with disabilities. While researchers worked hard to get the word out about the survey, the number of respondents with disabilities was lower than that of any other group.
• Professionals had received more information and training on all topics (abuse, healthy relationships, sexuality and intimate relationships), than families/guardians, and individuals with disabilities.
• Information about assault and abuse was more common than information about healthy relationships, sexuality and intimate relationships across all groups.
• The overwhelming response was that more training was needed (over 95% of all respondents), but 70 percent family members/guardians wanted that training to happen at home for the individuals with disabilities in their lives, even though most they reported they didn’t have information or know where to find it.
• Only a third of adults with disabilities and 20 percent of family respondents said they knew where to find more information about healthy relationships, consent, and preventing abuse for adults with disabilities.
• Professionals wanted case studies and conversation with other professionals; all participants wanted better training curriculum and conversation guides to help them when they were approached with questions.

An in-depth look at the survey results was provided during the training’s first session, and can be viewed on YouTube. For more information, visit the Healthy Relationships ECHO website. The ECHO is open to anybody interested in these topics.