Supporting Gender Self-Determination for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including those with significant support needs, continue to advocate for access to self-determination so that they can have choice and control in their lives. Under the purview of self-determination, people with I/DD should be able to determine how they express their gender. However, supporters sometimes enforce their own beliefs about gender, thus restricting people with I/DD to traditional gendered expectations of men and women. Through self-advocate stories and a review of research that has examined the experiences of gender-diverse people with I/DD, this article highlights the importance of supporting access to gender self-determination. I provide examples of how family members and professionals can support gender self-determination for people with I/DD, including those with significant support needs.