Narratives of Personal Health and Sexual Education Experiences of Emerging Adults with Disabilities
Presented by Madelyn Toman
Date and Time
2025 Disability Summit
Date: Tuesday, April 22
Lecture: 2:50-3:05pm
Q&A: 3:05-3:15pm
Presentation Materials

Abstract
Disabled communities’ sexualities have been historically oppressed. Currently in the U.S., public school curricula do not include inclusive sexual education and students with disabilities are often left out of classrooms that discuss any amount of personal health and sexual education (PHSE). Research on the disabled population is filled with samples of non-disabled individuals imposing their opinions on a population that they do not belong to. The purpose of this study was to capture lived experiences of ways emerging adults with disabilities learned about PHSE. Individuals with varied disabilities were intentionally included to add breadth to the research field. The final sample consisted of eight individuals (75% female, 87% White, mean age of 21.5). After conducting narrative interviews and analyses, four story types were generated: (1) “The Self-Guided Journey”, (2) “Experience is the Best Teacher”, (3) “Personal Health Matters More”, and (4) “Two Ears, One Mouth”. Our findings highlighted the lack of formal support and access to adequate, relevant information about sexuality for disabled communities. Informal sources, like families and media, sometimes served as helpful resources for PHSE and disabilities. Individuals’ disability symptoms and personal characteristics need to be considered when crafting universally applicable personal health and sexuality education.
About the Speaker
Madelyn Toman
Madelyn Toman is a developmental, intersectional researcher and a PhD candidate in Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech (anticipated graduate date 2026). Her research focuses on characteristics of sexual relationships and interactions; ways that disability characteristics can intersect with an individual’s sexuality development and relationships with others; and harnessing research findings that create inclusive environments, expectations, and relationships. During her time as a student in the PhD program, she has led several qualitative and multi-method studies (e.g., reflexive thematic analysis, narrative analysis, content analysis, etc.), collaborated with faculty members as a research assistant on, and published 3 articles in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Sexuality & Disability, the Journal of Sex Research, and Sexuality Research and Social Policy). Ms. Toman has used her research interests and passion for teaching and learning to inform her work as the instructor of record for her undergraduate class, HD 1134: Introduction to Disability Studies. Outside of the university, Madelyn is an amateur chef and an expert jigsaw puzzler with a special talent for over 1,000 piece puzzles!
