The SEX-ED.NEXT Project was created, planned and implemented specifically to achieve the following objectives: 1. To ‘Break the Taboo’ and contribute to the discourse of Sex and Sexuality Education for populations with disabilities by addressing reality-based issues, concerns and challenges of professional caregivers and the people with IDDs they work with. 2. To produce results that will lead to long-term improvements to the Quality of Life of people with IDDs, especially in the area of interpersonal and romantic relationships. 3. To contribute to the efforts to increase VET Education opportunities for Professional Caregivers and expand their skills and competences, therefore improving the quality of the services they provide 4. To contribute to the European efforts to maintain equality among all citizens and inclusion of vulnerable groups with disabilities. 5. To expand the EU VET providers’ portfolio, providing them with a tailored VET Curriculum and training materials for the education of Caregivers.
Sexuality and sex among people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are regarded as ‘taboo’ subjects among communities across Europe and often seen as an issue to be resolved, instead of a natural development process of an individual; it is something that has to be nurtured in order to achieve maturity, self-confidence, self-awareness, empathy and healthy psychosomatic perception about human relationships and appropriate sexual engagement. Professional caregivers of people with IDDs play a major role in the physical and mental health of people they care for. Caregivers tend to their physical needs, provide emotional support on a daily basis and are often called to manage 'uncomfortable' situations related to sexual behavior. This VET Project was created to address the following co-existing needs between two main target groups: A) VET Educators' Needs: access to a tailored VET Curriculum and training materials that would allow them to train professional caregivers in the subject of sex and sexuality education for people with IDDs B) Professional Caregivers' Needs: access to training materials for development of skills and competences for transferring of sex and sexuality knowledge/education to people with IDDs