Accessible Consent Education

Title: “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Co-Designing Consent Education for Young People with Disability

Abstract:

Young people with disability face disproportionate rates of sexual violence yet remain largely excluded from the design of consent education. This PhD research aims to reframe how consent is taught by co-designing accessible, inclusive teaching and learning materials for students with disability aged 12–16, guided by participatory action research and Design Justice Principles. This presentation explores findings from two scoping reviews. The first, centring youth voice, identified that young people with disability prefer pedagogical approaches that combine structural clarity with relational safety – explicit instruction alongside trust, autonomy, and affirmation. Building on this, a broader review of 110 consent education resources revealed significant gaps in resources that align with the pedagogical approaches youth with disability want, as well as in skill domains young people and sexuality education experts identify as essential, including enthusiastic consent, empathy, media literacy, and coping skills. Together, these findings illuminate both what is available and what is critically missing in consent education for disabled youth, with implications for educators and researchers across Australia. This research contributes new horizons for inclusive sexuality education, informing curriculum design, teacher training, and disability-affirming educational practice.

POWERPOINT TO COME LATER.