Human sexuality: an interdisciplinary program for health care professionals and the physically disabled

The central feature of a program in human sexuality for health care professionals and persons with physical disabilities developed at the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) is a 2 1/2-day Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) Workshop. Although the content of this Workshop has many features in common with ones used elsewhere, its organization, financing, and development are relatively unique. Based in a small, specialty hospital in the South, it is a low-budget, largely self-supporting program run by an extradepartmental, multidisciplinary staff. Evaluations of 12 workshops involving over 500 disabled and ablebodied participants are compared with similar data reported in the literature along with information (before and after the workshop) concerning the participants' attitudes, behavior, and satisfaction regarding various sexual activities. There were programmatic, institutional, and community problems unique to developing this program, but it has unusual potential for personal and staff development, intrainstitutional team building and broader community service.