Each year, the TASH Conference brings together our constituents to share resources and success stories, learn about field-driven best practices, and network within a community engaged in shared values. The Conference is attended by passionate leaders, experts, and advocates from every corner of the disability community. Conference attendees are influential in their fields and communities, and play an important role in the provision of services and supports for the millions of individuals and organizations around the world; and include professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; self-advocates, adult service providers; students, family members, and many others. This year’s conference theme, Building Diverse and Inclusive Communities, reminds us that equity, opportunity, and inclusion relies on the input of broad perspectives and experiences.
Although there are vast benefits of experiencing healthy intimate relationships in adulthood (Beckes & Coan, 2011; Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008; Moos, 2003; Robles, 2014), adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often denied these experiences (English et al., 2018; Fulford & Cobigo, 2018). This can often be due to restrictions placed on them from parents and other caregivers (Black & Kammes, 2019). However, these restrictions do not deter adults with ID from desiring intimate relationship experiences, leading to many of them engaging in secretive and often exploitative relationships (Black & Kammes, 2019; English et al., 2018). Despite this known pattern, there is still a gap in our understanding of the role parents/caregivers specifically play in their adult child's experiences of intimate relationships. This study used a systems theory and social model of disability approach to examine the role that parents/caregivers play in the creation and maintenance of intimate relationships for adults with IDD. This was done by asking parents who have an adult child with IDD, as well as a typically developing (TD) adult child, to compare their experiences between these two adult children. A mixed methods design including an online survey with 50 parents nationwide, as well as follow-up phone/video conferencing interviews with a subset of 20 parents was used. The findings of this study exhibit 5 main themes: 1) differing levels of parental involvement; 2) differing parental expectations; 3) differing parental roles; 4) parents as "gatekeepers"Âť for intimate experiences of individuals with ID; and 5) barriers to romantic relationships for individuals with ID. This presentation will discuss the key findings of the current study and provide important implications of the study for adults with IDD, their parents/caregivers, and others who work with them. Further information on defining and working with couples with IDD will also be presented.