• Date:  Wednesday, 28 September 2022
• Time:  12 – 2 pm AEST
• Host: Morrie O’Connor – ASID QLD Division
• Presenters:
  • Victoria Tucker
  • Kari Vallury

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Supporting informed pregnancy decision making for people with intellectual disabilities who have experienced violence – A collaborative, mixed-methods practice and research project

People with disability experience 1.8 times higher rates of violence/abuse, including extreme forms of intimate partner violence/sexual assault, and greater barriers to accessing services. Reproductive coercion is increasingly recognised form of DFV, involving intentional abusive behaviour or strategies aimed at establishing/maintaining control through pregnancy pressure, contraceptive sabotage and pregnancy outcomes. (Miller 2010, Tarzia 2021)

In 2021 Children by Choice and WWILD, funded by 3 different grants, collaborated and conducted a research project that involved conducting a systematic literature review; facilitated 2 focus groups with self-advocates with lived experience of intellectual disability and 3 focus groups with 3 DFVSA services; reviewed existing resources and training modules, designed new collaborative training workshop for DFVSA, social workers and allied health professionals. Following on from this project, in 2022 we are collaborating on the DASHER project – Design Accessible Sexual Health and E-Resources with People with Intellectual Disabilities, funded by Women and Change project grants. This project involved getting ethical approval to conduct research on the lived experiences of people with intellectual disabilities going through the health system while working through their pregnancy experience. And alongside this, co-design with the consultative groups easy read resources for this group and the development of videos of self-advocates explaining pregnancy options, contraception options, pregnancy and parenting a new baby.

There is a dearth of research regarding provision of support for people with intellectual disabilities experiencing violence to make informed pregnancy decisions. Focus groups identified a range of particularly violent forms of reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA). Unplanned pregnancies were often wanted, yet inadequate health and child protection system responses and care placed limits on reproductive autonomy, constraining or removing the choice to continue pregnancies and to parent. Enablers of and barriers to Sexual reproductive health (SRH) literacy and informed decision making within SRH care experiences, and priority areas for SRH information provision and resource development, were also described. The findings of the first project led to the development of the DASHER project and the development of the resources to assist pregnant people with intellectual and learning disabilities make their own choices in relation to reproductive health and rights.

Kari Vallury (she/her/hers)

MHID, BArts
Senior Research Assistant, Children by Choice

Kari is a Senior Research Assistant with Children by Choice, where she supports the organisation to generate and implement an evidence base, in partnership with local and national partners, to underpin and promote reproductive rights and quality reproductive health service provision. Kari is also completing a PhD in public health, measuring experiences and impacts of perceived abortion stigma in Australia. She has a background in global public health, rural health and sexual and reproductive health and rights research and policy, with experience in the community sector, universities and multilateral organisations.

Victoria Tucker (she/her/hers)

Trauma Counsellor/ Social Worker, WWILD SVP Association Inc.

Victoria is a trauma counsellor working at the WWILD Sexual Violence Prevention Service in Brisbane. Victoria supports people who have lived experience of or at risk of violence and abuse, with trauma recovery. Prior to having a Counsellor role, Victoria has worked on and off for WWILD since 2010, as a Victim of crime workers and Acting Manager. Previously Victoria has also worked as a social work/community worker and various other roles with people with intellectual disabilities at the Community Living Association. Victoria has a Bachelor of Social Work (Hon.) and Masters in Social Work in the streams of counselling, social policy and community development. Victoria is very passionate about this subject as many WWILD clients have experienced issues around understanding consent, unplanned pregnancy options, reproductive abuse and coercion and having parenting skills.