The current study investigated the impact of physical disability on sexual
feelings, sexual experiences, and sexual esteem. Thirty-five respondents (1
8 males and 17 females), with physical disabilities between 19 to 60 years
(SD = 10, mean = 38) participated in focus groups where they discussed how
their physical disability impacted on their sexuality. They also responded
to a series of questions that were designed to examine disability-specific
issues in sexual esteem using a four-point Likert-type scale. The data demo
nstrated that the participants struggled with many social and sexual barrie
rs that were associated with having a physical impairment. This appeared to
lead to increased feelings of negativity in many participants, including a
belief that they were less sexually desirable than an able-bodied person a
nd that having a disability seriously limited their sexual expression. The
implications of these findings for practitioners and suggestions for future
research are discussed.