On August 24, 2024, we conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with 10 individuals with disabilities on the topic of online sexual expression. The discussion included young adults from a diverse community of disabilities, including visual, hearing, speech, and physical disabilities.
The FGD began with the question, “How do you perceive sexuality?” Participants asserted that sexuality is how they express themselves. They further pointed out that sexuality is part of one’s identity, which can be expressed both physically and emotionally. As the discussion became more intense, participants raised an important issue regarding sexuality and gender. They argued that in Nepal, there is a tendency to place gender and sexuality in the same category, which is due to the lack of emphasis on sex education from the very early days of school.
When we asked the question, “Where do you feel more confident expressing your sexuality—online or offline?” mixed views emerged. Some participants mentioned that there is no significant difference in expressing their sexuality online or offline. They noted that when they express their sexuality online, if people are unaware of their disability, the reactions are similar to those directed at so-called “normal” people. However, as soon as others become aware of their disability, they tend to subtly change their attitudes, sometimes reacting with pity or connecting it with stereotypes. This trend makes them think twice before posting anything online.
Some participants choose to express themselves in physical settings, especially within close circles where they believe they won’t be judged for expressing their sexuality. Another major reason they prefer offline interactions over online ones is that, in the physical world, they have control over who their expressions are shared with, depending entirely on their discretion. In contrast, online, they often don’t have the same level of control over where their data is shared. One participant shared that her photo was posted on a reputed social media page without her consent, though the context was months old. This incident heightened her concerns about privacy and consent on online platforms, leading to self-censorship.
There is no doubt that growing technological advancements have made many aspects of our lives easier, including exercising our right to freedom of expression and opinion. However, these advancements also carry risks, especially for marginalized communities, as our participants rightly pointed out.
because of the inaccessibility of online platforms for the deaf community. Sometimes, in an attempt to fit in with social media trends, some deaf individuals end up copying and pasting content without fully understanding what it entails. This is especially true for deaf individuals with lower literacy levels, which makes them even more vulnerable.
Like other ordinary youths, young people with disabilities are expressive about their love and relationships online. Posting about relationships is a personal choice for disabled youths. Some individuals naturally enjoy sharing their love and relationships publicly, finding a sense of pride in doing so, while others prefer to keep their personal matters private. However, even if someone wishes to make their relationship public, the stigma attached to disability and relationships can make it difficult to express this openly online. Participants shared that they need to be mindful of how society perceives their relationships, which influences their decision to post about them online.
Regarding society’s perception of sexual expression in both the physical and online worlds, some youths with disabilities notice differences, while others do not. Some believe that social media users are generally more literate and tend to perceive sexual expression as normal. In contrast, they find people in the physical world to be more judgmental. On the other hand, some youths with disabilities see no difference between the physical and online worlds in terms of expressing one’s sexuality, believing it depends on the individual’s perception. They argue that the online world is merely a digital extension of the physical world, where we encounter the same people. If someone is homophobic, they will view LGBTQIA+ relationships the same way online as they do in the physical world. Changing the platform doesn’t change someone’s pattern of thinking.
The proliferation of technology has both positive and negative connotations. For some, it has become a tool for educating themselves on various topics, including sexuality and sexual expression, while for others, it has become a means of promoting stereotypes and stigma. Nowadays, online platforms can influence a person’s behavior both online and offline.
When people with disabilities attempt to express themselves online, they are sometimes overly praised and other times harshly judged. Society has certain standards for how people with disabilities should dress and express themselves. In the physical world, people may hesitate to make negative comments directly, but online, there are no limits to derogatory remarks, whether in the form of public comments or nasty messages sent in private inboxes.
Receiving awkward comments about our expressions, both online and offline, is a daily experience for us. Comments such as, “Oh, you can’t see? People like you should marry a rich guy so you don’t have to worry about anything,” or “Don’t mind me saying this, but you’re so beautiful; you don’t look disabled. Please don’t marry someone like yourself. You’re beautiful; any ‘normal’ guy will marry you,” are examples of the types of remarks we receive from random people on the street, as shared by our participants.
It is true that we live in a society that is increasingly objecting to the objectification of women. However, do so-called reputable feminist organizations address the extreme objectification of the most marginalized women and girls? When will there be discourse on the trend of dehumanizing women and girls with disabilities by prioritizing their disability over their qualities and failing to recognize that disability is a part of human diversity? This was an important concern raised by our participant.
Youths with disabilities are also concerned about their privacy and safety online. They are particularly worried about their pictures being shared without consent or notice, and the growing use of AI tools to create Deepfake images makes them hesitant to share everything online. They are advised to reconsider carefully before posting anything.
Some participants describe themselves as social butterflies and enjoy sharing their locations online, such as where they are going or where they currently are. However, the increasing threat of cybercrime makes them cautious before updating anything online. They argue that, just like in the physical world, women are not safe on online platforms either. Women are often targeted in cybercrime, with their pictures being misappropriated and used in cybercrimes, especially among marginalized groups like women and girls with disabilities.
For people with hearing disabilities, the benefits of growing technology are limited. The main challenge for deaf individuals is communication, but emerging technologies are often slow to address this issue. Deaf participants shared that only around 50% of deaf people have access to online platforms, and of those, many have minimal or no knowledge about social media and online platforms. Nepal is still lagging behind in providing technological accessibility for deaf individuals compared to other countries. For example, in India, there are movies made with sign language.
In Nepal, there are significant issues with sign language interpretation, captioning, and alternative text descriptions on online platforms. Reputed non-governmental organizations and government bodies that advocate for human rights and reducing the digital divide often create accessible online platforms just to meet requirements, but they tend to overlook the fact that ensuring accessibility is not a matter of having extra budget—it’s a necessity for many individuals.
We can see sign language interpretation in videos in a very small box, which can barely be seen and understood. The captioning also often doesn’t meet standards, making it difficult to gather information. In most videos, information is shown without audio description. At present, we are even struggling with fonts online; the fonts people use to attract customers may not always be supported by our screen reader software. Similarly, photos containing a lot of important information are totally wasted on blind people without alt text. The apps and websites are not disability-friendly. Popular apps, including Instagram, Twitter, other dating apps like Tinder and Reddit, and TikTok, are also not accessible to us. The websites of the UN and other Nepalese government websites can also be seen as problematic in terms of accessibility. The inaccessibility of growing websites and apps limits our exposure to larger audiences and access to knowledge and information, said the participants.
We people with disabilities, since childhood, have been taught that our disability is the problem, but the fact is that the existing inaccessibility poses the real challenge for us. If infrastructure, including growing technology, makes a small effort to cater to the most marginalized customers or users, the digital divide that exists between the privileged and others can be reduced, our participant shared.
The existing laws regarding freedom of expression and cyber-related laws make them feel secure about putting their concerns online. However, the communication divide between new trends and hearing disabilities has still not been bridged. Sometimes, if we become victims of cybercrime and want to report it, we first don’t know where to go to report the crime. Even if we find out where to report it, the person may not understand what we are trying to communicate. We need to bring a sign language interpreter with us, and we have to pay for them. What if I don’t have the resources to pay for the sign language interpreter? Given this scenario, we will have no option other than to accept the injustice and cut ourselves off from social media, said our deaf participants.
The advancement of technology has also helped persons with disabilities in many ways. There are Optical Character Recognition apps and websites that assist us in converting images into text, and text-to-speech services have also helped them connect with the world of technology. Apps like Instareader, Be My Eyes, and AI Chatbots assist them in diving into the digital world. However, most of these apps and websites have yet to become available in Nepal. For example, Video Relay Services (VRS), a technology that assists people with hearing disabilities by employing a third party to help with communication between a deaf person and another party, is still not available in Nepal.
Participants addresses that to alleviate the digital divide related to disability, big tech companies, the government, and civil society play pivotal roles. If tech companies put a little extra effort before developing new technologies to cater to the needs of different types of disabilities and other forms of marginalization, it can create a significant impact in reducing digital inequality. Similarly, the government should undertake the responsibility to bridge the gap between disability, accessibility, and digital platforms. To achieve this, the government should focus on formulating effective laws and policies regarding digital accessibility, allocating an adequate budget for creating accessible digital infrastructure, and raising digital accessibility concerns on national and international platforms. This approach can help eradicate digital inaccessibility for persons with disabilities. Additionally, civil society organizations have a major role in bridging the gap between people with disabilities and the government. Individuals with disabilities may not have direct access to the government, but it is the responsibility of CSOs to bring these grounded voices to the government so that effective measures can be taken to address these gaps.