The sexual development of people with a physical or intellectual disability is being freed of its taboo status with disability services prepared to embrace the subject for their clients' benefit.

Disability advocates believe that in the past, little sex education had been aimed at people with a disability.

Women with a Disability Australia committee member Bonnie Millen said social expectations had left them in the dark.

"There was a general assumption by the public that they wouldn't be able to act in a manner that was sexually appropriate, so having those tools like contraception condoms, sexual rights, reproductive rights, they're generally non-existent," she said.

"It's a very sad thing because it's not encouraged and it's not implemented by schools or in later life to encourage people with disabilities to have an active sex life."

Amber Del Pin from Adelaide has Osteo Genesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disorder, and has been in a relationship for 10 years.

She believed not providing advice about sex and relationships might put someone else like her in harm's way.

"I think that sometimes leads to risky behaviour and I kind of wish that there had been someone back when I was much younger to pull me aside and go 'Hey these are the things that you are going to have to consider'," she said.

Disability led to decisions being forced upon Ms Del Pin

There was also a decision made for her on drug treatment for her menstrual cycle, which spurred her to independence.

"It was basically decided for me by other people that that wouldn't be happening and I would have to have a needle to make it stop," she said.

"I guess I felt like I didn't really own that decision ... so it was very different for me than it would have been for many other females growing up when you're 13 or 14."

Jarad McLoughlin has autism and at times struggled with his awareness of being a same-sex attracted man.

"Oh my God. Guidance. Help. Support. I didn't get any of that," he said.

"I really had to do everything on my own."

People with disabilities can now get support with organisations such as CARA, which has adopted an open approach to sexuality with its client base.

Sexual education takes disability into account

Lauren Busch is a developmental educator with CARA and said she was trying to get more information to people it supported.

"It's sort of been a subject that's a little bit taboo or pushed to the side, but our aim is to really get it out in front of everyone's mind so if they're wanting and willing to discuss it we're there to support them and give them the information they'd like," Ms Busch said.

"It's typically been seen that people with a disability are automatically asexual and that is not the case.

"People with disabilities do feel those needs, they want love, they want affection, they want relationships, they want sex."

Her work also used text specifically aimed at her client base from children to adults, but also took into account a person's capacity to understand their physical or emotional growth.

"Biologically they maybe 17, but developmentally they maybe five so we're going to look at where they are developmentally and how much they can understand and take in and whether they're ready to start that approach yet," Ms Busch said.

She said CARA's approach to educating clients about sex was being adopted by disability service organisations around Australia.