Comprehensive Sexuality Education with Special Olympics Athletes in Costa Rica: Systematization of an Experience Based on the Holonic Model

Abstract

Introduction. This scientific article, derived from a university social outreach and teaching experience, systematizes a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) workshop conducted with Special Olympics athletes in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Objective. To analyze the learning outcomes, educational needs, and pedagogical conditions that fostered the recognition of sexuality as a right within this group. Methodology. A qualitative approach with an experience-systematization design was adopted. Thirteen adults with physical or intellectual disabilities participated. The workshop comprised four sessions organized around the holons of Rubio Aurioles’s model (eroticism, affective bonding, gender, and reproductivity), using a participatory methodology and adapted materials. Data were collected through participant observation, field notes, activity products, and a brief evaluation at the end of each session, and were examined through thematic analysis with deductive categories. Results. The group moved from reductionist notions of pleasure toward broader, embodied conceptions; displayed dense affective networks, albeit with cases of isolation; showed openness toward sexual and gender diversity alongside conceptual gaps; and was unaware of their reproductive rights. Sessions received high ratings. Conclusions. The obstacles identified were predominantly informational rather than attitudinal. The prior cohesion of the sports group, the holonic sequence, and the accessible adaptation of materials facilitated participation. Continuous integration of CSE into non-formal education and disability-support programs is recommended, with family involvement and systematic evaluation.