Oscar Hughes, M.Ed.

BIO: Oscar Hughes, M.Ed. started his career as a special education teacher for high school and transition-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where he sought to create a classroom and school environment that was inclusive to trans and gender-diverse students. He also advised the high school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), which included students with and without disabilities. Oscar is now pursuing a PhD in special education at Boston University, where his research focuses on supporting LGBTQ+ adults with I/DD to express their gender and sexuality. He works part-time as the assistant to the Rainbow Support Groups and as an adjunct trainer for Elevatus Training.

Pauline Bosma

BIO: Pauline Bosma is the founder and coordinator of the Rainbow Support Groups, a network of support groups for self-advocates who are members of both the intellectual and developmental disability community as well as the LGBTQ+ community. Pauline identities as a transgender woman who is labeled with an intellectual disability. She has extensive experience offering training and presentations on sex education and issues related to the LGBTQ+ and disability community. Pauline works for Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong, where she continues her work with Rainbow, leads sex education webinars, works on the Awareness & Action peer-to-peer training to help people with disabilities recognize, respond to, and report abuse and works with the Mass Rights for Change project to develop a program to support people with disabilities who have survived sexual abuse.