The claim is he had the intellectual capacity of an 18-month-old, and that the professor had assaulted him.

Inside Higher Ed reports.

Rutgers professor convicted of sexually assaulting a disabled man

Anna Stubblefield, the former chair and professor of philosophy at Rutgers University at Newark, is facing 10-40 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault against an intellectually disabled man. A jury quickly decided Friday she was guilty of charges involving a former research subject with whom she’d worked on a controversial communication method. Stubblefield said she and the man were in love, but the man’s family said he was incapable of consent. Various witnesses and ultimately the jury agreed with the family.

The case initially captured the interest of disabilities studies scholars who said that it raised questions of consent and autonomy, and about the continually questioned validity of facilitated communication.

But by the end of the trial, some disabilities studies scholars said the Stubblefield case was more of a personal mess than anything holding lasting academic significance for the field. Others still said the verdict came as public confirmation that facilitated communication is not scientific.

In 2008, according to court documents, Stubblefield taught a course in which she discussed facilitated communication. The method’s validity is widely disputed, but Stubblefield, whose work centers on race and ethics and intellect as a social construct, has advocated its efficacy.