[nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum

Thu Jul 12 20:34:31 UTC 2012

Hi,
Brandon, I couldn't agree more with your post. Very well said. but I
have to say that it's not just blind people who aren't taught these
things. While sighted people may be more exposed to sex from watching
people make out or get physical, and this could even include their
parents, sex ed curriculums in general aren't exactly top notch. Most
are abstinence only, with a distinct slant towards the doom and gloom
side of things. It makes everything risque for kids who are saying,
"what's the big deal?" And honestly, if they take the right
precautions, they may be right. Have any of you ever checked out
avert.org? It's an Aids charity which has a wealth of information
directed at teens. There are stories about teens' first sexual
experiences. While some do indeed end in heartbreak or STD's, there
are plenty of others who attest to the fact that, while relationships
don't have to last forever, teens can be content with their sexuality,
their choices and their feelings. There are people who have sex at a
young age who don't regret it, who don't live in crappy apartments
with rats crawling up the walls while they prostitute themselves to
support the baby they made at 14. So, in high school and younger, lots
of misinformation flies from one inexperienced ear to another, and
that's how people not only face consequences when they experiment, but
also harbor guilt and shame when they feel they have no one they can
turn to. Their friends may have steered them in the wrong direction
with outright lies, however well-intentioned they may have been, and
parents are often so uncomfortable with seeing their children as
sexual beings that they never do much besides mumble something about
the birds and the bees, and then, in a much more emphatic voice, say,
JUST DON'T DO IT! Well, we all know how well that kind of thing works
most of the time! And the schools are basically doing the same thing
by teaching abstinence only, when you think about it.
Now, how does blindness factor into this? Truthfully, in an
educational sense, it doesn't, in my opinion. Blind people are
experiencing the same feelings and desires as sighted people. They
talk to their friends, whether they're blind or sighted, about these
topics just as sighted people talk to other sighted people about them.
Blind people watch movies where sex and masturbation are discussed or
acted out, and with described movies, while the describer isn't going
to go into explicit detail, they will say something about the activity
being discussed. Let's also not forget that partially sighted people
are probably going to pick up a Playboy or watch porn at some point.
There's still the same danger of misinformation, and the same parental
reluctance to discuss these topics. the only slight difference may be
that parents may balk more at the idea of their blind child having sex
than they would at their sighted child doing the same thing. I speak
from personal experience on this one--my parents used to tell me I
shouldn't have sex because I was blind, not so much because of the
physical act but because of the fact I could get pregnant, and God
forbid a blind person should become a parent.
In summation, I don't think a separate curriculum needs to be written
up for blind people about this sensitive subject. For one thing,
blindness doesn't mean you have to do things differently, and I feel
that the blind are already singled out enough that trying to alter the
sex ed curriculum for us would just lead to even more awkwardness and
embarrassment. Sex ed curriculums need to become more inclusive in
general, and the teachers who teach them need to make an effort not to
let their personal feelings and biases get in the way. If a teacher
can't do that, perhaps they shouldn't be handling the material. If
psychologists and others in the helping profession must remain
objective about their clients and work, so too should teachers. It's
sex ed itself that needs an overhaul, not nit picking at something
that's way far from the root of the problem.

On 7/12/12, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> Brandon, the stuff you mentioned, is something that I'm glad that I don't
> see.
> JMHO!
> Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 7/12/12, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello,
>> Sighted people are exposed to sex all the time, haven't you heard of
>> playboy
>>
>> or penthouse? Also, what about those people making out on the bus? Or the
>> gay couple walking down the sidewalk in skirts and bikini? All that we
>> miss
>>
>> because we're blind.
>> Books are grate, but you can only learn so much from a manual. Sighted
>> kids
>>
>> get pictures, we should get to feel. Also, how is a blind person supposed
>> to
>>
>> know they have an STD if they have never felt one? How do they know it's
>> not
>>
>> just a cut or dehydration?
>> Sighted people are given extensive viewings of the peaness and vagina in
>> class or in pictures, why can't blind people get the same?
>> Frankly I believe that the art of giving pleasure has become such a
>> suppressed skill that people have even resorted to substance abuse to
>> obtain
>>
>> pleasure. Our bodies were meant to give us pleasure, why aren't we taught
>> to
>>
>> utilize these pleasure factories? What's the meaning of life? To love and
>> be
>>
>> happy! Why aren't we taught to be happy, to give pleasure, to love our
>> selves in school?
>> It's a fundamental wrong that I find is a crime against the words human
>> beings, but that's kind of a different issue.
>> But if this curriculum is any bit good, teachers will adopt it instead of
>> the droll thing they have now.
>>
>> btw what about feeling a condom, diaphragm or dental dam? How is a blind
>> person supposed to know what one looks like if they haven't felt one or
>> tried it on? Also, how does a blind person shop for contraception's?
>> Me: "Next on my list is condoms." Walgreens guy: "OK, what brand do you
>> want? Durex, Trojan, Crown, Kimono..." Me: "Uh, what's your favorite?"
>> Walgreens guy: "Most people get Trojan, what size do you want? We've got
>> small, medium, large and extra large. We've also got narrow and wide.
>> Here
>> are some flavors as well..."
>>
>> That's just a wall greens guy who is comfortable, what if it's one of the
>> really shy ladies who doesn't speak English? Sighted people can be
>> unobtrusive and just buy the condom or diaphragm along with their lube
>> where
>>
>> as a blind person has to know what questions to ask and know what brands
>> to
>>
>> get. I learned what questions to ask when shopping by watching my
>> parents,
>> but I've never seen my parents buy condoms.
>> It's a serious issue and this program will help address those problems.
>> And
>>
>> what about masturbation? I've rarely read a book where masturbation is
>> talked about and I've read a lot of books! How does a guy masturbate
>> without
>>
>> making a mess?
>> Sex Ed is not just about a sperm and an egg get together to form a baby,
>> that's more science.
>> Sex Ed is about sex and it's an issue that blind people fall way short in
>> when it comes to being educated along with their fellow students.
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Herrin, Amber R.
>> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:40 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
>>
>> Dear Joshua,
>>
>> I have to agree with you here!  For me, the idea of knowing about sex,
>> before I'm sharing it with my husband, is kind of...unnecessary, I guess?
>> Maybe the wrong answer, and I understand that not everyone believes you
>> should wait until marriage as I do, but I think that being blind doesn't
>> prevent us from finding out about it the same way sighted people
>> do-experiment (isn't that what most people do anyway?) or read books
>> written
>> on the topic (how confusing can text be?)
>>
>> Amber R. Herrin
>> Assistive Technology Trainer in Training: 2012
>> Mobile: (513) 593-5855
>> E-mail: herrinar at muohio.edu
>> "It doesn't matter what you've heard
>> Impossible is not a word
>> It's just a reason
>> For someone not to try
>>
>> Everybody's scared to death
>> When they decide to take that step
>> Out on the water
>> It'll be alright
>>
>> Life is so much more
>> Than what your eyes are seeing
>> You will find your way
>> If you keep believing"
>> -Kutless "What Faith Can Do"
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Joshua Lester
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 9:35 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
>>
>> I personally did fine, in those courses, in school, without the new
>> proposed
>> curriculum, that they're wanting.
>> I don't see the need for one, because who really wants to know, what's
>> being
>> shown, in those slides?
>> Good grief!
>> Blessings, Joshua
>>
>> On 7/11/12, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I have been asked to circulate the following:
>>>
>>>
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Dear NFB Member,
>>>>The National Federation of the Blind has been gracious enough to help
>>>>us with a current project.
>>>>
>>>>We are currently seeking your opinion in a survey that will help us
>>>>write a curriculum for students with low vision and blindness in the
>>>>area of sex education.  Currently no curriculum exists for students
>>>>with low vision and blindness that reflect current education
>>>>standards.  Young people, educators, and professionals have all
>>>>indicated that there is a desperate need for such a curriculum.
>>>>We want your voice to impact our work!
>>>>Please take the time to fill out the survey at the link found below:
>>>><https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sexeducationsurvey>https://www.surveym
>>>>onkey.com/s/sexeducationsurvey
>>>>
>>>><https://maverick.hec.ohio-state.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https:/
>>>>/www.surveymonkey.com/s/sexeducationsurvey>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Thank you for your time and consideration of this project!
>>>>Tiffany Wild, Mollie Blackburn, Stacy Kelly, and Caitlin Ryan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Thank you,
>>>>Mika Baugh
>>>>National Federation of the Blind
>>>>200 East Wells Street
>>>>      at Jernigan Place
>>>>Baltimore, MD 21230
>>>>P: (410) 659 9314 ext. 2371
>>>>E: <mailto:mbaugh at nfb.org>mbaugh at nfb.org
>>>>W: <http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org
>>>>
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>>
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