[nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
Beth
thebluesisloose at gmail.com
Thu Jul 12 22:59:01 UTC 2012
My sex ed was a lot of lies. Desiree, you wrote a really good
post. Honesftly, I went to Catholic school, then a conservative
high school, but that didn't exactly stop me from doing it before
marriage. My question is, when will marriage come? I'm not
exactly able to marry due to the drawing of SSI, so marriage will
not come between me and my current boyfriend till later. I am
currently dating someone who went through a pretty strict
"abstinence only" sex ed, and his wording of this educational
curriculum was, "Well, they said that since we're blind, we don't
know where to put everything. So they taught us that it wasn't
for us." Something like that. I can't remember exactly whuat
else he said besides.
Beth
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amber R. Herrin" <herrinar at muohio.edu
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:39:08 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
Desiree,
This was very well thought out. I suppose though I worded it
differently, I
kind of meant the same thing: why do we need something different?
Best,
Amber
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Desiree Oudinot
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 3:35 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
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.su
rve
ym
onkey.com/s/sexeducationsurvey
<https://maverick.hec.ohio-state.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=ht
tps
:/ /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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