[nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum

Fri Jul 13 01:55:52 UTC 2012

Ashley: you're approach is a good one.
Just stick to the scientific stuff, and leave out all of the explissit
descriptions.
Blessings, Joshua

On 7/12/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Beth,
> I think NBP National braille press has a few books on this topic and the
> internet has health sites.
> You might want to check those out. My parents did not discuss such stuff,
> the only  info I got was in school.
> However, my parents did give me a book as a pre teen called something like
> Asking about Sex and Growing Up.
> I think it was NBP publication. However they were not so strict as to
> preclude us from watching graphic tv or movies like some parents do.
> So I think my brothers got a better understanding than me since they are
> sighted.
> Its good to have truthful info about this stuff; not to believe lies. Maybe
>
> if the curriculum is developed, we both could check it out.
> Back then the county encouraged abstenance, not sure about now though. They
>
> tried to stick to the scientific stuff like body parts and
> the life cycle; honestly, it was so long ago, I don't remember what all it
> covered.
>
> We'll just see what comes up, if they develop the curriculum.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Beth
> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:59 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sex Education Curriculum
>
> 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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