[nabs-l] condoms and Sexual Health

Mon Sep 10 06:51:15 UTC 2012

Guys, ask the folks in the store, or at the touch screens! 'ts why 
they're there, is it not?
for todyatoday, Car9/2012, Ashley Bramlett wrote:
>Arielle,
>Thanks. I think discussing access to information on
>sexual health is fine as long as its not too graphic. You definitely 
>also tied it to blindness too! As with many things, people learn via 
>observation where as we depend on someone else for such info.
>We cannot just go in and browse a store for such private stuff and 
>as you said we often depend on a parent or someone else for transportation.
>I know I do because where I live there is no sidewalk to walk to a 
>bus, or I can get paratransit.
>
>I was also going to suggest buying condoms online or with a trusted 
>friend. Thanks also for the websites on preventing
>pregnancy and STDS as this is something I wanted to research.
>
>Also, regarding medical appointments, I struggled there too. I was 
>driven there and had a parent assist me in filling out forms there. 
>I am still fine with that.
>Oh on another note, with touch screens now, its nearly impossible to 
>walk into a clinic alone. In my area, the walk in clinics at the 
>pharmacy have you sign in via a touch screen with personal information.
>I want a trusted person such as a family member taking me there 
>because there is no way I'd want to reveal such private info such as 
>date of birth or social security number or the name of my insurance 
>provider to a stranger!
>I also had a parent take me into the doctors for a long time. 
>Finally I insisted as you did that they wait for me. I felt as you 
>do that I have a right to
>medical privacy and that there was no need for them to discuss such 
>info with them. Besides I am pretty healthy and only take one med 
>and over the counter stuff on occasion, so
>there really isn't much for them to know about.
>
>Good to know. I'm not the only one that had to assert some independence.
>
>Ashley
>
>
>-----Original Message----- From: Arielle Silverman
>Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2012 1:00 PM
>To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [nabs-l] condoms and Sexual Health
>
>Hi all,
>I know the recent discussions about sex and dating are kind of in a
>gray area as to whether or not they're on-topic for this list, since
>most of the issues Koby brought up are not really unique to blindness.
>So if the moderators or Dave feel this is getting too far afield, I
>will happily respect your judgment. However, I also think that
>Brandon's question about where to get condoms is a legitimate one and
>that there might be other blind people out here, including teenagers,
>who have similar concerns about how to get condoms, birth control or
>sexual health information without a lot of awkwardness or
>embarrassment. It can be particularly difficult if you have to depend
>on someone else (especially parents) for transportation which can make
>going to a clinic or drugstore difficult.
>There are a few places to buy condoms online, including
>www.condomania.com
>www.undercovercondoms.com
>and
>www.condomdepot.com
>Believe it or not, they also have some condom choices at
>www.amazon.com
>If you go to your health center on campus for any reason, it shouldn't
>be a problem  to ask a doctor or nurse there about condoms.
>I cannot answer the questions about when to begin having sex with a
>partner because that is a highly individual decision. However, I feel
>it important that anyone who is considering having sex for the first
>time ensure you understand what all of your options are for preventing
>pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, the advantages and
>disadvantages of each option, and the proper way to use condoms  and
>birth control. There are  a couple different websites with this kind
>of information:
>www.plannedparenthood.org
>(includes live chat with a sexual health educator) or
>www.scarleteen.com
>This issue is particularly close to my heart at the moment because my
>boyfriend's sister just had an unintended pregnancy at a very
>inopportune time (while still in college, with a guy she had only
>known for a few months) and was apparently taking birth control pills,
>but had not been taking them consistently. While I don't believe that
>sex  should be feared, it is something that takes some responsibility,
>planning and foresight to ensure it is enjoyable while minimizing the
>risks. Also, while I won't go into details here, there are other ways
>to be physically intimate with someone that are less risky, which
>these online forums will talk about.
>I also want to bring up  an issue that is somewhat relevant to sexual
>health, which I experienced and I think that some of you might also be
>struggling with. This is the issue of having your parents drive you to
>doctors' appointments and then having them want to sit in or even
>participate in your appointments. Since I attended college in my home
>city, my mother always wanted to drive me to my doctors' appointments
>and would then want to come in and chat with the doctor while he/she
>was examining me. This was partly because my parents and I saw many of
>the same doctors and she often thought it was a good opportunity to
>ask the doctor a quick question about her own health while she was
>there, or because she was curious to see what the doctor recommended
>to me about a particular issue. I eventually realized that while it
>wasn't ill-intentioned, it was a violation of my privacy as an adult
>patient and I asked her to wait in the waiting room while I was seeing
>the doctor. I didn't actually take this stand until I was 21 and in
>hindsight I wish I had done  it much earlier. By the time you are 18,
>unless you have a serious cognitive disability, you have a right to
>privacy of your medical information and it is important to establish a
>good doctor-patient relationship without a third person interfering.
>This is especially true when it comes to sexual health and by the time
>you are 18 or even 16, you will want to start discussing your sexual
>activities or questions with your doctors without your parents being
>around. You might also want to consider getting a driver or even
>taking the bus to medical appointments to avoid this problem.
>On a related note, by the time you are in high school, you should know
>the names of all medications you take on  a regular basis and any
>chronic medical conditions you may have. If you ever have to go to the
>emergency room, this kind  of information may be requested of you.
>Best,
>Arielle
>
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