[Nfb-science] Blindness Research

Thu Apr 2 19:23:02 UTC 2009

April Fools.
Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 9:43 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] Blindness Research

>O Lord! aside from the problems of the usual stereotypes, one can't do 
>valid research on the topic because it's hard to get good controls.
>
> BONK is available on the NLS digital site; I'm reading it but hadn't got 
> that far yet.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Bullis" <mabullis at hotmail.com>
> To: "'Ationfb Science and Engineering Division List'" 
> <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 9:43:12
> Subject: [Nfb-science] Blindness Research
>
>>
>>
>> Considering the date, this is interesting.
>> Mike
>> Blindness and Sexuality:
>> Researching Myths and Facts
>> Summary Report:
>> Distributed by:
>> National Data Distribution Center (N.C)
>> April 1, 2009
>> Atlanta Georgia
>>
>> The two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille is being
>> celebrated by the US mint with the production of a silver coin 
>> commemorating
>> the man who created the modern reading system used by many blind people.
>> Unfortunately, although blind people work and live normal lives, they are
>> still different in many ways and their experiences are a matter of 
>> curiosity
>> amongst the sighted population.  For most of us, the question, "What is 
>> it
>> like to be blind?," has entered our minds more than once.
>>
>> Research, some of it useful and much of it not, about how people who are
>> blind perceive the world, abounds.  One of the more interesting topics of
>> study is sexuality among the blind.  The story, goes that blind people 
>> are
>> incredible sexual partners-comsomehow being extremely sensitive to their
>> partners and, being able to stimulate them far more than the average 
>> person.
>>
>>
>> Masters and Johnson were so intrigued by this subject that they collected
>> data over several years from those who had had sex with blind people.
>> Surprisingly, what they thought would be myths, turned out to be true. 
>> The
>> results were stunning.  On average, women rated their blind partners 9.1 
>> on
>> a scale of 10.  The average rating was five for sighted partners.
>>
>> "This research has been duplicated several times," says Author Mary 
>> Roach,
>> author of, 2008 best seller,
>> Bonk: the Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.  The data hasn't attracted
>> much attention because blindness is such a low incidence event.  "We 
>> usually
>> print things that have broad interest.  And, even though this indicates 
>> that
>> blind people are incredibly sexual, there aren't really enough of them to 
>> go
>> around."
>>
>> Comments from sighted partners were astounding.  "He seemed like he knew 
>> my
>> soul," from a 23 year old female.  "Her tongue knew just how to touch 
>> every
>> part of me if you know what I mean," from a college male.  One woman
>> commented, "The things he could do with his fingers were beyond 
>> description
>> in this survey.  It's not that he was built bigger than other men, it 
>> just
>> seemed like he touched me inside with it all over,"  she said with a shy
>> smile.
>>
>> When William Masters was asked, in a 1971 interview, why he didn't draw 
>> more
>> attention to these findings he said, "I didn't know anything about
>> blindness.  We were publishing information of general interest about
>> sexuality and this just didn't fit that mold.  Perhaps some day 
>> researchers
>> will help us understand why blind people have such incredible sexual
>> capacities and we'll be able to use that information to increase the
>> abilities of others.  Until then, a very few lucky men and women will
>> experience the phenomena of sex with a blind person."
>>
>> There is a down side to this research.  When interviewed, blind people
>> generally expressed frustration about sexuality.  Broadly speaking, they
>> divided sighted people into three groups.  First is the group who simply
>> want to have sex with them for the thrill and experience of it.  "We feel
>> used," was the most common thing reported.  second, was the group who 
>> simply
>> couldn't see themselves with a blind husband or wife.  "They want to be 
>> with
>> us, but don't see us as fathers and mothers, for example,"  was often 
>> heard.
>> the third group were those who "get it" as one blind man put it.  "They 
>> can
>> see beyond blindness and except us for who we are.  Blindness just fades
>> into the background and becomes another characteristic."
>>
>> The sad truth is that although blind people work, raise families, travel
>> independently and generally speaking, live normal lives, the public
>> perception is the opposite.  The image of the helpless beggar still lurks 
>> in
>> our minds.  Sighted people report that the fear of blindness overwelms 
>> their
>> rationality.  "I know that I shouldn't let blindness interfere with how I
>> think about my partner, but, I can't help it," said a young college 
>> student
>> engaged to a blind physicist working at NASA.  "Yes, he has money, and 
>> yes,
>> he's sexy, and oh, my god, can he please me, if you know what I mean. 
>> The
>> hardest thing is getting over this image of him as a helpless blind man. 
>> We
>> sail, bike ride and horse back ride.  I can't think of anything he can't 
>> do
>> except drive, but, I'll admit, the image of a helpless blind man still
>> haunts me.  People look at him with such pity and I just want to scream,
>> "You don't get it you fools.""  But she admits that making the decision 
>> to
>> mary is difficult.
>>
>> Chad, a young blind college student says he finds the whole sex thing a 
>> bit
>> distracting.  "Sure I can please women more than my sighted friends can, 
>> and
>> frankly, it's because they just don't pay attention to women and what 
>> their
>> bodies and hearts are saying.  Women will tell you everything you need to
>> know if you just listen and feel."
>>
>> We give you all of this information with the caviat that perhaps only one 
>> in
>> six thousand people is an eligible blind man or woman, so, happy 
>> searching.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfb-science mailing list
>> Nfb-science at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-science_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Nfb-science:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-science_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40panix.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfb-science mailing list
> Nfb-science at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-science_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Nfb-science:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-science_nfbnet.org/mabullis%40hotmail.com
>
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus 
> signature database 3984 (20090402) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
> 

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3984 (20090402) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com