cause
of the inaccessible materials. I feel this is
important for students with VI because it's impor-
tant for complete understanding; just like under-
standing that we get beef from a cow that lives
on a farm and is raised to be eaten as
hamburger, steak, etc. The whole process is not
picked up by incidental learning. Or, at least I
hope not!!!
Q: What recommendations do you have for
the field of visual impairments regarding sex edu-
cation?
Alison: Don't miss the fun! I love to teach
health education and part of health education is
instructing students about their body systems/
parts. A part of being a healthy person is under-
standing and embracing who 'you' are as an indi-
vidual. Every individual has sexual needs (this
could be just doctor's care or expressing them-
selves sexually or having sexual release). Ignor-
ing differences between male and female bodies,
ignoring changes as they occur, and ignoring the
need for knowledge does not help students be-
come healthy, well-adjusted adults. When a stu-
dent leaves health education, they might not have
all the answers, but they should have a basis of
understanding and know how/where to get infor-
mation to stay healthy.
Concluding Remarks
At the end of our interview, Alison added the
following: Maybe we need to move away from the
term sex education. It is more than just sex that
needs to be addressed - reproductive health edu-
cation?
I want to thank Alison for taking the time to
share her knowledge and experience with the
readers of DVIQ. This is a topic that is difficult for
many to approach and I appreciate her willing-
ness to speak candidly about the topic!
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