formal and informal settings? How close together
do people stand if they are strangers? If they are
lovers? Students who are blind and deafblind
need to be taught directly about all of these as-
pects of human behavior. And because they are
interrelated with issues of sexuality, they become
exponentially more important.
Boundary Issues
Perhaps the most confusing area of human
interactions for students who are blind and deaf-
blind is that of personal boundaries. Most children
are taught to respect the personal space of others
and to prevent people from invading theirs. Stu-
dents who are blind, however, routinely have their
personal space invaded by caring and trusted
adults. In school, they are guided, instructed,
communicated with and, in the case of students
who require assistance, may be bathed and have
their clothes changed, all through physical touch.
In public, well-meaning passersby often unex-
pectedly grab hold of students who are blind to
guide them to chairs or across streets. Addition-
ally, many students with visual impairments are
so accustomed to having very personal aspects
of their lives discussed openly in meetings that it
is possible that they may think little of disclosing
private information to strangers (e.g., everything
from the frequency of their bowel movements to
their preferred techniques for masturbation).
Instructors need to be aware of and specifi-
cally address personal boundary issues with stu-
dents. Picture a young man working with a female
occupational therapist who is doing a hand-over-
hand demonstration: the smell of her perfume,
her warm breath against his skin or the proximity
of her breast to his body may preclude him from
fully concentrating on the lesson at hand. For this
reason, before any close interaction, teachers
need to explain what they are doing and why they
are getting so close and should ask permission
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