they may not be seen as possessing the neces-
sary characteristics. They may not be viewed as
holding alpha positions in their social circle. They
may not have the opportunity to display their level
of intelligence. Once again, they may be isolated
socially and thus may not have the opportunity
display these qualities. As individuals who are
blind or have low vision, they may not be seen as
having the potential for being able to provide suf-
ficiently for the family. Given that a male is visu-
ally impaired, he may be viewed by females as
genetically inferior, notwithstanding the actual
cause of his visual condition.
In the case of females who are visually im-
paired, they may not be perceived as capable of
producing healthy offspring and being able to
care for young children. Social isolation also adds
to the difficulty, given that females who are blind
or have low vision may not be available for obser-
vation by a large number of sighted males.
In summary, the all-important process of
mate selection in the case of both women and
men who are visually impaired is an extraordinar-
ily difficult problem to overcome.
Implications for Instruction in Disability-
Specific Skills
There are, however, opportunities to allevi-
ate some of the challenges that have been dis-
cussed with intervention during childhood and
adolescence. The difficulties typically encoun-
tered by youth who are blind or have low vision
when it comes to dating and fitting in with their
sighted peers often extend beyond the formative
years and well into adulthood (Sacks & Wolffe,
2006). Parents, teachers, and family members
can support the development of individuals who
are visually impaired in the areas highlighted in
this article through ongoing educational experi-
ences that start early on and continue regularly.
The expanded core curriculum (ECC) is the body
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