http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/opinion/19zulu.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
The funny thing about this not-at-all-funny article is that I have wondered about this. The sex lives of anyone who is gay, lesbian, old, of a different race, or, in this case, disabled, is automatically rather mysterious. Sex education is quickly enlightening students about these mysteries, but this article quickly dispels a myth the author, Winestone Zulu, feels has surrounded his life as a disabled person; that people with disabilities don't have sex.
They do.
This alone wasn't what challenged my thinking. I've come to try and assume that everyone in one way or another has some kind of sex life. The true shock for me was the statistic included in the article, "although people with disabilities are just as likely to be sexually active as people without, our H.I.V. infection rate is up to three times higher." The article explains that at least in Zambia, where the author lives, students with disabilities are excluded from parenthood planning classes and any kind of sex-ed.
Perhaps this is truly only an issue in the African country from which the author hails, but I'd imagine it has some application here as well. Cross barely has sex-ed anyways, but I'd imagine students in the special-education room in the first floor A-wing have enough trouble getting into legitimate english and math classes, let alone sexual education. I have the utmost love and respect for our special education program at Cross. I understand the school board to pour tons of money into the system to provide many educators and aides for students with disabilities.
I wonder if this is a problem in the U.S. as much as in places like Zambia. HIV/AIDS is certainly a problem in the United States, but I wonder if it affects disabled Americans to the extent to which Zulu cites. To everyone on the blog, but especially the STARS (Sophie, Tarpley, Jourdan) have you heard of any special initiatives to educate disabled students about sex? Are such initiatives unnecessary due to students with disabilities already being included in sex-ed classes? How can we, as students, help to offset the problem presented in this article?
3 comments:
This caught my attention very quickly. I still think that no matter what disability a person has it shouldn’t be able to automatically cut them off from learning at least a little bit of something about sex or any other subject. We all learn in different ways. Just because people have disabilities does not mean that they don’t wonder the same things we do at this age.
Disabilities cause problems either physically or mentally. Having a brother with Down syndrome makes me sometimes see things with more of an open mind. Now that he is 13 years old I don’t see any difference then you would from a normal 13 year old. The only main difference is he can’t talk. He understands if you explain things very well.
So I don’t see why it is such big issue that kids with disabilities can’t be taught the same things. Especially when it’s something that we “ALL” think about. We need to be able to open up to more things and just stop assuming things and actually let people decide for themselves. With what they want to learn and what not.
this article was... interesting. this idea never crossed my mind . Usually in school they teach sex-ed classes but im sure many assume that those with a disability do not have sex. this is unfair and predjudiced everyone should be educated. even if that means you have to set up a different class or find instructors who can relate but to send them off into the world without any education on sex and how to take preventative measures even with a diability is unfair. thank you for the post.
This article was definitely an attention grabber for me. Although many may assume or think children with disabilities cant, or don't have sex, that doesn't say they can't be educated. In my opinion, someday everyone will have a sexual experience with another, and even if not everyone should still be given the chance to be educated on it. Excluding students with disabilities from this learning is not only unfair, but selfish as well. No one is immune to sexually transmitted diseases, which is why we all should be educated about the dangers of such diseases and how we can practice safe sex.
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