Sex Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairment

Abstract

The quality of psychosexual life of persons with visual impairment is determined by a number of factors, including proper sex education from childhood through adolescence. The information on specific aspects of human sexuality should take into consideration special educational and developmental needs of blind and low vision students, including inaccessibility or limited accessibility of visual teaching materials, impossibility to learn through spontaneous observation and imitation, limitations in receiving, understanding and using nonverbal communication. Research results show that sex education for that group is not done properly what results in their significantly lower level of knowledge of sexuality. Negligence in that area is even more worrying because children and adolescents with visual impairment are more prone to sexual abuse than students without disabilities. Incomplete and/or false information on sexual development and health increases the risk of occurrence of physical, emotional and social problems. 

Key words: visual impairment, blindness, low vision, sex education, school age