A literature review of South African schools for the blind and their use of educational sexual models in comprehensive sexuality education

Abstract

Internationally, educational sexual models (ESMs) have been gradually incorporated into comprehensive sex education (CSE) in schools for the blind (SFB). However, there is limited evidence that this has been taking place in South African SFB. This review sought to establish how these models are perceived by teachers and whether South African teachers receive any exposure to, or training to use, these models during their teacher education. The review not only established that limited training and exposure is taking place, but that teachers state that they need these models but feel constrained by social censorship. This means that crucial information was lacking from their lessons (e.g. authentic demonstrations where learners can feel and touch to learn). The review suggests that teachers need to be capacitated with appropriate pedagogy, competencies, and resources to respond to controversial areas of teaching and learning such as the place of ESMs in CSE lessons.

The complexities of delivering a home-school based comprehensive sexuality curriculum to visually impaired learners

“…Like previous studies which explored the challenges of recognising that children with disabilities need adequate psychosexual education (see Chirawu et al, 2014;Hanass-Hancock, 2009;Rohleder et al, 2009), visually impaired children have been socially constructed as non-sexual beings, because their identities are mostly captured in their disability (Kelly et al, 2002;Kelly & Kapperman, 2012;Wild et al, 2014). Their disability is translated into sexual inability (Louw et al, 2014;Ubisi, 2020aUbisi, , 2023Wild et al, 2019). They are infantised and constructed through a lens of pity and shame (Groce, 2005;Hanass-Hancock et al, 2013;Louw, 2017).…”

“…Another consideration might be that parents of visually impaired children still see their children as non-sexual beings (Chappell, 2014;2016;Kelly et al, 2002;Ubisi, 2020aUbisi, , 2023. Like previous studies which explored the challenges of recognising that children with disabilities need adequate psychosexual education (see Chirawu et al, 2014;Hanass-Hancock, 2009;Rohleder et al, 2009), visually impaired children have been socially constructed as non-sexual beings, because their identities are mostly captured in their disability (Kelly et al, 2002;Kelly & Kapperman, 2012;Wild et al, 2014).…”

“…Future research is needed to provide parents, teachers, hostel caretakers and visually impaired learners with enough home-school based communication and intervention to empower visually impaired learners to make healthier sexual choices. One such study is the work idea of introducing anatomically correct models in the CSE lessons of visually impaired learners (Ubisi, 2023).…”

Enhancing Comprehensive Sexuality Education for Students with Disabilities: Insights from Ontario’s Educational Framework

“…Delving deeper, extant research underscores the challenges educators face in supporting the sexual development of students with visual impairments. These challenges span a spectrum from a dearth of inclusive resources, like Braille materials, to the absence of tactile educational sexual models that cater to the unique needs of these students [9]. The literature accentuates the paramount importance of equipping educators with training to counteract biases, ensuring that students with visual impairments receive equitable education akin to their nondisabled counterparts [87].…”

“…Globally, research on CSE has been conducted in regions such as South Africa [9,10], China [11], and Malaysia [12], among other nations [13,14]. Yet, the emphasis on intersectionality, especially concerning students with disabilities, remains sparse.…”