Sex and relationships education: potential and challenges perceived by teachers of the deaf

Abstract

Providing children who are deaf with accessible, age‐appropriate guidance and support in learning about growing up is of great importance for their healthy sexual development. This quantitative survey study is part of an exploratory research program with the goal of providing empirical data on the growth of sexual understanding in deaf children (the term ‘deaf’ includes all children with a permanent hearing loss). A short questionnaire was used to explore the views of teachers of the deaf on this subject as well as to provide an insight into the challenges these professionals face in the area of sex education. The study's findings highlight an overall concern over the suitability of current methods and materials often used to teach mainstreamed deaf children about sexuality and relationships. The data show a demand for a sex education module for teachers of the deaf and a need for deaf‐friendly sex education material. The study's findings could support schools' efforts to implement a sex and relationships education policy that is inclusive and beneficial for all children, but especially for deaf children's development into confident, responsible and well‐informed young adults. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Enablers of help‐seeking for deaf and disabled children following abuse and barriers to protection: a qualitative study

“…A lack of effective sex and relationships education for deaf children and children with special educational needs, as well as a lack of personal safety skills education for disabled children have also been identified as barriers to protection (Suter et al . ; Franklin et al . ).…”

What we should Teach Deaf Children: Deaf Teachers' Folk Models in Britain, the USA and Mexico

“…Matters relating to sex and relationships education, for example, are not topics for creative storytelling (but are recognized as an important challenge for many teachers of the deaf -see Suter et al, 2009) Paul also reported using factual narratives about the sex and relationships topics, and added, 'If I explained it creatively about the sperm swimming to the egg, all warm and shiny, and the sperm worming its way in, the children would laugh but they'd get silly and start joking around, so I feel it's better to avoid that. If they were much older, in general school, or if they all behaved well I could tell it like that, personifying the sperm, waving its tail, the two coming together, the egg growing and so on, I'd do it like that, but for them, at that age -no way.…”

"Deaf is best": Exploring the sexuality experiences and knowledge of Deaf women in New Zealand

“…At the present time, over 90% of Deaf children in England, the United States, and New Zealand are mainstreamed (McKee & Smith, 2003;Job, 2004;Suter et al, 2009).…”

“…However, all work done to date has indicated a risk minimisation focus with severe inadequacies that have persisted for almost four decades (Fitz-Gerald & Fitz-Gerald, 1978;Gannon, 1998;Fitz-Gerald & Fitz-Gerald, 1998;Getch et al, 2001;Roberts, 2006;Suter et al, 2009).…”

“…The results of these studies identified numerous contributing factors to the state of sexuality education and knowledge acquisition for Deaf students. One potential issue is the lack of special sexuality education training for teachers of Deaf students, resulting in educators who are uncertain how to effectively communicate basic sexual knowledge as well as more comprehensive sexuality topics, such as self-esteem, communication, and sexual agency (Fitz-Gerald & Fitz-Gerald, 1998;Swartz, 1993;Roberts, 2006;Suter et al, 2009). Absence of this education can leave teachers feeling "uncomfortable in the role of sexuality educator" (Getch et al, 2002, p. 402).…”