Teachers and Parents’ Perspective about Sex/Sexual Health Education for Students with Disabilities Enrolled in Special Schools/Centers of Punjab

Abstract

Sexuality education is considered a helpful tool for the sexual development and well-being of disadvantaged children and youth. This study aimed to identify teachers and parents’ perspective about the importance of teaching sex/sexual health education for their special students facing mental retardation, hearing impairment, visual impairment and physical impairment. This is an established fact around the globe. In Pakistan the idea is not fully accepted though understood by academia without any serious practical effort. Punjab is the largest province with maximum special schools and centers (317) for major four categories of special students, but no sensitivity is found to educate students with disabilities about sexual health education. The phenomenon is also under observation by the parents of students with disabilities with their worries how to aware their special children about sexual health education without any specific management guidelines available for them. This study has been conducted by eliciting the 100 teachers and 100 parents’ responses by implementing two separate questionnaires based various aspects related to sexual health education with Likert scale. Results revealed with strong recommendations by the teachers followed by the parents that students with disabilities should be taught about their sexual health needs. To achieve the target government should take massive steps to add the content in offered teachers training programs.