# A question about blind people and sexual maturity.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 20, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119 "2003-06-20T07:14:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/1 "2003-06-20T07:14:16Z")
I am not quite sure how to phrase this, but what the hell do you do if you have been blind all your life and you have never seen the opposite sex? In normal society you don’t often get the chance to feel up strangers, so how would a blind teenager know what a man/woman looks like? What would it be like to go through puberty and not know the physical nature of what you are pining for? Or do you pine? Without the visual stimulus of the opposite sex from birth, do the blind have a lessened libido or otherwise abnormal sexuality? Since he has never seen one before would a blind man still be turned on by breasts when he slept with a woman?
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/2 "2003-06-20T07:21:17Z")
I’m not blind, but I think you have the cart before the horse. Men don’t see women and as a result learn to desire them. They desire them, and therefore seek them out.
Doesn’t require eyes to do the seeking, or the appreciating.
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### Author:  [@Tarantula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarantula)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/3 "2003-06-20T07:33:15Z")
I’d like to see some answers from someonw who knows for sure.
This is an interesting question, and I don’t think it can be dismissed that quickly.
Anyone have any info ?
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### Author:  [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/4 "2003-06-20T07:45:35Z")
I’ve known two straight blind men - neither of whom had much interest in the Internet - and they both dating as much as with as much angst as any sighted man.
One assumes the sounds and smells or women are enough…
I myself, with my working peepers, always notice the sound of a man’s voice first.
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### Author:  [@Tarantula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarantula)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/5 "2003-06-20T07:56:30Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by j.c. \*
> **…with as much angst as any sighted man.**
What ??? Why would anyone date with angst ???
Lord give me strength…
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### Author:  [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/6 "2003-06-20T10:29:05Z")
_“A school for the blind ain’t no place for jacking off”_ **~Ray Charles~**
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### Author:  [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/7 "2003-06-20T11:15:23Z")
I have to agree with the speculation that sounds and smells could do a lot. But apparently this is something educators of blind children are concerned about also. I remember reading a newspaper article about a program intended to give sex education to the blind, complete with three-dimensional models. Apparently this particular program wasn’t that successful however.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/8 "2003-06-20T15:08:13Z")
All you need to know about this:
Sexuality Education for Children with Visual Impairments: A Parents Guide
[http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/sexuality-education-parent.htm](http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/sexuality-education-parent.htm)
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### Author:  [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/9 "2003-06-20T16:52:44Z")
There’s a link for everything!
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### Author:  [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/10 "2003-06-20T19:16:13Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by TeaRoses \*
> \*\*I have to agree with the speculation that sounds and smells could do a lot. But apparently this is something educators of blind children are concerned about also. I remember reading a newspaper article about a program intended to give sex education to the blind, complete with three-dimensional models. Apparently this particular program wasn’t that successful however. \*\*
Really, what they need to do is get some volunteers and give the kids some “hands-on” education in this subject. 😃 😃
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### Author:  [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/11 "2003-06-20T20:08:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \*
> \*\*Really, what they need to do is get some volunteers and give the kids some “hands-on” education in this subject. 😃 😃 \*\*
You absolutely worry me.
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### Author:  [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/12 "2003-06-20T20:48:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \*
> \*\*Really, what they need to do is get some volunteers and give the kids some “hands-on” education in this subject. 😃 😃 \*\*
I honestly wonder if this would be such a bad idea.
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### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/13 "2003-06-20T20:57:46Z")
Those aren’t braille…they’re breasts! Bwahahahaha! Sorry. I know it’s a serious subject, but I couldn’t resist. Back to your regularly scheduled informative thread.
(hangs head in shame)
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### Author:  [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/14 "2003-06-20T21:31:26Z")
What a great link, **handy**! I occasionally give lectures on sexuality and disability, but since I work mainly with those with spinal cord injuries, I never thought about this issue. I will have to include some information on this the next time I give the lecture.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/15 "2003-06-20T21:53:37Z")
“Those aren’t braille…they’re breasts!”
Kinda like the old quote:
‘I can read her body like a blind man reads braille’
Yeah, cool link there Brynda. I think deaf teenagers need a special book on things like this too.
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### Author:  [@eman77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eman77)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/16 "2003-06-20T22:48:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> There’s a link for everything!
Am I the only person that understood this joke?
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### Author:  [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/17 "2003-06-20T23:15:44Z")
I once met a guy that was blind and didn’t even realize it because he was already sitting down on the couch and seemed to be making eye contact with me while talking.
And even though I am straight, I have to say that this was an attractive guy. But when his girlfriend came walking up, she was so visually ugly, I actually had a hard time looking at her and thought “Geez, is this guy blind?”
Imagine the laugh I got when it turned out he was…
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/18 "2003-06-21T03:43:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Yarster \*
> **I once met a guy that was blind and didn’t even realize it \**
For about a half second, there, I was wondering how someone could be blind and not realize it.
_“Geeze, Mom, why didn’t you tell me?”_
DD
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### Author:  [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/19 "2003-06-21T06:12:03Z")
That’s what I thought also.
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### Author:  [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-blind-people-and-sexual-maturity/183119/20 "2003-06-21T07:22:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Grey \*
> \*\*There’s a link for everything! \*\*
It has been brought to my attention that this is some sort of joke. I don’t get it. Someone explain it please?