Workshop Initiative Presented Are Two-Fold

¶ … workshop initiative presented are two-fold as follows: (a) to promote a greater understanding of the importance of proper condom use among special needs college students; and (b) to provide hands-on opportunities for these students to learn how to apply the devices appropriately using a life-like phallic model. The target audience for the workshop initiative is special needs students currently attending colleges or universities in the United States.

Special Needs College Students and Proper Condom Use The United States continues to experience of the highest pregnancy rates among unmarried young people in the industrialized world, despite the fact that birth rates have been steadily declining since 1991 (Kirby, 2002). The consequences involved are severe, with about one-fourth of sexually active young people acquiring a sexually transmitted disease each year (Kirby, 2002).

In response to these trends, there has been an increasing amount of attention paid to identifying ways to encourage these young people to use condoms to prevent unplanned pregnancies and the transmission of disease (Kirby, 2002). In spite of this increasing attention, many young people may not be aware of the need to use a condom due in part to the ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments to promote abstinence only as the only acceptable approach to preventing pregnancy and the transmission of disease (Beh & Diamond, 2006).

In fact, one of the strategies being used in abstinence-only programs is to emphasize the potential for condom failure, a strategy that is misguided and dangerous (Beh & Diamond, 2006). According to Beh and Diamond, "When used properly, condoms are extremely effective at preventing disease transmission and pregnancy" (p. 12).

In this regard, there are two basic types of condom failures; the first involves a product failure due to a defect, but the second type involves the failure of the individuals involved to use the condom in the first place and this is by far the most common type of condom failure (Beh & Diamond, 2006). User failure is also frequently exacerbated by drug and alcohol use (Blanchett, 2000).

Therefore, by providing these young people with timely information concerning the efficacy of condom use and how they should be used, user failures rates can be reduced (Beh & Diamond, 2006). Unfortunately, special needs college students can be a particularly high risk of engaging in unprotected sexual activity for a number of reasons. For example, Bisol, Sperb, Brewer, Kato and Shor-Posne (2008) report that, "Deaf adolescents are at a greater risk because their communication difficulties hinder their ability to acquire accurate information" (p. 349).

This inability frequently translates into lack of awareness on the part of these special needs students concerning the importance of condom use (Bisol et al., 2008). As Bisol and her associates emphasize, "Insufficient knowledge to make well-informed choices about sexual health behavior, difficulties communicating with medical providers, inadequate understanding of AIDS resulting from communication barriers, and relative isolation of many deaf people have been repeatedly reported" (p. 350).

Likewise, even when young people with learning disabilities have been provided with timely information concerning the importance of condom use, the conflicting messages that have been promoted in high school may prevent them from using them routinely or appropriately (Blanchett, 2000). The term "special needs" is defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 1990 and amended in 1997 as including students in the following categories: 1. Specific learning disabilities; 2. Speech or language impairment; 3. Serious emotional disturbance; 4. Mental retardation; 5. Hearing impairments (including deafness); 6. Orthopedic impairment; 7. Other health impairment; 8. Visual impairment (including blindness); 9.

Multiple disabilities; 10. Deafness; 11. Deaf-blindness; 12. Autism; and, 13. Traumatic brain injury (Evanciew, 2003). In order to overcome the current constraints to learning about proper condom use by this wide range of special needs college students who may have individualized constraints to learning, an appropriate approach must be developed that can adequately communicate the importance of the practice as well as the mechanics that are involved. To this end, Evanciew (2003) reports that, "Research suggests that students with special needs benefit from experiences that involve functional, hands-on learning" (p. 7).

Therefore, the approach described further below can help special needs college students learn both the importance of proper condom use as well as the mechanics that are involved in applying them. Objectives The objectives of this initiative are two-fold as follows: 1. To promote a greater understanding of the importance of proper condom use among special needs college students; and, 2. To provide hands-on opportunities for them to learn how to apply the devices appropriately using life-like phallic models.

Materials and Resources This initiative requires the use of the following materials and resources: 1. An adequate supply of commercially available condoms; 2. A free-standing life-like phallic model with a base that can be secured to a flat surface; 3. Handouts containing illustrations of the proper application of condoms; and, 4. Handouts containing information concerning the dangers involved in engaging in unprotected sex; these handouts should also be prepared in Braille for sight-impaired and blind special needs students.

Target Audience The target audience of this initiative is all special needs students attending colleges or universities in the United States. Procedure The procedure used in this initiative is straightforward and involves a preliminary but pragmatic discussion concerning the need to use condoms if and when special needs students engage in sexual activity. The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV / AIDS, will be described, as well as the potential consequences of unplanned pregnancies.

Following this discussion, the life-like phallic model will be secured to a flat surface where it is easily visible by.