[Blind-rollers] new division

[Becky Frankeberger]

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

For the past 73 years the National Federation of the Blind has worked to
achieve full security, equality and opportunity for blind people through the
power of collective action.  We have made great progress in achieving these
ends.  Through the Federation, countless blind people, including myself,
have developed the belief that blindness need not stop us from realizing our
dreams.  However, there are some of us who have a secondary disability on
top of our blindness.  Although this too does not automatically hinder our
progress, we often find that the combination of our blindness and our
secondary disability can prevent us from having the opportunities more
readily available to even those whose only disability is blindness.
Moreover, those of us with secondary disabilities often do not have the
support and resources we need to discuss common issues and advocate for our
rights.  Even in the Federation, there is currently no vehicle through which
the blind with secondary disabilities can work together to solve the
problems we face and provide a network of resources and support to other
multiply-disabled persons.  This leaves us with little recourse when
discrimination against us occurs.

 

I am therefore proposing that a new division be formed within the National
Federation of the Blind for blind people with secondary disabilities, much
like our Multi-Handicapped Committee of the 1980s and early 1990s.  This
division would serve as a source of support and information for
multiply-disabled blind people, a forum in which we can discuss issues of
interest to us, and an organization through which the blind with secondary
disabilities and others who are interested in our cause can advocate for our
rights and combat discrimination.  Membership in this organization would be
open to all blind people who have an additional disabilitity as well as
anyone else who is interested in working with us to achieve our goals of
security, equality and opportunity.  If enough interest is shown, we will
hopefully have a meeting of interested people at next year's national
convention to form this division.  If you are interested in being a part of
this organization, please call or write to me at 720-435-7407 or
eataurasi at gmail.com. I thank you for your attention to this letter and for
your support of the rights of blind people.

 

Yours in Federationism,

 

Beth Taurasi

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado

 

 

_______________________________________________

Nfbnet-members-list mailing list

Nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org

List archives:
<http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org>