[Blindtlk] what the NFB Should Do!

[Marion Gwizdala]

Dear All,
    Please excuse this cross-posting but I think it is important enough that I wanted to share it with as many of you as possible. When I speak with many blind people who find out I am a leader in the Federation, I often have them say, "The NFB should ...". You can fill in the blank with a myriad of suggestions of what needs to be done to improve the lives of the blind. Generally, my response is, "Are you a member of the NFB?" The most frequent answer is "No!" This opens the door for me to share that the Federation is a membership organization -  a grass roots Movement in which each member must be actively involved in order for us to improve our lives. It is not dr. Maurer; it is not the Board of Directors; it is not the people who work at the National Center for the Blind; it is not our divisions, our affiliates, or our chapters! It is each and every member of the movement! I then invite them to become a member of the NFB and hear the same tired excuses of not being a joiner, not having enough time, not wanting to choose sides, not agreeing with the philosophy, yah dah yah dah yah dah yawn! "In other words," I say, "you want someone else to solve your problems for you and are unwilling to help. Is that right?" Of course, they think I am a rude, obnoxious, belligerent Federationist, what my wife and I would call "C.B." - Confirmation Bias - the bias that "All Federationists are (fill in the blank!" and this experience confirms this belief! 
    I praise those of you who have joined me in our effort to improve the lives of the blind. You have not made it someone else's problem to solve; you have made it yours! To paraphrase the words of Mahatma Gandhi , "You are the change you want to see in the world!" Thank you for your service and for joining me on the barricades! On to Orlando!

Fraternally yours,
Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU)
National Federation of the Blind
813-626-2789
President at NAGDU.ORG
HTTP://WWW.NAGDU.ORG