[Blindtlk] What is Federationism?

[David Andrews]

No, no placed announced so far.  Also, generally where ever it is, 
you have to fly, so not big difference in flying to Atlanta, Orlando, 
Dallas, or somewhere else.

Dave

\At 11:55 AM 5/8/2011, you wrote:
>is the nfb convention going to be any where close to Minnesota with in the
>next few years??
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of David Evans
>Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2011 9:40 AM
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
>
>
>Dear Chris,
>
>Sorry we will miss you this year, but the National Convention will be back
>to Orlando a couple of more times in the next few years.
>You can always get your family to consider that if they come during the
>convention, they can take advantage of the room rates and you can take
>advantage of the events at the convention.
>The NFB always gets the hotel rate extended 3 days before and after a
>convention as many people use their vacation time to come and want to see
>more than just the inside of the hotel.
>You can spend two weeks in Orlando and still not be able to see and do it
>all.
>NFB members like to go and do things too attend the General Sessions and
>Seminars.
>   I certainly have taken advantage of the opportunities in the past.  I have
>
>had some great times, with my fellow NFB members and there are some real
>stories there involving bumper cars and roller coasters.
>
>David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
>To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 9:39 PM
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
>
>
> > Thank you, David, for that wonderful explanation!!! * Smile! No really, it
>
> > was a great history lesson and one that makes me understand a lot more
> > about the NFB philosophy.  I, too, identify with the positive philosophy
> > of the Federation and I have now decided, from yours and other responses
> > to my "what is Federationism" question, that I'm proud to be a
> > Federationist and will try to be as active as I can with my age and other
> > circumstances in the Federation! Unfortunately, I will not be able to come
>
> > to the Orlando Convention because I'm going on a family vacation in North
> > Carolina.  I know, Orlando's a tourist site, too, and one where we could
> > take a vacation.  But I don't think some of my family members would be as
> > excited as me about going to the NFB Convention.  They're all sighted! But
>
> > I'll be sure to listen to the live stream on nfb.org.  And yes, my two
> > friends (Nathan Clark and Jason Polansky, both from Maryland, please tell
> > them I said hi if you see them please) are going to call me and totally
> > rub it in.  "I'm at the national Convention in Orlando, where are you?
> > It's so fun here!" * Smile!
> > P.S.  FYI, I got this message twice, one
> > with no subject line and from an anonemous sender with no return email
> > address, but your signature at the end, and then a second time with your
> > name and email.  What are you trying to do, keep secrets from me? Just
> > kidding, * smile!
> >
> > Chris Nusbaum
> >
> > "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
> >
> > --- Sent from my Braille-Note
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "David Evans" <drevans at bellsouth.net
> > To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> > Date sent: Fri, 6 May 2011 13:22:42 -0400
> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
> >
> >
> > Dear Chris,
> >
> > You are not the first person to feel this way and I would say that you
> > always need to take everything with a grain of salt in any organization.
> > There are people with extreme views in every organization and you can be
> > turned off by the wrong people if you think they really represent the
> > whole
> > organization.
> > The war between the ACB and NFB goes back to the 1950's.    You can read
> > "Walking Alone and Marching Together" to learn more.  .
> > There was a split at that point because of a couple of issues.
> > The NFB had come out on the issue of equal pay for equal work in the
> > sheltered workshops that
> > was opposed by the (AFB) American Foundation for the Blind and the
> > Lighthouses for the Blind, who operated about 2,000 sheltered work shops
> > across the nation.
> > They had got a law passed in 1933 that let them pay Blind workers less
> > than
> > minimum wage and much less than the other disabled workers.  They were
> > raking in the money at the Blind's expense.
> > This made the NFB the enemy of both of these organizations because the NFB
> > was trying to take away their little thiefdoms and effect their bottom
> > line.
> > Now , in the late 50's and early 60's the NFB came out for equal rights
> > for
> > Blacks and supported their Civil Rights.
> > There were those with in the NFB that were opposed to equal rights, mostly
> > in the southern states, but others too,  for Blacks and the AFB and
> > lighthouses tried to use this to drive a wedge through the NFB.
> > There were big fights at the National Convention.  There were those State
> > Affiliates and Chapters who were opposed to Blacks and Jews being members
> > and serving on Boards of Directors.
> > There was also accusations of people in some affiliates and chapters
> > taking
> > money from the AFB and Lighthouses to oppose NFB's efforts to over turn
> > the
> > wages law.
> > There was a split at the convention and a number of members who were
> > against
> > Black's civil Rights and being supported by the AFB left the Convention
> > and
> > marched down the street to another hotel and formed a new organization
> > called the American Council of the Blind.
> > For many years and still today, the Lighthouses still support the ACB and
> > provide them with a place to meet and money support in some cases.
> > Now the AFB and Lighthouses had this organization to trot out to oppose
> > the
> > NFB's efforts to get equal pay for the Blind and to prevent Blacks and
> > Jews
> > from being members and serving on Boards of Directors.
> > For many years Blacks and Jews were prevented from being members of the
> > ACB
> > until the Civil Rights Movement in the mid     1960's took hold.
> > They have since dropped the prohibition to Blacks and Jews and they rarely
> > talk about the wages issue anymore, but the hate is still there.
> > They mostly argue over philosophy and stuff.
> > The NFB believes that blindness can be overcome by the use of good
> > training
> > and a positive philosophy and that we , using these skills can cope with
> > the
> > world as it is.
> > The ACB philosophy, on the other hand, seems to feel that the world should
> > be made safer for Blind people by changes in the environment and by law.
> > I am sure that there is some middle ground there somewhere.
> > I personally like the positive philosophy of the NFB and that is why I am
> > a
> > member.  I know that I can not count on the World being re-made just so
> > poor
> > little Blind people will not stub their toe on cracks in the sidewalk.
> > I made arrangements years ago to go to a ACB National Convention in San
> > Francisco until I read some of the information that was sent to me.
> > I noted that "No members would be allowed to leave the hotel without an
> > escort to walk them down the street to where the Exhibition Hall was in
> > another building.  What! I can not go out on my own if I want to?
> > I found that there were as many or more sighted volunteers there to do
> > everything for you and who were persistent in and insistent that could do
> > it
> > for you and faster and easier.  They were a pest.
> > I did not like the feeling I got from the experience and the custodial
> > attitudes I ran into.
> > I have gone to another ACB State convention and ran into much the same
> > thing
> > as well.
> > I like attending the NFB conventions, which are much larger and really do
> > something.
> > The NFB is the organization I identify with and I will stay there.
> > I am looking forward to the National Convention in Orlando Florida this
> > year.  I hope to see you there.
> > I will be the maniac blowing the bugle in the Florida Section.
> >
> > David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.f
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Nikki Wunderlich" <nikki0222 at gmail.com
> > To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> > Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 10:35 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
> >
> >
> > I am not a registered NFB or ACB person.  I don't really belong to either
> > organization.  I just help where I can.  I've only been to one NFB
> > convention,
> > and and I've never been to an ACB convention.  I would like to learn more
> > about both agencies before steadfastly joining one or the other.  But as
> > it
> > stands I am on lists for both groups, because I'm not sure which group
> > fits
> > me and my beliefs better.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> > Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 5:15 PM
> > To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
> >
> > I agree, Eric.  I don't understand all this political bickering between
> > NFB
> > and ACB, as if one organization is working to promote the independence of
> > the blind and the other isn't.  In fact one of the NFB songs tells ACB to
> > go
> > straight to...  well, you get the point.  All the ACB is is another
> > organization working for the common good of the blind.  They may have some
> > different ideas, but neither is good nor bad.  I have always been kind of
> > a
> > reluctant member of the Federation.  By the way, I'm an at-large member of
> > NFB-MD.  I completely agreed with the NFB's work for independence, but I
> > didn't really like the dogmatic approach some Federationists take to
> > issues:
> > my way (the NFB way) is the only way, and ACB...  well, they're just
> > wrong.
> > No, no, no! For a long time, I thought that this approach was part of the
> > NFB philosophy, and therefore was reluctant to really be active in the
> > Federation.  I didn't want to support that one-size-fits-all view of all
> > things blindness.  Now that I've spent much time on the NFB site,
> > listening
> > to Dr.  Maurer and Dr.  Jernigan's words, I know this is not the real NFB
> > philosophy, but only an extreme interpretation of it that some members
> > take.
> > That's really why I want to become more active, now that I know that by
> > doing so, I wouldn't also be supporting a one-size-fits-all, narrow-minded
> > approach to everything related to blindness.  When I joined this list, I
> > was
> > a little afraid to talk about these opinions of the NFB approach to some
> > issues, and their arguing with the ACB and AFB, being that this is an NFB
> > list which supports the NFB philosophy, which I thought might mean the
> > list
> > members supported this dogmatic approach as well.  But I'm glad most of
> > you
> > have open minds and feel the same as me.  Now that I've said all of this,
> > I
> > wonder if this email will ever really get posted to the list, being that
> > we're a monitored list, monitored by the NFB higher-ups.  So, do you
> > approve
> > this one...  huh, Dave? * Smile!
> >
> > Chris Nusbaum
> >
> > "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
> >
> > --- Sent from my Braille-Note
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Eric Calhoun <eric at pmpmail.com
> > To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> > Date sent: Wed, 4 May 2011 14:08:32 -0500
> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
> >
> > Chris, like you, I have never been that active in the Federation, but I
> > can
> > tell you some things I've learned:
> >
> > ** If you believe in a cause, try and collaborate in others, who share it.
> >
> > ** Put your money, where your mouth is.  If you don't have a Chapter in
> > your
> > area, please consider joining one.  If you do not have a Chapter in your
> > area, please consider (1) founding one, or (2) being an at-large member.
> >
> > ** Membership has its privileges.  When I joined the San Fernando Valley
> > Chapter, I was able to interact with other Federationists, some of whom
> > are
> > close friends of mine.  My privileges were: selling cookies, going to
> > White
> > Cane Safety Day functions, and acquiring a First-Timers'
> > scholarship to the
> > 1997 New Orleans Convention.
> >
> > Finally,
> >
> > ** It is okay to disagree with someone, but disagree agreeably.
> > In my
> > struggles with NFB, I, myself, do agree, with the Federation on issues
> > like
> > braille literacy, independence, and being an advocate for oneself.  But do
> > I
> > need an NFB Training Center to further my skills?  No, I am capable with
> > the
> > skills I have.
> >
> > I, soon, will be an at-large member of my NFB-Calif.  affiliate, sometime
> > as
> > early as June or July.  Do I think Federationism is bad?  No.
> > Do I
> > think NFB and ACB can still work together?  Yes.