[Blindtlk] why is it important to join an organization of theblind?

[Gary Wunder]

I didn't write it for that purpose, but we might consider it if it is
helpful. If it is only preachy, if it is only a put down, then it has no
business there. If it really helps people see why they should consider
joining or strengthens their commitment, then I'll think about putting it
with other thoughts and seeing if we can cobble together an article.

Warmly,

Gary

 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Ray Foret Jr
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 2:15 PM
To: gwunder at earthlink.net; Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] why is it important to join an organization of
theblind?

Gary, I tell you truthfully, I sense the germination of a Monitor artocle in
this.


Sincerely,
The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!

Now a very proud and happy Mac user!!!

Skype name:
barefootedray

Facebook:
facebook.com/ray.foretjr.1



On Jan 17, 2012, at 11:34 AM, Gary Wunder wrote:

> Dear Chris:
> 
> Please understand that what I am about to write is my opinion and not some
> official position of the Federation. I will try to avoid offering other
> disclaimers such as "In my opinion," or "It is my belief." I want to be
firm
> in stating what I believe but humble enough to acknowledge that does not
> represent any particular wisdom or any claim to be the one true way.
> 
> I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind because I believe
that
> collective action is required if blind people are to continue to enjoy the
> programs and services we now have and to further the goal of integration
we
> all seek where we gain jobs, play active parts in our community, and are
no
> longer limited by artificial barriers that are not imposed by blindness
but
> by the reaction to it by blind and sighted people alike. As an individual
I
> have a responsibility to think about my options and opportunities and to
> decide whether or not to pursue or shy away from them; In other words, I
> have choices to make. But individually I do not always have the
creativity,
> the expertise, and the power to make those choices real and achievable.
> 
> Right now blind people are engaged in the battle to determine whether we
> have a right to demand that computerized technology, with all its power
and
> promise, be harnessed to help us as it helps others, or whether, because
we
> are a small population, this same computer technology will be used to
> exclude us. The outcome of this struggle is as important as my ability to
> compete at a job, my ability to enjoy entertainment at home, my ability to
> check in at airports and check out at supermarkets, and even my ability to
> live at home independently. Take away my independent access to home
> appliances--my ability to set the temperature on my oven, regulate the
> temperature in my house, and operate the controls on my washer and dryer,
> and soon I will require the services of a personal care attendant or be in
a
> nursing home because I will be unable to take care of my most basic needs.
> Even the option of a home care attendant or a nursing home may depend on
> whether or not I can afford them. 
> 
> My job as one human being is to educate myself; my more difficult job is
to
> embrace the education of society to the potential technology brings and to
> the problems it can create if not properly managed. Individually I must be
> an informed voice, but only collectively do I have a voice capable of
> reaching the nation and the world. Individually I do not know how to bring
> about the changes in design and engineering that make things talk, produce
> braille, or provide a way for me to navigate using touch or voice;
> collectively I can be a part of giving scholarships to young people, some
of
> whom will dedicate their professional careers to learning about such
things
> and being a part of developing technology that includes me and others who
> are blind. Individually I do not know how to craft laws to help us, but
> collectively I can help to grow and employ the expertise of those who do.
> Individually I do not know how to execute a successful lawsuit on behalf
of
> myself and others who suffer from technological discrimination;
collectively
> I can be a part of hiring that help and articulating to the legal system
the
> goals and aspirations of blind people who are committed to the forward
> progress we have enjoyed and to categorically reject the idea of once
again
> being consigned to idleness and inactivity. 
> 
> It is argued that sighted people do not unite as a group, and that, if
blind
> people truly want equality, we must turn away from the reliance on a group
> and the expectation other blind people will join with us. Because of their
> numbers and a society which will quite reasonably be oriented to them,
> sighted people have no need to unite on the basis of sight. They do,
> however, unite for other reasons. Wealthy people unite with others to see
> that policies do not encourage and support the taking of their wealth.
Those
> less wealthy unite for a whole host of reasons when individually their
> voices are not sufficient to start a national discussion about the things
> they need. Doctors, as educated and prestigious as they are, unite when it
> comes to representing their interests and, for that matter, the health
> interests of the American people. Farmers form organizations to try to
> increase their prices and protect against what they see as overly
burdensome
> regulation. Many from all walks of life unite to protect the environment
by
> reminding us that some of the things we want for enhancing our creature
> comforts come at a cost that may jeopardize the well-being of the earth
for
> our children and our children's children. The concept of organizing for
> collective action, to amplify the voice, to share the load, and to bring
> very disparate groups with talent and expertise to serve a cause is not
> unique to the blind, nor is it unique to America. It is the longing of
> people everywhere to better themselves and the realization that not every
> good that needs doing can be accomplished by one human being, no matter
her
> determination or skill or drive. It is the understanding that true
> independence often involves the more complicated concept of
interdependence
> and that learning to work together does not detract one little bit from
our
> individuality, our ability to make choices, and our ability to influence
the
> world.
> 
> I want a piece of the American dream. That means more than Supplemental
> Security Income because I am deemed too disabled to work. That means more
> than food stamps and subsidized housing because I am considered so
> impoverished that only through a government program can I eat and have
> shelter from the elements. I want the right to information and that means
> more than a book of fiction in which I live my life through the words and
> stories of others. I have benefited from and support each of these
programs
> and I do not write to throw stones. There are forces in the world that
> conspire to keep me in this place, a place of continual dependence. It is
> not a harsh place with physical bars, but a place built by a compassionate
> America trying to do good for people they perceive as having a significant
> need. It is not a jail neither is it a zoo; but it is a cage, albeit one
> with radios and televisions and devices to produce music on demand. It is
a
> place where we may play but not a place for we may grow. Programs intended
> to provide us with a staircase to upward mobility have too often become
the
> means for lifelong support. The tragedy is that life is so much less than
it
> could be for we who are blind and our country gets so much less from good
> minds and overflowing hearts who long to find a way to meaningfully
> contribute. 
> 
> The alternative path requires more training, perseverance, and perhaps
even
> more good luck. The process is rehabilitation, and by rehabilitation I
mean
> much more than accepting the help to go from high school to training
school
> or college. For me rehabilitation means entering into a contract, a sacred
> pledge to make good on the goodwill and the investment of taxpaying
> Americans by turning education and equipment into productive work. It is
> more than accepting, as a matter of course, this government program for
the
> blind that can sometimes be little more than a transition from education
to
> more education to lifelong dependence. At its best, rehabilitation is the
> power of people to help people, the way a society helps some of its
members
> move from needing a meal to earning a meal. It can, at its best, be an
> example of government truly serving and at its worst an example of raising
> expectations only to crush them. We, the blind people who organize and
work
> in the Federation, determine which it will be. 
> 
> Several months ago I watched a Republican primary where a candidate was
> asked what should be done about an uninsured 29-year-old man lying in a
> hospital following a motorcycle crash. Should he be allowed to die was the
> timidly advanced question, and before the candidate could answer, a
> disturbingly loud minority in that audience began to clap. The America I
see
> is no longer in a place where she believes she can extend benefits to
those
> who do not pay for them. If this is true for something as basic as medical
> care, how long is it before we see America questioning whether there is
> money to support her disabled citizens who have been offered
rehabilitation
> services but who continue to remain on the public dole? How many people
must
> succeed in the rehabilitation process to convince an ever skeptical and
> belt-tightening America that this magical contract between blind people
and
> the rest of America's citizens should continue? Partly that answer depends
> on us and how well we make the case for what we need and the wonderful
> things that happen when rehabilitation works. Partly it depends on how
well
> we make the case to other blind people for moving beyond our comfort zone
> and actively addressing those areas in which we are weak or scared or
> paralyzed by our inexperience with the world.
> 
> I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind because I realize it
> has been an important part in helping me live a bit of the American dream.
I
> am a part because I want to pay it forward and to share the blessings I've
> been given with others. I know that as important as a positive mental
> attitude and philosophy are, they are little more than words if there
isn't
> some kind of active effort to transform them into actions. Wanting to feed
> the starving is more than wanting--it is doing something to advance that
> cause--donating money, growing food, building roads, and buying vehicles.
> None of this is accomplished by remaining on the sidelines and being an
> observer, even if an informed one; it is accomplished by a resolution to
do
> something and then by following through on that resolution.
> 
> The Federation, for all the pride I take in her, is not a luxury liner
> capable of being guided and run by a few and on which many may ride in
> comfort. Instead my Federation is a canoe, a ship that can carry a few,
but
> needs every person who can to be at the ores pushing us along, steering us
> in the direction we want to go, and helping us avoid the obstacles that
> would break our frail craft if not maneuvered with skill, intelligence,
and
> the support of a God and a public who wants the best for us. Blind
> Americans, just like sighted Americans, can make the choice as to whether
or
> not to be involved, but the choice they make has consequences for all of
us.
> The more people we have who are active rowers of our canoe, the more each
of
> us who row have time to do other things and the more likely we are to
> succeed. Our mission is a noble one that argues for our own independence
and
> for the continued prosperity of our nation. I believe it is so important
> that we dare not sit on the sidelines. I have spent enough of my life
being
> told to observe and weight. When I have a choice, I will choose
> participation, service, and the knowledge that, come what may, I have
tried.
> This is why I am a part of the Federation. This is why I ask others to be
a
> part. I don't want to whine and I don't want to preach. I want to be
> grateful for what I have, to repay those who have helped to make it come
> true, and to pay it forward for those who want the same kind of future I
> want. I ask for the energy that others can bring in charting that course
and
> then helping us travel it.
> 
> Gary
> 
> 
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