[Blindtlk] why is it important to join an organizationoftheblind?
Chris Nusbaum
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Wed Jan 18 16:51:06 UTC 2012
I totally agree!
Chris
"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
exists. If a blind person has the proper training and
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rex Leslie Howard, Jr." <rex at littlelaw.com
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:15:51 -0600
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] why is it important to join an
organizationoftheblind?
It all goes back to that old adage: "together we stand, divided
we fall"
doesn't it?
I'm sure there are good, competent, thoughtful, contemplative and
fair
people within the ranks of both organizations. It's just sad
that the petty
bickering, back-biting and ridiculing goes on to the point that,
as of this
time in history, there can be no unification of goals and
agendas.
I am a member of both NFB and ACT lists and I have to say, I have
really
heard some unkind, rude and downright hateful things said by some
of the
members of the ACB list. I have not heard as much coming from
the NFB lists
but I'm sure there is prejudice and preference within both
organizations.
That's kind of sad if you ask me.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 9:06 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] why is it important to join an
organization
oftheblind?
Hi Desiree,
Good points! I used to be on a few ACB lists, but soon got
annoyed by all
the myths being spread on there about NFB and how it works,
mostly by people
who obviously didn't know what they were talking about. When I
would try to
set the record straight, they wouldn't believe it or they'd say,
"Why are
you on an ACB list if you're so NFB?" While I think the two can
and should
work together on common issues and am in fact working to start a
list
non-affiliated with either organization, where people can talk
about
blindness-related topics without that getting in the way.
However, I do tend to identify more with the Federation
philosophy and its
positions on a lot of issues, and so decided to join the
Federation. At the
same time, I don't have to agree with everything the Federation
does to
identify with its philosophy, and have chosen to stay informed,
in one way
or another, about what both organizations believe and are doing.
As I said
to the NABS list earlier this year when I pointed out an article
in the
Braille Forum, which I happened to disagree with, and people
thought I was
trying to "convert" them to ACB, "I have chosen to be a
Federationist! I
have also chosen to be an informed one." So, I totally believe in
informed
decision-making.
Chris
"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The
real
problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
exists. If a
blind person has the proper training and opportunity, blindness
can be
reduced to a mere physical nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan
----- Original Message -----
From: Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org Date sent: Mon,
16 Jan 2012
21:03:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] why is it important to join an
organization of
theblind?
Hi,
Well, I for one am one of those who don't want to join either
organization.
I am on both NFB and ACB listservs, to gain perspective of what
both
organizations are doing, and their thoughts on important issues.
If I have
a question, I would probably write to the appropriate listservs
pertaining
to my question. Admittedly, I usually don't start threads, as I
am a very
private person and don't particularly like broadcasting things
over the
internet. I respond to threads from time to time, when I feel
the issue is
important enough, as is the case here.
Now I don't know you personally, but here's what I think: have
you ever been
asked to convert to a religion when you were perfectly
comfortable with the
one you believe in? By constantly asking people to join an
organization for
the blind, you're doing much the same thing. How do you know
these people
are unhappy with the way they're living now? If it's more a
question of
whether or not they've heard of such groups, one need only do a
google
search for organizations for the blind, and I'm sure the NFB and
ACB
websites will pop up.
I'm a
firm believer in informed choice. If someone wants to join
either
organization, they will find the info, whether it's coming to
someone such
as yourself, or looking it up on the internet. But no one likes
to be put
in a corner.
As for staying on top of things that go on in the blind
community--and I use
that term loosely, because it truly disgusts me that such a term
exists at
all--again, it's as simple as following a few discussion lists.
Some don't
like for their inboxes to be flooded, and that's understandable,
but you can
go into digest mode, or access the list archives through the
respective
sites. Let's not forget, also, wonderful resources such as the
Fred's Head
blog which is run by APH, or the Internet Phone Book of Blindness
Resources.
Information is really only a few seconds away in this day and
age; if people
don't want to subscribe to a set of beliefs, or deal with any
political bs,
let them be.
One more brief point, and then I promise I'll stop. Speaking to
other blind
people is not quite the same thing. For this, I think it's great
that there
are resources like NFB-link and the AFB Career Connect.
There's nothing quite like finding out you're not alone in the
world; it's
empowering, particularly for people who have recently lost their
vision, to
be able to speak to someone face to face or over the phone who
understands
what they're going through and can give them advice, support and
encouragement along the way. I attended a rehab center last year
(non-NFB-affiliated), and because I've been blind since birth,
many of the
clients, some much older than myself, came to me for advice, or
simply
watched or asked depending on the level of remaining vision they
still had,
how I did things naturally, such as walking with a cane. It was
a win-win
situation: they felt more at ease about losing their vision
because they saw
I was coping just fine, and I felt good knowing I had helped
people without
even really trying, or meaning to.
On 1/16/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
Fellow Federationists,
As I have become more and more active in the blind community and
have met
more and more blind people, I notice that a lot of blind people
are not
affiliated with any organization of the blind, for one reason or
another.
Some say they are put off by the political arguments between the
NFB and
ACB; some say they don't want to be "tied" to one organization;
some say
they don't agree with either organization's philosophy and don't
want to
identify themselves with either organization and their
philosophy, and
there are other reasons as well. I try to explain to them the
value of the
Federation in my life, and how joining an organization of the
blind
connects you with a diverse network of resources, who can help
answer
almost any question they would have related to blindness. I
also try to
explain to them that if they had any problems, being a part of
an
organization would help them with their advocacy efforts; the
more people
you have advocating, the more effective the advocacy is. But
they still
don't want to be affiliated with an organization. So I want to
get your
thoughts on these questions; why do you think it is important to
be a
member of an organization of the blind? Of what benefit/value is
an
organization to its members, and to blind people at large? Some
people have
said to me, "Sighted people don't have any organizations
dedicated to their
concerns as sighted people; why should I join an organization
dedicated to
blindness?" Still others have said, "Don't you (Federationists)
want to be
equal with sighted people? If so, then why do we (blind people)
need to be
organized in some kind of organization exclusively of and for
the blind and
people associated with the blind?" These are some interesting
questions;
what would your responses be to those people? I look forward to
hearing
your thoughts on this!
Thanks,
Chris
"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The
real
problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
exists. If a
blind person has the proper training and opportunity, blindness
can be
reduced to a mere physical nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan
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