[BlindTlk] FW: My Letter of Resignation

Tue Mar 9 13:16:57 UTC 2021

Hi Chela,

The whole NFB is not like that. Sometimes there is more drama on the margins. There are people in the NFB who would be happy to be your friend and there are groups of interest you could belong to, like the performing arts division. You might like that.  

Your trumpet music is great. You could find other musicians to perform with. 
Blessings,
Lauren M. 

"What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers. Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold.Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love."  
Abdu’l-Baha

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of CHELA Robles via BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 8:20 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: CHELA Robles <cdrobles693 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] FW: My Letter of Resignation

I get it Peter I was just reiterating what he said and as far as your other message goes it’s the truth and that’s one of the main reasons why I don’t affiliate myself with any blindness organization at all. Too much drama. In my opinion it’s kind of like grade school all over again this is why I never had a social life growing up. When I grew up in the 1980s 90s and 2000s, the only friends I ever had were really not many in fact, they weren’t people my age they were three or four times older than me and were part of the school staff in fact, my first friend that I made in grade school is 62 years old and I am 35 we have played music together quite a few times and even virtually in a choir for last year‘s California state convention and it was really cool because I also sang in the choir and provide a trumpet while he provided piano accompaniment it was like nostalgia all over again because the moment I met him I knew that we would be friends when he was trying to help me find my trumpet when I was at Oak Grove middle school when I was 13 years old. I can’t believe that we’ve been friends for will be 24 years come the First Wednesday after Labor Day. And, to top it all off, during this pandemic, we've learned a lot about one another and we have a lot in common.  He may be able to see, but he has ADD which is a cognitive disability from what I’ve gathered. Also we both have high blood pressure and we like keeping each other accountable when it comes to health and exercise among other things. I help him with his technology and he helps me with my music. I think that’s how real True friendships or rather relationships should be even within blindness organizations we all should be very attentive to each other’s needs and hold each other‘s hands and stand up for one another which clearly this issue with the guide dog being taken away has opened up some wounds among people and I’m sorry to hear about that and if anybody needs A listening ear, I am here for you. 
I may still have some blind friends here and there throughout every blindness organization you name it but they are very far and few in between only because there’s just so much drama and so many groups of cliques that I don’t even belong in any of them I’m kind of like the outsiders in a way you know, the third wheel which is why I only get involved when I feel the need to which is why I like doing stuff like the virtual choirs and things like that. It’s even like that in a non-disabled community like for instance at church when I’ve gone to church, for example, people usually come up to me and say hello and that’s about it and then they go off and talk to somebody else or if I’m in the middle of talking to somebody and they see someone else then they just immediately leave and I’m still talking to thin air if you will that has also happened to me at parties for example like the one my folks have we call the Christmas Eve open house were people drop in for a couple hours and just mingle.
All this being said your statement regarding how subjects like this come up and everybody trickles out of the organization because of what you said really makes sense is why I don’t call myself a member of anything and this is why I’m free as a bird my friend keep in touch Peter and anybody else who cares to chat it up with me off the list if you want.
cdrobles693 at gmail.com is my email address.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 8, 2021, at 6:55 PM, Peter Donahue via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
>    His letter saying he and NAGDU cared is not enough.
> 
> Peter Donahue
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of CHELA Robles 
> via BlindTlk
> Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 4:51 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: CHELA Robles <cdrobles693 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] FW: My Letter of Resignation
> 
> Well I did read the letter from Raul Gallego‘s sorry if I’m spelling it wrong and I’m sure he’s probably on this list but he did forward a letter and I’m not a part of NAGDU but he did express that he cared about the situation from what I’ve read.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 8, 2021, at 2:47 PM, Sherri Brun via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Marion, this person apparently lived in the Central Florida area.  I 
>> do not read every e-mail, but I am certainly able to be contacted.  I 
>> would have definitely pursued this.  No one needs to be treated like 
>> a third-class citizen by any guide dog school, whether they claim to 
>> retain ownership of the dog or not.  I cannot believe a school would 
>> take a dog away from someone without warning.  And four pounds 
>> overweight, that is a completely subjective ruling.
>> 
>> I am sorry you have felt it necessary to resign from NFB and from the 
>> Florida Association of Guide Dog users.  The organization still needs 
>> your voice.
>> 
>> Sherri
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Marion 
>> Gwizdala, via BlindTlk
>> Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 5:28 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Marion Gwizdala, <blind411 at verizon.net>
>> Subject: [BlindTlk] FW: My Letter of Resignation
>> Importance: High
>> 
>> President Riccobono,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>               On April 22, 2020, Southeastern Guide Dogs forcibly 
>> removed the guide dog of les Demers, a member of the Tampa bay 
>> chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of florida and the 
>> Florida Association of guide Dog users. As president of the National 
>> Association of Guide Dog Users, I have had several calls relating 
>> similar instances in which Southeastern abruptly and without warning, 
>> without evidence of abuse or neglect, and without due process 
>> forcibly removed a guide dog from its blind handler. On March 5, 
>> 2021, I received a call from Rev. susan Blake, a blind Episcopal 
>> priest in the diocese of Orlando, stating that Southeastern Guide 
>> dogs showed up at her residence unannounced on March 4, 2021 and forcibly removed her dog because it "looks like it is about four pounds overweight".
>> I immediately contacted Raul Gallegos whose first reaction was "I 
>> need to contact Southeastern." He seemed unconcerned about this 
>> abusive, undignified, unethical, and immoral behavior and contacting 
>> Rev. Blake was an afterthought. President Gallegos has Rev. Blake's 
>> contact information and, as of the date of this writing, has not reached out to Rev. Blake.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>               The board of directors of the National Association of 
>> Guide dog Users met to discuss the incident concerning Mr. Demers and 
>> chose to not pursue this case. If they had, perhaps Rev. Blake would still have her dog!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I have held various elected leadership positions with the National 
>> Federation of the blind since 1987. Since 2004, I have served on the 
>> board of directors of the National Association of Guide dog Users, 
>> including assuming the presidency by succession in 2007 and elected 
>> to the presidency in 2008. I have dedicated my life to protecting the 
>> rights of guide dog users and have invested countless hours and 
>> financial assets in the organization, believing it was the best 
>> avenue for change in the manner in which guide dog users are treated. 
>> If you were to ask any active member of NAGDU what the primary focus 
>> of my administration was, most would say "Ownership upon completion 
>> of training". We discussed ownership during nearly every meeting and 
>> I frequently questioned those training programs with ownership 
>> policies other than full and complete ownership after completion of 
>> training as to their rationale for such paternalistic policies. Their 
>> justifications for these policies were as paternalistic as the policies themselves!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> It is very apparent the National Federation of the Blind and the 
>> current administration of the National Association of Guide dog users 
>> is not interested in protecting the rights and dignity of blind guide 
>> dog consumers. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve and 
>> support an organization that disregards the basic fundamental rights 
>> of blind consumers. Effective immediately, I am resigning my 
>> membership in the National Federation of the Blind and the National 
>> Association of Guide Dog Users. This will also serve to resign my 
>> elected offices as president of the Florida Association of Guide dog 
>> Users and the board of directors of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of florida.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Respectfully submitted,
>> 
>> Marion Gwizdala
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Marion Gwizdala
>> 
>> (813) 626-2789
>> 
>> Marion.Gwizdala at verizon.net <mailto:Marion.Gwizdala at verizon.net>
>> 
>> 
>> 
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