[BlindTlk] {Spam?} Re: [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs

Ericka dotwriter1 at gmail.com
Fri Mar 12 16:20:20 UTC 2021


I don’t care about skin color. Just heart and actions.

Ericka Nelson

> On Mar 11, 2021, at 10:13 PM, Madison Martin via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Well said Mark!!!! I really don't care what colour someone's skin is or where they're from as long as they're nice and treat me the way I want to be treated. And yes I think it's truly awful the way white people treated (and still do) people of colour. Maybe I'm weird for not caring about others look like, but I don't care. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mark Tardif via BlindTlk
> Sent: March 11, 2021 10:50 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Mark Tardif <markspark at roadrunner.com>
> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
> 
> Yea, Wisconsin, yea, Norway, yea, Germany, and yea to you Lutherans!  I'm a proud, blind, northern New Englander, and don't forget it, LOL.
> 
> 
> 
> Mark Tardif
> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Ericka via BlindTlk
> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2021 9:20 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Cc: Ericka
> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning 
> the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
> 
> You have a right to your opinion. However as you hit it to your whiteness 
> and your southern us; don’t forget that the white people didn’t want to do 
> the work on the plantations so they imported black slaves. They didn’t want 
> to be here either. Yes I am a proud northerner but unlike you I am not proud 
> of what white people in power have done to others they did not understand. I 
> am very proud and gray to the Native American man who taught McCain travel 
> and ended up being the best man at our wedding. I’ve learned more from black 
> people about myself and about humanity than any white person.
> 
> Narrowness is only appropriate for roads in the eyes of needles. Remember 
> both are dangerous. Remember in the Bible which I know Catholics do a read 
> it says “do want to others as you would have them do onto you.“ Do you want 
> someone to look at blindness as the same negative that you look at others 
> who are not white?
> 
> From a proud blind, female, northerner who’s roots are in Norway in Germany 
> who just so happens to be white who is Lutheran.
> 
> Ericka Nelson
> 
>> On Mar 11, 2021, at 4:23 AM, Raymond Foret Jr via BlindTlk 
>> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Nor am I happy with the leftist direction the NFB has taken.  To speak 
>> frankly, I am very concerned to see the NFB support a socialist 
>> organization like Black Lives Matter (who wants to destroy America) and 
>> this really is almost a step too far for me.  As the recent years have 
>> gone by, I have seen the NFB fall backwards little by little with respect 
>> to ground we supposedly gained.  While it is true to say that we should 
>> not always be in an armed camp mentality, neither should we forget how to 
>> fight if we have to.  OF late, this seems to have escaped us.  I now have 
>> some cause to wonder whether a person like me really can find a place in 
>> the NFB as it now exists.  I dare speculate that if I myself tendered my 
>> resignation, I would not be missed either very much or even at all:  after 
>> all, I contribute nothing to the organization either monetarily or 
>> otherwise.  Don’t mistake me.  I agree with the philosophy that the 
>> federation teaches (or maybe I should say it this way, the philosophy that 
>> it taught when I was at the Louisiana Center);  but now, I question 
>> whether a blind political conservative like me really belongs in the 
>> federation at all.  I dare speculate that if I today submitted my 
>> membership resignation and gave my reasons, Mark would most likely not 
>> even bother to respond.
>> 
>> I will never apologize for my Whiteness, my Catholicism or my Southernness
>> 
>> Sent from the first computer with built-in screen reader access for the 
>> blind:
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
>> The constantly barefooted Ray
>> 
>>> On Mar 10, 2021, at 12:57 PM, Judy Jones via BlindTlk 
>>> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, very astute.
>>> 
>>> The NFB has its problems, but I still think the philosophy it was founded 
>>> upon is the best thing going out there.  The organization itself has gone 
>>> through many changes, and reflects the trends of the culture, as we are a 
>>> cross-section that represents the culture.
>>> 
>>> Personally, I'm not happy with the left-leaning trend the organization 
>>> has taken, that it has forgotten a lot of the bedrock philosophy that
>>> made it a great organization, but the whole focus should be on issues 
>>> faced by blind Americans.
>>> 
>>> While the blind driver challenge, is glitzy, raises our profile, and 
>>> highlights a blind entrepreneur, (which I think is great) the other 
>>> shouldn't be dropped.  Why do we still have our 30 percent employment 
>>> rate, even after all these years?  Posting government and legal jobs 
>>> isn't going to help the average person get a job to earn table money 
>>> while they go to school.  I  think we've gone down too many rabbit trails 
>>> and can't keep up with all of them.
>>> 
>>> Also, if we don't care for the regime that is in place, why do we sit 
>>> complacently by and let them in year after year?  I'm not by any means 
>>> stating any dissatisfaction with anyone, but just saying, why, in our 
>>> history, don't we have people running against the groomed candidate?  Why 
>>> don't we have others running against the incumbent in elections?
>>> 
>>> Judy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mary McGee via 
>>> BlindTlk
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 10:02 AM
>>> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Mary McGee <mmcatitude at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response 
>>> concerning the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> Hello, All,
>>>   I don't use a guide dog.  If you do, fine!  What I'm going to say will 
>>> offend some people, so I will apologize in advance and say please stop 
>>> reading if you believe the NFB is always right.
>>>   It doesn't matter if the contract allowed for repo of the dog when 
>>> there appears to be no proof that it was overweight or needs shots! 
>>> There must be proof!  And it appears this isn't the first instance of 
>>> disregard for consumers of this facility.
>>>   I'm also a survivor of sexual abuse at an NFB National Convention.  I 
>>> believe whether it's guide dog repo or sexual abuse, the organization 
>>> generally was to "investigate" but take no positive action.  I can public 
>>> an email where Mark Riccobono refuses to give me an appointment to 
>>> discuss my experience until his "investigation" is finished.
>>>   The NFB has taken people's money for years.  I really cares about 
>>> donations and dues!  It's leaders live pretty lavishly.  Something needs 
>>> to change and the answer isn't in the Blind Driver Challenge!
>>>   Maybe we, the membership, need to vote out every national and state 
>>> leader and board member.  But, oh yes, we can't, because they're 
>>> hand-picked by the establishment that perpetuates itself with its 
>>> disfavor of guide dogs, women, and other marginalized people.
>>>   In Iowa, there has been some media attention about the sexual abuse. 
>>> Perhaps there needs to be some of that regarding the guide dog problems 
>>> that no one wants to address.  The only way reach an organization that 
>>> doesn't want to notice is to hurt its funding.  Media attention can help 
>>> with that.  After all, look what happened to the Catholic Church!
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Mary L. McGee
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Roanna 
>>> Bacchus via BlindTlk
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 10:47 AM
>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Roanna Bacchus <r-bacchus at outlook.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response 
>>> concerning the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> Hi Peter and everyone,
>>> 
>>> I hope all of you are doing well. An individual with a disability whether 
>>> it is blindness, cancer, diabetes, or any other conditions should be 
>>> allowed to use a guide dog for independent travel. I am proud of everyone 
>>> who has chosen to leave Nagdu or the National Federation Of The Blind 
>>> regardless of the reason. The President and Nagdu's Board of Directors 
>>> should be ashamed of their behavior concerning this issue. I hope that 
>>> both Les and Reverend Blake receive a personal apology from Southeastern 
>>> Guide Dogs and the Nfb.
>>> 
>>> On Mar 10, 2021 10:56 AM, Peter Donahue via BlindTlk 
>>> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Good morning everyone,
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>              This sounds like nothing more than delaying tactics. 
>>> Whenever a serious issue comes to NAGDU’s attention the line, “We need to 
>>> investigate all angles” is use to brush these matters aside and nothing 
>>> happens to address the issue. Marion is not the only one who left NAGDU 
>>> because of their lack of action and unwillingness to aggressively address 
>>> important issues for guide dog users beyond accessibility. Access for 
>>> guide dog users is only one side of the coin. The other concerns guide 
>>> dog training, it’s current practices and the need for serious changes to 
>>> be made to increase training opportunities for blind persons wishing to 
>>> use a guide dog for independent travel.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Peter Donahue
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Judy Jones via 
>>> BlindTlk
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 4:40 AM
>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] [BlTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response 
>>> concerning the recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Hi Marion,
>>> 
>>> It's because of the current trouble that we need you more than ever.
>>> 
>>> Thank you for all your support through the years. We all have benefised 
>>> in ways we may not know.
>>> 
>>> Seed-planters like yourself don't often see the results of their work, 
>>> but results are there, nevertheless.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Judy
>>> sent from the Android BrailleSense Polaris
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Marion Gwizdala, via BlindTlk
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
>>> ,flagdu at nfbnet.org,blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> Date: Tuesday, March 09, 2021 08:00 PM
>>> Subject: [BlindTlk] FW: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning the 
>>> recent discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> Dear All,
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I realized that my following message did not get posted to the list; 
>>> rather, it went to Raul. I am forwarding it so there is a record of the 
>>> facts, not the revision presented.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>> 
>>> (813) 626-2789
>>> 
>>> Blind411 at verizon.net <mailto:Blind411 at verizon.net>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: Marion Gwizdala,
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 5:20 PM
>>> To: 'Raul A. Gallegos - NAGDU'
>>> Subject: RE: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning the recent 
>>> discussions about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Dear All,
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I want to correct the record of what President Gallegos has stated in his 
>>> message; otherwise, I tacitly agree that what he is stating is fact and 
>>> it is not! In this message, President Gallegos states, "we try to 
>>> investigate all angles from all sides to gather as much information as 
>>> possible". As I have already stated, his first reaction was "I need to 
>>> call Southeastern". Then what did President Gallegos do for the rest of 
>>> the evening. Well, I received several text messages from apple with one 
>>> time passcodes because he was working on the NAGDU app and needed those 
>>> passcodes to reset the password. Did he gather any information? Did he 
>>> contact Rev. Blake? This is directly contradictory to the assertion he 
>>> made in which he states, "I would like to personally reassure everyone 
>>> reading that I very much care and so does the NAGDU board of directors." 
>>> If he really cared he would have followed up immediately. He never called 
>>> me to follow-up and get her contact information until Saturday evening. 
>>> Did he call her on Saturday? Did he call her on Sunday? Did he call her 
>>> on Moneday? It was not until today, llikely with a great deal of pressure 
>>> mounting from his membership that he reached out to Rev. Blake.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I will also remind everyone that this caring board of directors discussed 
>>> the Les Demers case several months ago and chose not to pursue it; in the 
>>> words of one member of the board I spoke with, "we felt it was all 
>>> opinion". Really? That is how decisions are made to protect the rights of 
>>> guide dog users?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I really have no right to say much more, as I am no longer a member of 
>>> the National Association of Guide Dog Users or the National Federation of 
>>> the Blind. Some have told me it must have been a difficult decision to 
>>> resign my membership in an organization I have served for thirty-four 
>>> years. Actually, it was not a difficult decision to make, as it is clear 
>>> the organization cannot be relied upon to protect the rights of guide dog 
>>> users. I have heard it said that when you are on the barricades fighting 
>>> for your rights and feel all alone, turn around and you will see 50,000 
>>> Federationists standing behind you. Yesterday I turned around and the 
>>> Federation had retreated. No, it was not a difficult decision to make.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I will continue to fight for the rights of blind people and guide dog 
>>> users but I will do it independently. If you need my help, please do not 
>>> hesitate to get in touch with me. If nothing else, when you turn around, 
>>> I will be there!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>> 
>>> (813) 626-2789
>>> 
>>> Blind411 at verizon.net <mailto:Blind411 at verizon.net>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: NFB-NAGDU > On Behalf Of Raul A. Gallegos - NAGDU via NFB-NAGDU
>>> Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 4:39 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Master List >
>>> Subject: [NFB-NAGDU] NAGDU's response concerning the recent discussions 
>>> about Southeastern Guide Dogs
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Dear Fellow Federation family,
>>> 
>>> As you have no doubt seen by now, there is some discussion about an 
>>> incident involving a woman in Florida who recently had her guide dog 
>>> taken away by a representative of Southeastern Guide Dogs. Additionally, 
>>> there is some discussion on social media where it has been said that 
>>> members of the NAGDU board of directors, specifically me, couldn't care 
>>> less about this situation. I would like to personally reassure everyone 
>>> reading that I very much care and so does the NAGDU board of directors. 
>>> Furthermore, we do not condone any illegal actions taken by anyone 
>>> against a blind person. As is also common with Federation policy, we try 
>>> to investigate all angles from all sides to gather as much information as 
>>> possible before deciding on an appropriate course of action. We are also 
>>> here to support the efforts of local affiliates and guide dog user 
>>> divisions. In this instance, the Florida Association of Guide Dog Users.
>>> 
>>> I would also like to remind everyone that if there is something that you 
>>> need to discuss with the NAGDU board of directors, you can always reach 
>>> out to us by emailing board at nagdu.org <mailto:board at nagdu.org>  . 
>>> Additionally, you can reach out to any individual board member by using 
>>> their direct email address, comprised of their first initial, the last 
>>> name, followed by @nagdu.org. While we may not be able to find an instant 
>>> solution, we will listen to you and we will investigate if we do not have 
>>> all the facts.
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Respectfully,
>>> Raul A. Gallegos / President
>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users, NAGDU
>>> 832.554.7285 | RGallegos at nagdu.org <mailto:RGallegos at nagdu.org> Subscribe 
>>> to the NAGDU Public Events Calendar Here Schedule a 30-minute Zoom 
>>> meeting with me here Join us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
>>> 
>>> "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
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