[blparent] Moving On and Introduction

[Steve Jacobson]

Hi Everyone,

First, I want to thank Debbie for all of her work over the years moderating this important list.  It is good to know that she will still be here.

I have been slow to write because my state affilliate, the NFB of Minnesota, has a one-day spring convention this weekend.  Also, many of you already know me here as I've been on this list since it was 
started, 
but here is a little information about me as well as some thoughts on this list.  Besides the fact that I think all of our lists are important and am therefore on many of them, I was drawn to this list because my wife 
and I have two adopted daughters who are now completing their journey to adulthood.  One is legally blind while the other has significant vision loss so I've been very involved on the Blind Kid list as well.  
Since she and I are both blind, this list has often helped us find alternatives that have permitted us to be better parents.  In addition, I very much hope that the experiences I have had, both good and bad, can 
help others on this list.  

Besides being a parent, which is more than a fulltime job by itself, I am a computer analyst at 3M Company, the makers of Scotch Tape and Post-its among many, many other products.  My work now centers 
around data quality, but for most of my more than 35 years there I was a Programmer-analyst.  As a kid, I was one of those strange kids who liked math, and as a result I majored in math in college.  In the 
1970's, this path was a good one to follow to get into work with computers.  I am a dedicated braille user, and feel braille has been instrumental in performing my job successfully.

I'd like to make a few comments about this list and list moderation.  This list has a purpose as you already know, to be a resource for blind parents.  I subscribe to the approaches already expressed by Dave 
Andrews and Deborah Kent Stein.  As I understand it, they both believe that one cannot always tell what is going to be on topic when a topic is first raised.  There has to be some tolerance to see where a 
given 
topic will go.  In addition, I recognize that any list, especially this one, is also a community.  As a community, there is going to be some interactions among the list members that supports our community. 

On the other hand, I very much need your help and cooperation.  If a list gets too busy with traffic that is only loosely related to its purpose, it can discourage persons who really need our help or who can be a 
big helpe to us.  Some topics that might relate to being a blind parent may well be better for other lists because the real expertise that is needed isn't that of being a parent.  For example, if you need to help your 
child do some research on the internet, something that most of us have had to do as a parent, it probably is on topic here to some degree, but the real expertise that is needed is not one of parenting but of 
computer access.  You will likely find more answers on GUI-Talk, for example.  

Finally, the only judge of whether a moderator is a good one is whether a list serves its purpose.  Therefore, I hope we can keep debates about list moderation off the list.  If you think I should do something 
differently, please write to me directly.  I pledge to you that I will listen, and will either take your advice or try to explain why I did what I did.  I know I will make mistakes along the way, but if you keep everything 
written here in mind when you post, we will continue to have a successful list.

Thank you very much in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson