[Colorado-Talk] Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono

[Scott C. LaBarre]

My Colorado Family:

 

I must admit that I come to all of you with a heavy heart today.  As many of
you know, a little less than two weeks ago, Friday the 4th of December, to
be exact, posts started to emerge on Facebook regarding incidents of sexual
misconduct which have occurred at NFB centers and other NFB programs as well
as some state run training centers for the blind.  Some of those stories
involve our very own Colorado Center for the Blind.  Last Friday we released
our initial statement regarding these matters, and today we are publishing
an open letter of apology from President Riccobono.  That can be found at:

https://www.nfb.org/blog/open-letter-apology-president-riccobono

You, by now, should have   received an email copy of this letter, but in
case you have not seen it elsewhere, it is pasted below.

 

As some of you might know, I have taken on a new role with the NFB for the
last few months, that of General Counsel.  Thus I have been quite involved
with our response to these stories and related matters.  I know that in this
world of instantaneous communication, people usually demand and expect
immediate responses and action.  However, we are taking the time necessary
to get all of this right, not just our communications but, more importantly,
our action steps.  We are going to be as open and transparent as possible,
and we welcome everyone's advice and input.  Please take note of the action
steps outlined below.  Do not hesitate to contact me or anyone else with
questions or comments.

 

In the beginning, I said I have a heavy heart.  That is because I hurt for
the survivors and victims, and I join Mark in apologizing for the mistakes
we have made.  As you know, I have two children, Alex and Emily, and I hope
and pray that they never have to go through the pain and suffering some have
experienced.  We must do all we can to create the most welcoming, inclusive,
and safe environment that we can to carry on our vital work.  

 

I should also mention that on a local level, our CCB will be coming out with
a statement of its own.  The CCB intends to adopt the same steps as are
identified in President Riccobono's letter as adjusted for our local
circumstances as well as others.  

 

Lastly, I again want to express my sorrow.  I intend to work as hard as I
know how to take on these challenges openly and figure out the best way
forward to make us stronger and better.  Please help us do that.  I also
want to wish all of you peace and joy during this holiday season.

 

With love, an open mind and heart,

 

Scott  

 

 

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

Many NFB members, former members, and people within our blindness community
are hurting. For some, the pain comes from their lived experience of being
abused or violated by one of our members and/or made to feel like no one
else was listening or came to their defense at a Federation event or
training program. For others, what they feel is empathy for survivors who
were harmed by participating in the National Federation of the Blind,
recognizing that we have not done enough within our movement and
systemically within our community. We are deeply sorry that this is true and
apologize for where we have failed. As the elected President of this
movement, I carry the responsibility of this pain. I am profoundly sorry
that anyone has been harmed by experiences in our movement. As a husband,
father of three children, and leader who tries to live by a strong set of
ethical values, I hurt for the survivors, and I deeply regret that I have
made mistakes along the way. At each opportunity that I have to sit with my
young children, I am directly reminded how fragile the balances are in our
lives and how much our actions can have a lasting impact on others. I live
with the regret and sorrow for the mistakes I personally made in dealing
with inappropriate behavior in the past. Sometimes my mistakes have only
been illuminated later through the honest reflection of a friend or the
vulnerable sharing of someone who has been harmed. How do you adequately
write a letter to apologize for that? How do you spread this sentiment to an
entire movement of people including those who have left our organization?
How do we, collectively, create an adequate action plan to promote healing,
prevent future incidents, and continue our development of a culture that is
welcoming, safe, and eliminates the barriers to bringing concerns forward
for resolution? This letter attempts to explore those questions, but this is
merely a single moment in these needed conversations.

 

Our hearts break for the survivors of abuse and sexual misconduct who have
bravely shared incidents that have happened within our organization over the
decades. During the past couple of weeks, a number of courageous individuals
have shared painful stories about their experiences on social media and in
individual conversations. We thank those brave survivors for sharing their
stories because we recognize how difficult that is and how each story
creates a unique set of emotions and challenges. We deeply regret that over
our eighty years we have not handled each situation appropriately or been
able to heal the pain that such incidents create. We do not reject these
feelings of pain. In fact, we want to find and establish better ways to hear
them and continuously eliminate the actions that caused them. We have no
intention of debating the circumstances of any instance. Instead we
acknowledge that if a survivor was left feeling the situation went
unaddressed, then we have failed. The membership demands we do better. I, as
President, demand this of myself and expect it from our movement. We will do
better. In addition to calling upon all Federationists to listen better,
honestly reflect upon your own biases, and to actively align our actions to
our words, I call upon you not to dismiss those who cannot believe that our
intentions are sincere or those who have had the courage to come forward. It
is our individual and collective action, positively focused on making things
better that will create belief. That is what has been true for us since
1940, and it will continue to be true for us going forward. 

 

Let us get down to the hard facts. Words appear to mean nothing without
actions, so below I've outlined six steps that we are committing to in the
near future. Before I list them, please understand that these are initial
steps, and we are committed to exploring and implementing whatever policies,
programs, trainings, or resources necessary beyond these steps to
appropriately address these horrible situations. 

 

*	Improvements to Reporting of Incidents

We are currently thoroughly reviewing the pathways for reporting incidents
and how those paths are handled. We are open to revamping all of the
reporting mechanisms we have. We are in discussion with outside consultants
who are expected to do a complete review of our processes with a specialized
emphasize on sexual misconduct and harassment. We will rebuild all of our
procedures if needed. We expect our revised processes to involve a
third-party entity, but since we do not yet know how that will turn into
actionable efforts within our organization, we cannot be specific about that
process. Our hope is to be more transparent about our partnership and
timelines for action during the first quarter of 2021. We hear you about the
uncomfortable position some people feel is created by the current reporting
system when a person must report through members they will later need to
deal with personally. Regardless of the reporting mechanisms we maintain and
create, we must be very clear on one point: Every elected leader of this
organization must be prepared to take concerns seriously and to act upon
information they are given as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Furthermore, the safety of blind youth who are under our supervision is our
highest priority, and any incident that is discovered must be dealt with
immediately.

 

*	Open Meeting and Supporting Survivors

We are committing to hold an open meeting or series of listening sessions to
discuss these issues and solicit feedback on what support and resources
victims and survivors need. We have not yet detailed what the open meeting
and conversations will be. Because we do not want to unintentionally
contribute to further pain among survivors, we want blind people with lived
experiences and our consultants to guide that process. In the meantime, we
continue to answer calls and emails from Federation members seeking clarity
about these issues and offering solutions that we will carefully weigh as
our learning continues. We are grateful to those of you who have reached out
directly offering your personal experiences as a guide to future
development. The members of the Federation are expected to shape what we do,
and your readiness to bring solutions makes a big difference. Our goal is to
provide support and healing to victims and survivors. 

 

*	Enhancing the Code of Conduct Work

Prior to recent events and the stories that have emerged, we were in the
process of considering and implementing several enhancements surrounding our
code of conduct and its related procedures and programs. We have now paused
those efforts. Why? Because we are listening. We have done horribly at
messaging and sharing our internal procedures and our plans for effectively
administering our organization's code of conduct. I say paused because we
want to carefully evaluate where we are and our next steps guided by the
expertise of anti-sexual-violence experts from outside our movement. If we
must completely reset, that is what we will do. For now, our code and
existing procedures are in place to set expectations within our
organization. We will carefully evaluate current grievances to ensure that
they continue to be safely and swiftly investigated even while our
procedures are under review.

 

*	Illuminating Expectations 

You may already know, but the board made its annual revisions to the code
and procedures process on December 5, 2020. When we went to post the
revisions, we realized that the FAQ we planned to post after the December
2019 review did not happen. No excuses, that was a pretty big dropped ball.
That document is intended to answer questions like what happens when a
grievance is filed, how is information kept confidential, and what
communications can a filing party expect? Overall, we have failed to
communicate broadly the procedures we have been using. For example, we allow
for advocates to participate with parties who are involved with code of
conduct investigations. Moreover, these FAQs will also be informed and
expanded based upon questions that continue to be raised. They will also
evolve as we implement additional avenues for raising concerns and for
training members of the organization. We take ownership for the
misinformation that is now circulating. Please keep those questions and
suggestions coming. 

 

*	Continuous Training

Training on issues around misconduct and abuse is something we have only
skimmed the surface of in the recent past. We have done a minimal amount of
training for affiliate presidents and workshops at our national convention.
We were not satisfied that our training was sustainable, so we have been
seeking other partners. That has been unreasonably slow. No excuse, we
understand. We are going to be putting together training with the specific
goal of preventing misconduct and abuse at Federation events and to
strengthen the level of comfort with reporting. We have also hired an
individual to assist in a number of areas including coordinating
training-that person only started on November 30, which is why we had not
yet introduced her to the membership. 

 

*	Consistency across NFB Training Centers

A lack in consistency in practices across the three training centers that
are affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind has been raised as
a concern. It is worth noting that only BLIND Incorporated, the Colorado
Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind have made the
specific partnership commitments necessary to be formally and officially
affiliated with the organized blind movement. On a regular basis, I have
been meeting with our training center directors with the specific goal of
better aligning our practices and policies. There is more work to do there.
We expect these centers to fully commit to our code of conduct practices and
set the highest standard of professional practice in all programs. During
the most recent revisions of our code of conduct, we discussed the topic of
consistency in handling and reporting concerns at our centers. We will be
conducting a full review and implementing consistent training for the
personnel at each of our centers. I stand with those who have been harmed by
any employee, contractor, or volunteer at one of our centers, and I am
prepared to help eliminate ineffective practices and urge the termination of
those employees and contractors (as well as the exclusion of volunteers) who
violate our policies in this area. 

Let me also add that our training centers have made a great difference in
raising the standard of training for blind people in this nation and all
around the world. As a graduate of one of our centers, I share that pride
for the training I received but also the pain that even one person coming
through one of our centers would have had a harmful experience. The
employees at our centers are some of the most dedicated and thoughtful folks
I know, and they are committed to the safety and wellbeing of program
participants. However, that does not excuse harmful incidents that have
happened in our training programs. I know our centers are committed to doing
better. I know the executive directors and boards of each of these training
centers will be prioritizing the advancement of these conversations. Most
importantly, I know they feel your pain in a very deep and personal way.

 

Again, these are immediate actions and commitments. This is not a complete
roadmap for the years to come, but it outlines some of the forthcoming
actions we are focusing on. We know that we need to examine more ways to
support our members such as mental health resources and the expertise of
crisis professionals. Members of the Federation have a right to demand
information about what is being done, and Federation leaders are expected to
share that information. When we committed to the code of conduct in 2018, we
made a commitment to a much-needed journey. Our commitment has not wavered
even if we have not been outwardly demonstrating a commitment that you can
trust. As leaders, we will continue to work to earn your trust and we will
remain committed to continuous improvement and an open dialogue for
organizational change. We are committed to finding ways to heal that pain,
while preventing any future pain that results from unacceptable behavior. We
are going to need the ideas and support of the members of this movement to
do that in a meaningful and effective manner, so all are welcomed. 

 

You continue to be our wise teachers. You who have shared your personal
experiences and who have dared to open yourselves continue to guide us. In
the National Federation of the Blind, we value diversity, we strive to be
fully inclusive, and we want to be the safe space for all blind people.
Every blind person in this nation deserves what this movement has to offer,
and we recognize we have work to do so that every blind person feels like
there is a place here for everyone. We are going to get there together. We
apologize that we have not yet made it all the way, but we pledge that the
commitment is deep and it is real. We are not done with our changes. 

 

With love and commitment, we are #MarchingTogether.

 

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