[Community-service] Discussion starter

[Cindy Ray]

Gosh, that is really sad. You lose out on information that is every bit as
valuable as what you do for others who are not blind. Your family may think
that you can only serve blind people, but you know better; what you do in
the blindness community is every bit as valuable. If you were teaching in a
school for the blind or as a low vision teacher would you leave that off of
your resume because you had been serving blind people. For me it says you
think the help you give is not worth mentioning. Actually society is more
apt to think that you can't serve the blindness community either. The gifts
required to do so are the same as are required to serve sighted people, old
people, young people, etc. I just am afraid I struggle with this notion. It
is, however, your right to treat these things as you want to. I just don't
really get it.
Cindy Lou Ray


-----Original Message-----
From: Community-Service [mailto:community-service-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett via Community-Service
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2017 1:36 PM
To: Community Service Discussion List <community-service at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Community-service] Discussion starter

Darian,

I agree. When I think of doing community service, I think of helping the
community, something that benefits society; of course volunteering one on
one benefits the individual directly, but because we improve his/her well
being, we improve society.

I volunteer now for a senior center once a month where I put on music
appreciation presentations.
If I help just within the blind sphere or in NFB, its important, and its
volunteering, but somehow I don't see that as community service.
There is so much else to me than legal blindness.
I don't put affiliation or volunteer service for NFB or anything blindness
related on my resume or cover letters. I do, however, put my other service
work down. I want people to see me as a person who can benefit society, not
someone just receiving charity or handouts. I want to show case my skills
and talents not my eye condition. So, blindness stuff is not put on resumes,
applications whether for school, employment or other volunteer service.

You are so right in saying that society believes the only good we can
perform is within our own sphere, helping others who are blind. I hear that
all the time from my family.
I  do not agree and feel I can compete and do work within the larger
community who is not disabled.

Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Darian Smith, President,National Federation of the Blind Community
Service Division viaCommunity-Service
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2017 2:08 PM
To: Community Service Discussion List
Cc: Darian Smith, President,National Federation of the Blind Community
Service Division
Subject: [Community-service] Discussion starter

Hi all,
Just figured I would put this out there to get  some debate going.
In a general  sense, the definition of community service can basically be
boiled down to doing something for the benefit of a group of persons.
In the NFB, we might consider community service  as anything we can do for
the benefit of blind people, both within our membership and outside of it.
In the Community Service Division, we tend to look at community service as a
thing that a blind person might do that would benefit the larger community,
not just other blind folks.
We believe this distinction is important to make because often society
believes that the only way that a blind person  can do good  is  if they are
doing that  good within the bounds of blindness and the blind community.
Do you agree with this assertion? Disagree? why or why not?
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