[Ct-nfb] respect

[Rob Palaski]

To me, belonging to the National Federation of the Blind family is a gift
because   we have comradery among our group. Just like in any family, we
don't always agree, but we do fight for what is right. In the past 10 years
that I have been a member, we have fought for some very important issues and
won, because they were right and not only for the blind community but many
of them also benefited a wide range of people, such as the quiet car act. We
fought for it because not only are cars that don't make noise a problem for
us, but for runners, bicyclists and more importantly children. We were
taught to stop, look and listen before  entering the street well when kids
are playing the only thing that is on their mind is the ball so they don't
always look. It is important that that bill passed.

. So, whether you are a dog guide user, a cane traveler, or if blindness is
your only disability or you have 

Multiple disabilities; such as hearing loss or a brain injury, we need to be
respectful and  

as in every family, respect is a huge thing.  Without it there is quite a
bit of animosity and hard feelings. 

Over the years I have seen many feelings get hurt and relationships fall
apart because of misunderstandings and words that are spoken in haste.
Remember that words sometimes have more than one meaning, and especially in
an email words can definitely get misconstrued in various ways, so please
please think before you open your mouth or hit the send button.

I have learned something from each of you and we all have something to offer
to one another. So, I am grateful for our differences because without them,
there is no way to grow. For example when I went blind I totally had to
learn to do things differently than I did when I was sighted. So without
differences, I would not have flourished and I would be stagnant. And
without advice from my friends here in the NFB, there are many things that I
would not have learned. The people who have been involved with the
organization for a long time have many things to offer to the new-comers and
the opposite is true as well. it is fun to learn new techniques and
different ways of doing things, however people do learn at different paces.
Some are very gung-ho to learn as much as possible in a short amount of time
and some need to time to realize what they truly want and need. 

In both cases we need to be there for them.

 

 

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