<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Hi, Nathanael,</div><div><br></div><div>Very elloquently put!</div><div><br></div><div>I think that we should enlist Mr. Blumenthal's help on our issues at hand such as the minimum wage problem with Good Will. Very true, this is a little baby who needs help, but as Justin said, we don't want to send mixed messages to Mr. Blumenthal.</div><div><br></div><div>Esther<br><br>Sent from Esther's Amazing iPhone!</div><div><br>On Jul 16, 2013, at 9:46 PM, "Nathanael T. Wales" <<a href="mailto:ntwales@omsoft.com">ntwales@omsoft.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<div>All,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is indeed a complex subject. I am glad we are discussing
it. And I appreciate the diplomacy and graciousness everyone has
shown.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I am glad that we all seem to agree that the surgery to save this baby’s
sight is not a moral question. And I am glad that we agree to keep the
commitment we have made as an organization through our elected president.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There seem to be two distinct issues at hand, and I think we are blurring
(if you will) that distinction:</div>
<div>1. what the NFB’s philosophy would have to tell us on whether this baby
should have surgery</div>
<div>2. what and how much assistance in getting that surgery our work as an
organization, or as Justin quoted from our NFB pledge the “programs of the
Federation”, should be</div>
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<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">As a philosophical matter Justin has
appropriately quoted, “The real problem of blindness is not the lack of
eyesight; it is the lack of information and misperceptions which exist.
With the proper training and opportunity, blind people can lead normal,
productive lives.” Information from two Federation leaders is clear that
in India a) lack of information, b) misperceptions about blindness, c) grossly
inadequate training, and d) such little opportunity that it is comparable to the
United States in 1940 are almost certainly the case. Our own Federation
leader Joyce Cain has written in better detail, and Joanne Wilson, founder of
our NFB’s Louisiana Center for the Blind and former Commissioner of the federal
Rehabilitation Services Administration (whose first husband and father of her
five children was Indian), would confirm this. In order to live a “normal,
productive life”, the expense to change even one of these four prerequisites
would require more money, public good will, and political capital than this
child needs to receive surgery in the United States.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">Let me address the more fundamental philosophical
matter, which in comparison is a first world problem but one that impacts all of
us to one degree or another. Assuming that the cost, in time, effort, and
expense (the individual’s, his or her family’s, or society on his or her
behalf), of medical intervention to prevent or cure blindness was the same as a)
providing information, b) addressing misperceptions about blindness, c) getting
proper education and/or training, and d) fighting for and creating
opportunities, which would we choose? Our NFB philosophy tells us that
with these four prerequisites we can have “normal, productive lives” with
blindness reduced to the level of a nuissance or inconvenience. All things
being equal, we should choose the option with less nuissance or
inconvenience. There is neither a moral problem (as we all agree) with
preventing or even curing blindness nor is there an inherent philosophical
problem. Consider Mark Riccobono’s speech to the General Session at our
recent National Convention: he spoke of his daughter who inherited one of the
genetic conditions that causes his or his wife’s (I forget whose) blindness; the
doctors are following it, treating it, but should they fail he and his wife will
turn to what I am sure would be the best in the world information, proper
perceptions, education, and creation of opportunities. Efforts to prevent,
treat, and cure blindness are often done with horrible assumptions about
blindness that are diametrically opposed to our philosophy, but those
assumptions are not inherent and the Riccobonos’ example is one of several where
it is done fully consistent with our philosophy as the assumption.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> The
issue for us to consider really is </font></font><font face="Calibri">what and how
much assistance in getting that surgery our work as an organization, or as
Justin quoted from our NFB pledge the “programs of the Federation”, should
be. The NFB does this rarely as an organization, and there are other
charities who do, such as the Lions as Trevor suggested. In calculating
the medical intervention—its cost, likelihood of success, risks, etc.—we as an
organization have little to no experience. Some members who have
participated in this discussion have seen doctors at Yale and Massachusetts Eye
and Ear Infirmary (one of whom is widely regarded as as close to a god in
ophthalmology as possible) and have not seen these doctors in New York at
all. Do we know that these are the best doctors for this baby? Have
we sought second opinions? I don’t raise these questions to criticize the
decision made. How could I? How could any of us? I raise them
to point out that as a program of the Federation we couldn’t in the future begin
to provide or even recommend medical intervention well and really should leave
that for others who could.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">This is before even moving on to any negative
public perception we may have created. I have watched the link to the News
12 story and formed my opinion of it; I encourage everyone to do the same.
But even if I thought News 12 got it exactly correct, the likelihood that we
would get our message out with dignity and the assumption that blindness is not
a tragedy while collecting money for medical interventions is pretty low.
On this listserve we have not even come to a philosophical conclusion ourselves
on the matter, so in future it will be difficult for us to go to the public with
such a program.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">What we do best consistent with our philosophy is
create a normal</font><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </font></font><font size="3" face="Calibri">image of
blindness, advocate for excellent education for blind children, provide
best-in-the-world training for blind adults, and create ever-increasing
opportunities for blind people to succeed in every facet of life we can think
of. I recommend that we keep the commitment we have made, give thought to
this philosophical matter at hand, and move forward with what we agree on and
know we do best.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">For example, since we’ve made a connection with
Senator Blumenthal, let’s use it. He doesn’t have to go to India to find
people paid at pennies an hour; he just has to look at disabled people in this
country, and he can do something about that, too.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">Best,</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri">Nathanael T. Wales</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font><font face="Tahoma"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></font></font> </div>
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<div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a title="tattenberg@gmail.com" href="mailto:tattenberg@gmail.com">Trevor Attenberg</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 16, 2013 12:19 PM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="ct-nfb@nfbnet.org" href="mailto:ct-nfb@nfbnet.org">'NFB
of Connecticut Mailing List'</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Ct-nfb] \blind Babies and the NFB</div></div></div>
<div> </div></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d">Hey’ll,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d">While I can’t speak for Justin,
just like neither Justin nor I can speak for you or anyone else when push comes
to shove, what Justin said is derived from NFB official documents and pledges.
The reason this conversation has become rather long and complex, is because it
is a more complex issue than what meets the eye. Justin and I have been involved
in a lot of NFB related functions and institutions, like the Louisiana Center
for the Blind. This does not make our opinions any more relevant than yours; but
we have gotten a good sense of NFB policy and philosophy. The NFB philosophy is
central to the organization’s actions. The NFB does indeed seek to help those in
need; but in this case, Justin and I believe the action here is not the most
effective means of offering help, both for the family, and for the blind as a
whole. This thinking is very much derived from our exposure to NFB philosophy.
As many a blind person knows, sometimes what seems helpful can actually do much
damage. With this said, none of us wish to intrude on efforts to help this child
with vision problems. It is simply requested we do not make this an NFB issue
for reasons stated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d">
The NFB has a long history of turning down requests for assistance from blind
people. Federationist and blind lawyer Scott Labarre brought this up after the
mock trial at the National Convention. Sometimes blind people do something
foolish, or they hurt themselves as a result of lack of mobility skills. Then
they come to the NFB lawyers for defense or to file a law suit. This obviously
isn’t quite what we’re talking about with this child and family; but it goes to
show how the Federation conducts its business based on our knowledge of the
equal potential of blind people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d">Best to
ya,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d">Trevor
A <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></span> </p>
<div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"> Ct-nfb
[<a href="mailto:ct-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org">mailto:ct-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Sandee
Kush<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 16, 2013 9:14 AM<br><b>To:</b> NFB of
Connecticut Mailing List<br><b>Subject:</b> [Ct-nfb] \blind Babies and the
NFB<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am concerned and confused by the long statement that Justin
wrote.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I do not know who the "we" represents, just that it does not
represent my thinking and others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reference is made to Dr Mauer and other leadership political
positions, were these people contacted or these "manifestos" interviewed or
investigated prior to including them in such a grandiose point of view
statement?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have learned to keep things simple. Perhaps if the
following questions were answered in a sentence or two, I might have some
clue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The NFB should not get involved in a humane effort to improve
the quality of a baby's life, due to the resources the U.S. has available
because…..<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How are the efforts to communicate the message of the
NFB regarding the mission of individual independence and society's consciousness
raising been reduced significantly because of a humane desire to
publicize the plight of a baby by involving a dedicated political
representative?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How does brining this situation into an internal NFB
controversy benefit anyone in any way?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I applaud and am proud to be associated with Beth Rival's and
immediate team's efforts!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></p></div>
<p>
</p><hr>
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