[Home-on-the-range] Can Peace Prevail Amongst Blind Organizations?

Susan Tabor souljourner at sbcglobal.net
Fri Jun 21 04:10:07 UTC 2013


All great points, Tim! Thanks!
Susan T.

-----Original Message-----
From: Home-on-the-range [mailto:home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Timothy Hornik
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 9:40 PM
To: NFB of Kansas Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Home-on-the-range] Can Peace Prevail Amongst Blind
Organizations?

Susie,

I hope to meet everyone from across the state at the convention as well. 

As for the 508 Compliancy issues, I have been greatly concerned about this.
My experience with this can be summarized in two concepts. The first
originates from Serotalk's comment about the Federal Government obeying the
letter and not the spirit of the law. The topic they were discussing
involves the NFB's advocating against inaccessible capchas. 

My second observation is how Federal agencies ignore 508 by stating they
will work on it. The VA is notorious for this, as many of their internal
EMR's systems and other programs possess minimal accessibility, and even
then with JAWS running off scripts. This is not accessibility, just a patch
job. Likewise, I have had nothing but trouble with USAJOBS.gov. What a
better way to limit employing the visually impaired then by having issues
with the hiring system. I cannot recall any issues with accessing KansasJobs
or whatever is the name of the state job listing.

FYI, I am a JAWS, System Access, NVDA, and Voice Over user.

When discussing the SPIL, I have had made the recommendation for 508 and 504
to be listed. While it is not the job of the CIL's and Voc Rehab to fix
other agencies' issues with these two, these two items serve as one of the
largest barriers to our successful employability in today's computer, cloud,
or web based working environment.

On a side thought, I feel sorry for those web developers and programmers who
have to try to code for the widest accessibility abilities with the vast
number of screen readers now deployed.. ON the flip-side, I love being able
to switch between each of these for the slightly different user experiences
each offers.

Thank you for your assistance,
Timothy Hornik
timothy.hornik at gmail.com
M: 785.330.3503
LinkedIn Profile: http://tiny.cc/7bfa5
Blog: http://www.samobile.net/users/timothy.hornik/ 

On Jun 19, 2013, at 8:23 AM, "Stanzel, Susan - FSA, Kansas City, MO"
<Susan.Stanzel at kcc.usda.gov> wrote:

Good morning Tim and everyone,

Tim, I hope I will meet you at our Kansas convention in November. My own
view on this subject is things have really changed since 1961 when the civil
war happened. I don't spend any time at all talking negatively about the
ACB. I feel each organization will either exist or fail on its own merits. I
have seen the organizations work more collectively since 1974 when I joined
the NFB. I just spend my life doing all I can where I can to improve the
lives of the blind. There have been three other people sign on with me since
I came out to fight the federal government concerning Section 508. If you
don't know anything about this, please see the first article in the May
Monitor. I might mention that two of the other people are not in the
federation.

Susie

-----Original Message-----
From: Home-on-the-range [mailto:home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Susan Tabor
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 9:15 PM
To: 'NFB of Kansas Internet Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Home-on-the-range] Can Peace Prevail Amongst Blind
Organizations?

Hi, listers:

I would like to note that in my experience,  independent living centers in
Topeka and Lawrence have worked well with the blind community and have had
blind employees.

Nobody and no group is perfect.  20 years ago, Tim, I don't think you'd have
had blindness groups even acknowledge that blindness groups could
collaborate on certain issues.  Leadership in both organizations has
changed, and our current NFB president is much more inclined to dialogue.

Having belonged to both major groups, I sometimes am pained that there isn't
more collaboration than there is even now, even though the climate is at
least somewhat calmer than it used to be.  It frustrates me when time is
spent in judgment of others, both within our organization and outside it.
Part of the power that we have is to educate and to share our journies.  We
have to understand, I believe, that everyone has his or her own reasons for
being where they are, and that much is based  on fear, for which, I believe,
it is incumbent on me to feel and express compassion if I intend to help
someone move into a less fearful and/or more confident place.  Just my two
cents' worth!  Thanks for posting, Tim! See you at the  August Jayhawk
chapter meeting, I hope.  We're not meeting in July because of the national
convention.
Peace,
Susan T.
-----Original Message-----
From: Home-on-the-range [mailto:home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dianne Hemphill
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:24 PM
To: NFB of Kansas Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Home-on-the-range] Can Peace Prevail Amongst Blind
Organizations?

Hello Timothy...it was a pleasure to hear your review of those articles that
impacted you in the current journals for both ACB and NFB. Having both
consumer organization's journals easily available via fingertips, will help
us better understand the philosophy's and practical approaches used to forge
our road ahead. Just as every interest group out there, has their own
perspective, so do the blind. Progress is slow, as you noted, especially if
you're in the middle of situations that appear to be  otherwise simple if
the disability wasn't factored in...It is my perspective, and for those who
subscribe to home on the range, that the NFB has been able to make the most
sense and progress in "changing what it means to be blind" in the most
positive way... I do not know if the blind can "work together"  but I'm
willing to put my time and effort into the work that I fully support...and,
thus the federation. The Independent Living Center philosophy has generally
left the blind out of their "flat world" focus and I've never seen them
really make any meaningful positive impact on behalf of the blind...I was
once on the wichita ILRC board and had a lot of trouble following their
philosophy, which was one that focused primarily on housing and that
everyone should get the same thing - and that was determined by those who
had the largest number of a disability group. I felt their time might be
better spent on focusing on employment issues as once we are able to "get a
job" we can have the home and the life that can come with it...thank-you for
writing such an insightful and thoughtful note to us. I hope we'll hear more
from you. Dianne On Jun 18, 2013, at 10:16 AM, Timothy Hornik wrote:

> Happy Tuesday Everyone,
> 
> Last night I finally read over the latest Braille Monitor and ACB 
> Braille
Forum. The pieces that stuck out for me from the Braille Monitor involved
the controversy with the Oklahoma "Vision Services" and Iowa's issues with
potential fraudulent spending by the former Director. Both of these makes me
reflect on the lack of services here within Kansas, and the numerous Federal
audits that swept through our CIL's and SILCK.
> 
> The ACB Braille Forum article that captivated my attention in balls a
letter similar to the title of this email. The brief summary is that they do
not feel the various blind organizations will ever be able to provide a
unified front as a whole, but maybe able to collaborate together on some
issues. Maybe I am a little naïve, but I hope this is not true.
> 
> At the last SILCK Board Meeting, yes I am a board member, I commented 
> on
how I would love to see the date when all of the disability organizations
placed a representative in the seats behind me. Only then might we be able
to wield enough power to change the state's position on various issues. For
example, Voc Rehab and employment centers are truly hit or miss when
providing assistance for the visually impaired. However the Director feels
they are more than capable. We seen this with the overwhelming support
(sarcasm) VR showed in the planning leading up to the job fair in Lawrence.
Likewise as a Veteran, the VA's own Voc Rehab services only desired to aid
me so much based on limited power and the VA's own willingness to employ the
visually impaired outside of blind rehab services, and this is without
commenting on 508 compliancy issues faced by blind employees.
> 
> Here I sit, wondering whether the future will improve, and 
> acknowledging
that only will it improve with our own actions.
> 
> Like a tree growing from a mountain, progress is slow and steady.
> However,
the strongest weather and whipping winds fail to uproot the tree.
> 
> Thank you for your assistance,
> Timothy Hornik, LMSW
> President
> Kansas Regional Group
> Blinded Veterans Association
> Mobile: (785) 330-3503
> E-Mail: timothy.hornik at gmail.com
> LinkedIn Profile: http://tiny.cc/7bfa5 www.facebook.com/ksrgbva
> 
> 
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