[nabs-l] Action Plan, Part 4

[Monika Reinholz]

Joseph and all,
I must agree with Arielle that NABS is not just for 18-25 year olds. I have been a member of CABS, and therefore, NABS since 2006. I am 28, almost 29 now, and not even blind but have made many friends since joining the NFB as a whole. I am glad to have joined as I have become a huge advocate for the cause...and more. I am sorry you feel the way you do Joseph but I can understand why you feel the way you do. You do bring up good points and I do feel we need to assist with such things, which I believe we (as in NABS and the NFB) are doing to the best of our ability. Of course this is MHO.  
In service,   Monika.......................................................------ Original Message-----
Date: Friday, June 05, 2009 9:22:37 am
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
From: T. Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Action Plan, Part 4
Arielle,
My opinion, worth about what you pay for it, is that NABS should 
neither start at age 18 nor stop at age 25.  Here in Oregon, it is 
not uncommon for students to remain in "high school" until age 21 
because of compromises made in and by the educational system in the 
state.  I see it as our responsibility to work to correct that, which 
means we need the support of blind high school and middle school 
students, as well as parent involvement.
If you fit into a certain income range, you don't qualify for 
financial aid grants until you turn 24, but haven't got enough income 
yourself or with family support to pay for college without them.  I 
was such a person.  I've nearly completed my Master's, and am 
continuing with my studies.  I expect to finish at age 35, a full 
decade beyond the "typical" college age.  I know students in their 
fifties.
But it seems we have to go the other direction as well.  Take Braille 
literacy for example.  If we are serious about that issue, we must 
reach out to students as young as possible, and their parents.  I 
don't know how active elementary-aged students would be in the 
organization, but I see great value in them having access to role 
models earning college or advanced degrees.
I think I disagree with regard to the advocacy on local versus 
national issues.  Support, advice, and suggestion are the easiest 
things to provide, and those have made a remarkable difference in 
some of the local issues here in Oregon.  Even just getting the word 
out there that some of these things are happening can make a 
politician squeamish about voting in a way that hurts blind students.
Joseph
On Fri, Jun 05, 2009 at 03:17:15PM +1000, Arielle Silverman wrote:
>Hi Joseph and all,
>I don't know the context behind the comment you cited, and don't want
>to openly criticize Ryan, but I'll just say briefly that I don't feel
>this sentiment to be appropriate or true for most of the NABS
>leadership. We don't stop at age 25. In fact, a lot of young
>professionals who have recently completed their education, even if no
>longer students, can still benefit from and in some cases can offer
>leadership to our organization. I will admit that NABS has not always
>done a good job of including students and professionals in their
>mid-twenties or beyond. I appreciate the feedback and definitely want
>to work on this, as well as building ....