[nabs-l] Advocacy efforts

[Jim Reed]

NABS Officers, Board Members, and State Division Presidents, 



The reason I am writing is because I want to engage the Montana Asociation of Blind Students (MABS) in a local or national blind student advocacy effort, and I want  to pick your
brains for ideas regarding local or national issues that MABS could involve
itself in. I realize that you all will have no clue as to the local issues in Montana, just like I have no clue as to the local issues in other states; I am asking for examples regarding local issues because it is likely that the same state and local issues are evident in most states, and your examples will help me determine where to look for advocacy oppertunities. 

Additionally, I am curious what other Student Division are doing. This post can serve as a chance to brag about
your Division's accomplishments, and to educate your colleagues as to
your current efforts.



To the NABS Officers and Board Members: 

What
blind student advocacy efforts is NABS currently engaged in? What issues do you
see forthcoming in the future? How are the situations/problems requiring NABS attention manifested at the state or local level? How can MABS help? 



State Division Presidents: 

What
blind student advocacy efforts are you currently engaged in at the state and local levels? What actions have/are you taking? What advocacy efforts (both successful and unsuccessful) have you engaged in in the past?

I do have some concerns about engaging MABS in an advocacy effort. First, my goal for engaging MABS in an advocacy effort is to produce a successful outcome that MABS can build on, and hopefully I can use that success to increase recruitment and membership, and to improve the Division membership's motivation and participation. I worry that if we engage in a failed advocacy effort, that the failure could seriously endanger the future of MABS. Second, I worry about how much MABS can really do being that our Division has only 5 members. I fear that when it comes to national and state issues that our Division is so small that we will be insignifigant. I also wonder if there are any problems that are small enough in both size and scope for MABS advocacy efforts to be affective; but at the same time, the problem MABS chooses to address can't be so small and insignifigant that MABS action is not needed or justified.



I look forward to hearing your ideas, and hopefully MABS can act on some of those ideas in the near future.



Thoughts?
Jim Reed
President, Montana Association of Blind Students