[nabs-l] NFB-Past, Present and Future

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,

Whenever a question arises regarding NFB philosophy, the person asking
the question is often advised to read books or listen to long speeches
in order to find the answer. But to me the essence of NFB philosophy
is very simple and can be conveyed with the sentence, "It is
respectable to be blind." A single sentence, which can be stated in a
single breath. The rest, I believe, is our collective opinions about
how the respectability of blind people can best be affirmed and
upheld. People can and do debate about the details, the policy
positions and the program priorities that the organized blind should
take toward the end of respectability. But the core of our philosophy,
the notion that blindness is respectable and that the blind deserve
dignity, is in my opinion a truth that very few people would argue
against. And I fully believe that many people who choose to affiliate
with the ACB, or not to join a blindness organization at all, are
still NFB-ers at heart because they are committed to the
respectability of being blind and they demonstrate it through their
daily actions and full participation in society. I don't believe the
NFB will be gone in fifty years because this basic truth will still
exist and will still need our effort to keep respectability a reality
for the blind.

I will say that I don't agree with all the policy decisions and
priorities that the NFB has taken in recent years. If it were up to
me, for instance, I would spend much less time and resources on Web
accessibility lawsuits and more energy trying to improve the quality
of education at state schools for the blind, or the accessibility of
entry-level jobs so blind teens can work in the same kinds of
part-time jobs as their sighted peers and develop a sense of
self-reliance. I don't agree fully with our Social Security Earnings
legislation, and I have felt disappointed by the lack of concrete
plans to match our rhetoric about fixing the Braille literacy crisis.
I also don't agree with some of the political norms that have become
widely accepted in the Federation on the national and state levels.
However, I recognize that the NFB is run by human beings and that our
programs not only depend on funding, but also tend to reflect the
particular whims of our leaders and their preferences, talents,
strengths and weaknesses. I am aware that while I am president of
NABS, our student division will probably be strong in some areas and
weak in others corresponding to my particular interests. It's
something we can remedy by involving a diverse group of leaders, but
it can't be fully avoided.

I too sometimes feel burned out, and sometimes perceive our national
convention as more like a big sales outfit than like the meeting of a
civil rights organization. However, I keep working in the Federation
and I plan to do so forever because I recognize that there is still
more work to be done to make respectability a reality for all blind
people. There are still blind people of all ages and backgrounds who
haven't yet realized what their potential is or how to reach it. And
daily encounters with the public remind me that the truth about
blindness is a surprise rather than a given for many of our sighted
brethren. Furthermore, I recognize that our organization cannot
possibly get better in my eyes if I don't make myself part of the
solution. I believe that it is up to our newer members and
particularly our younger members to identify new issues, new points of
change, and to bring them to the attention of the current leadership.

I often hear from national and state NFB leaders that students are
important because we are the future leaders of the organization. This
mantra, while well-intentioned, I think is only part of the story. We
are the future of the NFB but we are part of the present as well. We
have important contributions to make that we can put into practice
today, in NABS and also in our affiliates, and we are capable of
engaging in full-fledged leadership. For example, I know that the
Wisconsin student division just hosted their affiliate's state
convention. I also know of at least one state student division that
managed the legislative appointments for their affiliate's Washington
Seminar delegation. Whether or not we hold elected offices in our
chapters or affiliates, we can always involve ourselves by offering to
serve on committees, head up projects, or present novel ideas to the
leadership. The key is to figure out how to make a solution happen,
and to offer to do the necessary work, instead of merely complaining
about the problem.

Arielle