[nabs-l] Appreciating our roots. And, examining the tree and the forest

Briley Pollard brileyp at gmail.com
Fri May 7 23:43:07 UTC 2010 

I second, Jedi. Thank you, Heather. That took a lot of thought and composition, and I'm grateful for it.

Briley
On May 7, 2010, at 1:28 PM, Jedi wrote:

> Heather,
> 
> that's one of the best analyses I've ever read on this issue. I was thinking more along the same lines as you as the topic progressed, but I don't think I could have said it better myself. Excellent and thanks.
> 
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
> 
> Original message:
>> Hi all,
>> It is very easy to blame generalised groups. "The older generation",
>> "leadership", "fund-raising" and so on. However, the real truth about
>> the growth and education of this organisation, the NFB, is the same as
>> it is for all similar groups. To demonstrate what I'm referring to,
>> let me take a moment to share what we can learn from other similar
>> groups. One such similar group is the Christian church. I have read of
>> how some other religious groups, and some sporting groups and clubs
>> which function the same.  But, for the purposes of this post, I want
>> to use a group that most of us have had some experience with at some
>> time or other.
> 
>> Many studies have been done over the years about how various Christian
>> churches, grow and maintain, their membership and perform their work.
>> Without fail, the results of the studies show that churches gain and
>> keep new members wehn people are personally invited by a personal
>> friend or relative. People continue to stay at a particular church and
>> get involved in the work of their church because they are mentored,
>> discipled personally by other members of the church.
> 
>> This is the simple truth. People join a Christian church of choice,
>> get involved in church work, and promote that particular philosophical
>> interpretation of the Bible which their church adheres to because of
>> the personal factor.  All the studies show that personal invitation by
>> friend/family member, personal mentoring, and opportunity to serve are
>> the tree factors in the growth and maintenance of a church. Training
>> classes, media advertising, door knocking and "sales pitches" by
>> strangers, and other publicity events such as having a booth at a
>> local fair, will bring in a very small percentage of people of whom a
>> smaller percentage actually stay. so, if you want to know what works
>> there it is.
> 
>> I have been a chapter president and I know what it is like to try to
>> get the work of the organisation done. It is not as simple as saying
>> that the leadership or the older generation are letting young people
>> down. The nfb exists within a society and any meaningful assessment of
>> the organisation must be made in the social context in which it
>> operates. Some current social trends in first world countries are
>> worth considering.
> 
>> 1. Generations since the Baby-boomers are much less inclined to do
>> volunteer work.
>> 2. Post Baby-boomer generations are much less inclined to join, and
>> commit to groups such as service clubs, The Red Cross etc.
>> 3. The pressure for women to work outside of the home leaves less
>> leisure time for social group involvement.
>> 4. The number of disability groups vying for public attention is much
>> larger in this century than the last. Factors causing this include the
>> incredible advances in medical competence, the development of
>> technology to sustain life longer, and the success of the civil rights
>> movement which has put the disability community out of institutions
>> and into the public arena. This means more people to consume finite
>> resources such as jobs, government assistance programmes and volunteer
>> transportation assistance.
>> 5. A blindness specific social factor is the decentralisation of
>> education for blind students. Many more blind children are growing up
>> with minimal and marginal contact with formal groups of and/or for the
>> blind. This means that networking on a personal basis is more
>> difficult and, ironically, that attitudes against accepting the
>> respectability of blindness are harder to influence.
>> 6. The largest and fastest growing group of blind people in the
>> western world are adults over 65 years of age.
> 
>> The world in which the current NFB is functioning is vastly different
>> from the one that existed when it began, and even from the nineteen
>> nineties. Yes, many of the things Doctor Jernigan told us to strive
>> for in his speeches have not yet been achieved, but the reasons why
>> are much more complex than simply saying the organisation has focused
>> on fund-raising or centralising programmes. A far better approach is
>> to begin with one's self and look at what one has personally done to
>> increase the influence and effectiveness of the organisation. Whatever
>> the national leadership decide to spend or build, what happens in my
>> town is up to me and my blind and sighted friends who believe the NFB
>> philosophy and live it as best we can. Local chapters are the mouth
>> and arms and legs of the organisation. It is in local chapters that
>> new people receive words of welcome and empowerment, hugs of
>> encouragement and affirmation, friends and mentors to walk alongside
>> them and visit them at home and teach them skills and hope for a
>> better life. I ask myself how many new people I have brought to
>> meetings after reaching out and getting to know them. Do I attend all
>> my chapter meetings and events and make a difference by my physical
>> presence? What have I done to reach out to other blind people? It can
>> be a sobering experience if you are willing to sit down and ask
>> yourself the hard questions.
> 
>> I began with the observation that  reliable studies show that it is
>> person to person outreach and mentoring/discipling that brings new
>> members to social organisations. I will close by sharing another two,
>> scientifically varified facts about the successful functioning of
>> groups like the NFB.
>> 1. Between 9 and 12 percent of the membership are willing and able to
>> take on leadership positions.
>> 2. Roughly ten percent of the people do roughly 90 percent of the
>> work. Generally, the remaining membership attend sporadically, work
>> occasionally and talk.  and, I would assume in these days of
>> techological communication, e-mail, text and twitter.
> 
>> What people are prepared to actually, do. in their community will
>> determine what the NFB looks like and what it is doing in fifty years.
> 
>> Regards,
> 
>> Heather Field
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Briley Pollard" <brileyp at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 9:05 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots
> 
> 
>> I think it is perhaps a stretch to say we won't exist in just 50
>> years, but I do think the purpose and philosophy will be very diluted
>> at that point if something isn't done. I did bring it up to say that
>> we have a responsibility to sea out information, but I do think the
>> leadership needs to be more efficient at educating new comers. This is
>> just speculation on my part, but I think part of the reason why the
>> specifics and history of the philosophy stopped being pushed so hard
>> is because the federation didn't want to scare off new members. While
>> I think it is a poor approach to immediately yank away a cane that may
>> be too short, or talk constantly of the "glory days" as soon as
>> someone walks in the door, I think a better effort needs to be made at
>> empowering and educating the membership as a whole.
> 
>> Thanks for your thoughts,
>> Briley
>> On May 2, 2010, at 6:54 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
> 
>>> Briley,
> 
>>> I don't know how many people actually read my series of action plan
>>> posts.
>>> I'm wrapping it up anyway just to finish my ramblings, and it's
>>> funny that
>>> you mention roots because it's basically the foreground of what I
>>> have to
>>> contribute.  Yet, I am not convinced the blame rests squarely on our
>>> generation.  Actually, it is my theory that the older generation is
>>> almost
>>> completely responsible for our sense of complacency.  I believe the
>>> National
>>> Center has saturated the work of the organization so much with
>>> fundraising
>>> and technological design that everyday philosophy has been
>>> forgotten.  It is
>>> my personal belief that our philosophy has become more the banner
>>> than the
>>> engine, and at this rate I do not believe the NFB will exist in 50
>>> years,
>>> maybe sooner.  Outrageous?  Of course it is, but considering the
>>> source, are
>>> you surprised?  More later, but I'm glad the subject came up.
> 
>>> Best,
> 
>>> Joe
> 
>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>> sleeves,
>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Briley Pollard
>>> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 7:31 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots
> 
>>> I do think our generation in many ways has a sense of
>>> entitlement. I think a better understanding of our history and
>>> our purpose as an organization will better define that line
>>> between entitlement and creating a level playing field. To whom
>>> much is given, much is required, and I think people all too
>>> often forget that.
> 
>>> Briley
>>> On May 2, 2010, at 5:23 PM, David Andrews wrote:
> 
>>>> As an old-timer, thank you!  It is important to remember that
>>> our ceiling is your floor.  What you can take for granted is
>>> what we had to fight for!
> 
>>>> And ... we came from a time that was in some ways simpler,
>>> but where we asked for as little as possible.  We will not ever
>>> be as comfortable as your generation with asking for some
>>> stuff.  We also feel somewhat like there is an entitlement
>>> attitude, and people are not as self sufficient as they need to
>>> be in the real world.
> 
>>>> Dave
> 
>>>> At 03:35 PM 5/2/2010, you wrote:
>>>>> Good afternoon all,
> 
>>>>> I am writing to open up a topic of conversation which I feel
>>> is to often overlooked in our organization; our history as a
>>> movement. I've grown up in this organization, and admittedly
>>> didn't fully understand our history until about a month ago
>>> when I began digging a little deeper.
> 
>>>>> The federation has always been an important force in my
>>> life, and has shaped my views about my blindness, even during
>>> the periods where I wasn't actively involved. I always heard
>>> about what great leaders we've had, and was exposed to tidbits
>>> of information at state conventions or national events. But
>>> most of the focus has always been on the here and now, which is
>>> understandable to a point. It is vital that we understand the
>>> obstacles that the blind community as a whole faces on a daily
>>> basis, and how the federation is responding to them. However,
>>> life events have spurred me on to discover more about our
>>> roots. I'll keep the story short for brevity's sake, but it has
>>> a point which I think is important, so stay with me.
> 
>>>>> I am dating someone who has never been actively involved
>>> with any of the blindness consumer organizations. He recently
>>> realized his need for further training, and that lead him to
>>> ask me my reasons for being a federationist. He began asking me
>>> questions about how the federation began, how the philosophy
>>> developed, and how the rehabilitation views of the NFB evolved.
>>> I found myself unable to answer a lot of his questions, and was
>>> disappointed in myself. I knew vague details about Dr.
>>> Jernigan's involvement with the Iowa Commission for the Blind,
>>> and something about airplane issues in the 70's and 80's, but
>>> beyond that, my historical knowledge of the NFB was supremely
>>> limited. After discussing this with some of my friends in the
>>> organization, I found that the problem wasn't just with me. I'm
>>> on the board of our local chapter, and it became apparent to me
>>> after out last meeting that this is a widespread problem. We
>>> have lost touch with our past, and that is never good. Roots
>>> are vital to the life of any tree, and without them, we wouldn't
>>> exist.
> 
>>>>> I began to dig, which isn't hard to do. Nationals has done
>>> an amazing job of making our history available to us.
>>> www.nfb.org is a gold mine of information, even some of the
>>> parts that are hard to see. Issues of the Braille Monitor are
>>> available online going back 25 years, and important speeches
>>> are available in both text and recorded form going back before
>>> that. I have found myself appalled by the discrimination that
>>> blind people faced even just twenty years ago. The fortitude it
>>> took to get out there every day and command respect from a
>>> sighted public is not just commendable, but amazing to me.
> 
>>>>> I think that sometimes, the youth of this organization
>>> accuse the older generation of the federation of being too
>>> "militant," or "confrontational." While I do not always agree
>>> with how the older generation has approached some issues, when
>>> you really dig and read about what they had to indoor just to
>>> be able to do things we take for granted today, you develop a
>>> greater respect for their views and approach. We still have a
>>> long way to go in some respects, but we have come far, and I
>>> think we've lost respect for our past.
> 
>>>>> I encourage everyone to sea out and understand the
>>> beginnings and progress our movement has made over the past 70
>>> years. You will be amazed, and it will make you really
>>> understand, respect, and love this organization. I have had my
>>> share of frustrations with the organization over the years. But
>>> I must admit that I am so proud to be a part of the NFB, not
>>> just for what it has meant to me, but what it has done even
>>> before I was born to insure that I can live and work in a world
>>> where I am seen as an equal with my sighted peers. No
>>> organization is perfect because no person is perfect. But we
>>> must all remember to appreciate this community we have, built
>>> upon a solid foundation provided by many generations of blind
>>> people before us, tirelessly working to show that blindness
>>> should not limit our life choices.
> 
>>>>> Let's all make a greater effort to know and appreciate our
>>> history. We will all be better for it.
> 
>>>>> Best,
>>>>> Briley
> 
> 
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