[nabs-l] [Nfbnet-members-list] Threw Our Eyes interview, Ride into History, Race for Independence, Wed. June 22, 8:00 pm EDT

Chris Nusbaum dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Thu Jun 23 16:26:36 UTC 2011


Yeah, but we have an APS in my town at an intersection that is so 
busy that you can hardly hear it.  Besides, the APS itself isn't 
that loud anyway.  My friend in the ACB said that the APS I'm 
referring to is "stupid" then realizing that his ACB chapter was 
a big part of putting it in.  Whoops! :)

 Chris

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
To learn more about Camp Abilities and find a local camp near 
you, just click on this link to their national Web site: 
www.campabilities.org.

The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps visually impaired youth in 
Maryland have the ability to confidently say "I can!" How? Click 
on this link to learn more and to contribute: 
www.icanfoundation.info.

 Sent from my BrailleNote

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:09:00 -0600
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] [Nfbnet-members-list] Threw Our Eyes 
interview,Ride into History, Race for Independence, Wed.  June 
22, 8:00 pm EDT

Jessica,
  I hear you.  That's why I don't think the NFB is categorically
opposed to audible signals.

On 6/22/11, Jessica <jessmonsilva2003 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
 There are certain types of intersections where no matter how 
long you stand
 there and listen to traffic you will never hear a good cycle so 
in those
 cases I actually support aps.  Just keep that in mind when 
someone talks
 about every intersection being crossable by listening to 
traffic.

 Sent from my iPhone

 On Jun 22, 2011, at 9:57 AM, Kirt Manwaring 
<kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 wrote:

 Anmol,
  It's a nice thought.  Maybe it'll be possible, some day.  Never 
say
 never, ri9ght?
  But here's the thing.  The two organizations have evolved two
 separate philosophies and mindsets.  I'm doing something really 
bad
 and generalizing.  If anyone who knows more than I do wants to 
correct
 me here, feel free.
  The stance the ACB seems to take more often than not is to make 
the
 environment more accessible for us.  This is evidenced by their
 support for audible street signals (which make a lot of sense to 
me,
 I'm not really convinced one way or the other on that one yet),
 tactile currency, descriptive movies, the provisions in the ADA 
to
 make ATMs accessible, the 21st century communications act, their
 support for Randolph-Shepherd, universal design in technology, 
etc.
 They also use lots of their resources to fight descrimination, 
at
 least it seems that way to me.
  The NFB, on the other hand, seems to more often than not 
advocate us
 adapting to the environment.  This is evidenced by the strict
 standards of training centers, pushing braille, opposition to 
the
 tactile currency idea, advocacy of relying on traffic rather 
than
 audible signals (which makes a lot of sense to me), our 
philosophy
 that with the right training and opportunity we can compete on 
an
 equal footing, the idea of the blind driver challenge, etc.  Of 
course
 the NFB sometimes pushes making changes in the environment 
(technology
 bill of rights, Help America Vote Act, and the ADA which we also
 supported), and the ACB does advocate for quality independence
 training/O&M.  But, those are the rough philosophies of the two
 organizations, if we're going by their records.  Is the ACB 
wrong?
 No, I don't think so, but the NFB is more of a fit with my 
vision of
 blindness.  I just think thee two separate methodoligies 
willkeep us
 from ever uniting as one group...and that's ok.  We all have the
 right, even the obligation to advocate for ourselves and those 
we
 represent.  The ACB does it their way, we do it ours.  Sometimes 
there
 is overlap, lots of times our philosophies take us in different
 directions and put us on opposite sides of important issues.  
When our
 aims are the same (or similar), we need to work together and 
present a
 united front.  When we are at odds (which we often are, the two
 organizations really are very different), we both have the right 
to
 push our separate agendas and attempt to get our policies 
implimented.
 Sometimes they win, sometimes we win, that's politics.  We don't 
have
 to be bitter about it and, on the personal level, we can still 
be good
 friends even when our politics are at odds.
  Just my thoughts,
 Kirt

 On 6/22/11, Anmol Bhatia <anmolpbhatia at yahoo.com> wrote:
 Kirt,
 You bring some vary valid points, and yes we have beaten the
 democrats/republicans analogy  to death but it keeps coming up 
as a
 comparison, so I will just say one thing about this.  I may have 
already
 said
 this before on the list, but please furgive me if I have.  The 
blind
 community is a to small of a community to be divided on partizen 
lines
 like
 democrats and republicans, and our challenges are to great to be 
divided
 like democrats and republicans.  Sure there will be differences 
between
 members of the ACB and members of the NFB on how business should 
be
 conducted, but honestly there differences between members of 
each
 organization on how their organization should do business.
 True there were disagreement on how business should and 
leadership issues
 causing the split between the NFB and ACB, I consider the 
leadership
 issues
 to be pitty differences.  Often when one candidate loses, they 
and their
 supporters go and form their on organization or chapter.  This 
happened at
 my
 local NFB chapter and as a result we have two NFB chapters in a 
small
 town.
 Now some may consider this to be a good thing, but think about 
how much
 more
 we can achieve if we were one NFB chapter in Fayetteville in 
recruiting,
 fund raising and my volunteers for events.  In addition, these 
types of
 childish arguements causes many blind people who otherwise may 
be
 involved
 in a blind organization to be a "fense sitters".  Now using this 
analogy
 to
 NFB ACB, ACB does not have near the funds that NFB has, but they 
are not
 poor eather.  Their attendence is not as large at the 
conventions, but it
 is
 not small eather.  Think if both of these organizations were 
together how
 much more money we would have to do policy that each 
organization does or
 the advocacy work that each  organization does, and think about 
how much
 larger the convention would be.  We would pack two hotels full 
or near
 full.
 In addition, think about how much venders would be giving out in 
prizes
 because now insteading having to spend money to send their 
workers to two
 convention, they will only have to send their workers to one 
convention.
 In
 addition, most venders give out big prizes at each convention 
and if
 there
 was only one convention, they can give two prizes.
 However, you are right in that realistically the two 
organizations will
 not
 merge any time soon.

 best wishes,
 Anmol
 I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad.  
Perhaps
 there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, 
like a
 breeze
 among flowers.
 Hellen Keller


 --- On Tue, 6/21/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> 
wrote:

 From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l] [Nfbnet-members-list] Threw Our Eyes 
interview,
 Ride
 into History, Race for Independence, Wed.  June 22, 8:00 pm EDT
 To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 2:51 PM
 Anmol,
   I don't really see a merger happening any time soon,
 nor would I
 want it to.  We've all beaten the democrat/republican
 analogy to
 death...but imagine Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the
 same political
 party.  It just wouldn't work.  There are huge
 differences.  It
 doesn't make the NFB better for everyone, but it makes the
 NFB better
 for me.  I have lots of respect for my friends in the
 ACB who stand up
 and fight for their agenda.  Lots of the times, it's
 the same as mine.
 When it's not, we can talk without being jackasses to each
 other and,
 in a lot of cases, the disagreement actually strengthens
 our
 friendship.
   I say diversity is good, competition is good, we
 need a free market
 of ideas.  I respect ACB and the sincere people there
 trying to make
 the lives of blind people better.  I happen to find
 the Federation
 philosophy and method more meaningful for me.  I want
 to understand
 the split.  From the little bit of studying I've done,
 I don't really
 think it was petty personal differences but rather
 differing
 philosophies about methodology and leadership that drove
 the two
 groups to separate.  We can be different without being
 petty.  We can
 disagree without being bigots.  When our two
 organizations come down
 on opposite sides of important issues, as we often do, we
 need not be
 arrogant or self-rightious because we think we're
 right.  The fact is,
 we disagree.  And I think the disagreements are too
 central to our
 respective organizations for us to ever become one.
 But that doesn't
 mean we can't be friends, especially on a personal level.
   Best,
 Kirt

 On 6/21/11, Anmol Bhatia <anmolpbhatia at yahoo.com
 wrote:
 Kirt,
 You are bringing up some vary good points...
 Understanding the history of
 the NFB and ACB is an import part in the history in
 the blind movement and
 an important part in the history of two organizations.
 Frankly in it is just
 my oppinion both organizations bring value and have
 and continue to make a
 difference for blind people across America on a daily
 bases.  It is a shame
 that this split happened and just maybe the next
 generation of blind
 individuals our generation or those who are younger
 then can bring the two
 organizations together once again.  Now this is just my
 translation and my
 oppinion, but  it seems to me that the NFB ACB
 split happened over pitty
 differences and two individuals with different ideas
 fighting for power.  It
 seems to me that the hate the two organizations have
 towards each other is
 not as strong amongest this generation.  Infact many
 members of NABS of ACB
 and NABS of NFB are friends in life and attack on the
 other organization is
   usually not allow on each organization's mailing
 list.
 Dave, you are right that ACB does not have the same
 amount of people
 attending its' convention, but their attendence is not
 small eather.  I would
 guess 1500 attend the ACB convention and all the major
 venders who attend
 the NFB convention attend the ACB convention.  There
 are also quite a few
 young people who attend the ACB convention.
 Yes ACB does its' business different then NFB, but
 thats why they are a
 different organization.  However, this does not make
 them any worse or better
 then the NFB.
 Just my thoughts and it would be great if we keep the
 attacks on each
 organization to as less as possible.

 Anmol


 I seldom think about my limitations, and they never
 make me sad.  Perhaps
 there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is
 vague, like a breeze
 among flowers.
 Hellen Keller


 --- On Tue, 6/21/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 wrote:

 From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l] [Nfbnet-members-list] Threw
 Our Eyes interview, Ride
 into History, Race for Independence, Wed.  June 22,
 8:00 pm EDT
 To: "National Association of Blind Students
 mailing list"
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 12:25 PM
 Dave,
   How long ago was this?  Things could've
 changed
 since you last went
 if it's been a while, maybe?  And, with respect,
 this
 is a big deal to
 a lot of us.  I know for me it's a lot more than
 a
 "small
 consideration", I like to know the past as much as
 I can
 because it
 shaped the here and now.  I can read the books
 put out
 by each
 organization-they probably both have lots of the
 truth
 intermingled
 with their respective agendas.  But nothing
 beats
 talking to people
 who have studied the issues or, preferably, people
 who were
 actually
 there.
   All the best,
 Kirt

 On 6/21/11, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com
 wrote:
 The two biggest things I noticed at an ACB
 national
 convention were
 that the crowd was considerably smaller than
 that at a
 NFB convention
 -- less exhibits etc.  too.  The second
 things was
 that there were few
 young persons -- some but noticeably not
 very
 many.  One of the major
 things that the ACB has pushed in the past is
 that it
 is different
 from the NFB, it does things differently
 etc.
 This doesn't really
 matter to younger people though, so they have
 little
 reason to join, so
 don't.

 You guys can spend lots of time on the
 history, and
 differences if
 you want -- but what is the point.  It
 happened,
 it is over with and
 done.  Yes we can and should learn from our
 history, but it is just
 one small consideration.

 Dave

 At 11:32 AM 6/20/2011, you wrote:
 Dave,
    I do see your point.  Those
 alive at the time are not, and will
 probabluy never be friends.  Heck,
 getting
 them to actually talk in
 peace would be the achievement of the
 century!   if such a call were
 to hypothetically happen, how could we
 keep it from
 opening old wounds
 and stoking old fires?
    Best,
 Kirt

 On 6/20/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
 wrote:
 Dave,

 Our joint conference call isn't
 associated
 whatsoever with the
 proposition of a change in the NFB
 bylaw.  If I'm setting this
 up, which it appears I am, I didn't
 even have
 the intention of
 mentioning that proposition on the
 call.  The call's purpose is
 to learn the history of the NFB/ACB,
 with a
 little emphasis on
 the "civil war" period, from both
 sides so we
 are informed.  I
 also want this call to start a
 discussion on
 the history of our
 movement and what we can learn from
 it, not
 only as
 Federationists, but as blind
 students.
 Jorge and I have found
 some ways that we can hold the call
 without
 making it a NABS
 membership call, if it is entirely
 necessary.  And as to your
 comments about them not being our
 friends,
 then using your
 argument, the Republicans should not
 hear the
 Democrats point of
 view in meetings of Congress, but
 the two
 parties should be
 separated from each other for fear
 of their
 own side being
 attacked.  We can keep our same
 opinions, and probably many
 Federationists and Council members
 who attend
 this call will.
 This is just a way that we can be
 more
 informed when forming
 these opinions.

   Chris

 "A loss of sight, never a loss of
 vision!"
 (Camp Abilities motto)
 To learn more about Camp Abilities
 and find a
 local camp near
 you, just click on this link to
 their
 national Web site:
 www.campabilities.org.

 The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps
 visually
 impaired youth in
 Maryland have the ability to
 confidently say
 "I can!" How? Click
 on this link to learn more and to
 contribute:
 www.icanfoundation.info.

   Sent from my BrailleNote

   ----- Original Message -----
 From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com
 To: National Association of Blind
 Students
 mailing list
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:39:01
 -0500
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l]
 [Nfbnet-members-list]
 Threw Our Eyes
 interview,Ride into History, Race
 for
 Independence, Wed.  June
 22, 8:00 pm EDT

 Chris:

 I don't want to friend anyone -- but
 I think
 this is a terrible
 idea!  Remember the ACB split off
 from
 the NFB because they
 thought
 that we were all wrong, did our
 business in
 the wrong way etc.  I
 am
 not going to say that we can't learn
 anything
 from the ACB, but
 not a
 history lesson.  I was at a ACb
 National
 Convention a few years
 ago
 -- and heard the NFB attacked openly
 and
 indirectly.  These folks
 are
 not our friends.  We can work
 jointly at
 times, and should, and I
 don't think we should be against
 them, for
 the sake of it, as
 some of
 my old-timer friends are -- but a
 joint
 conference call on
 consideration of a change to a NFB
 division
 bylaw is going to
 far!

 Dave

 At 12:53 PM 6/19/2011, you wrote:
 Kirt,

 I have a friend in the Council that
 I will
 see Monday night, so I
 plan to give this idea to him and
 ask if he
 knows someone in the
 Council that would be knowledgeable
 enough
 and willing to attend
 this call on behalf of the Council
 as an
 expert on their history.
 Maybe it would be better if someone
 like me
 moderated.  Keep in
 mind
 that I did volunteer, but I'm not
 degrading
 anyone else, I'm just
 using myself as an example here.
 I'm a
 member of the Federation,
 but I'm not a hard-line "NFB is
 good, ACB
 bad" person, so I
 wouldn't
 show any bias to NFB or ACB.  I
 also am
 not currently a
 contributing
 (due-paying) member of NABS, so I'm
 not a
 leader in it of
 course.  That way, we wouldn't have
 any
 bias.
 I think it would be easy to have it
 jointly
 attended even if it's
 an
 official NABS call.  If we have a
 representative of ACB on the
 call,
 we could probably easily get other
 members of
 ACB on the call to
 kind of back up or add to that
 guest
 speaker's information.
 Thoughts?

 Chris

 "A loss of sight, never a loss of
 vision!"
 (Camp Abilities motto)
 To learn more about Camp Abilities
 and find a
 local camp near
 you,
 just click on this link to their
 national Web
 site:
 www.campabilities.org.

 The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps
 visually
 impaired youth in
 Maryland
 have the ability to confidently say
 "I can!"
 How? Click on this
 link
 to learn more and to contribute:
 www.icanfoundation.info.

 Sent from my BrailleNote

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 To: National Association of Blind
 Students
 mailing list
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:45:08
 -0600
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l]
 [Nfbnet-members-list]
 Threw Our Eyes
 interview,Ride into History, Race
 for
 Independence, Wed.  June
 22, 8:00 pm EDT

 Carley,
    The two organizations don't
 really claim to be "friends" as
 such-it
 seems like now they just mostly
 ignore each
 other, work jointly
 when
 their agendas converge and play
 politics when
 they don't.  Maybe
 they
 aren't enemies, but the official
 organizations don't really
 advertise
 themselves as friends.
    While it would be great to
 have people from both organizations
 participate in a joint call, I don't
 see it
 happening.  Here's
 hoping
 though, I guess  It's certainly a
 nice
 thought-although, if the
 call
 were to have presentations from
 members of
 both organizations, it
 probably should be jointly moderated
 and
 attended.  The NFB (or
 probably even NABS) would, I'm
 betting, not
 be inclined to go
 there.
 So maybe we'll have better luck
 going through
 unnoficial channels
 and
 setting this up on our own?  No
 need to
 make it an official event
 for
 either the Federation or the
 Council-I think
 it's safe to say
 that
 idea was doomed to fail before it
 was brought
 up.
    Best,
 Kirt

 On 6/18/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
 wrote:
 And, as I said before, I would be
 very
 willing to moderate this
 call.  Please keep me posted!

    Chris

 "A loss of sight, never a loss of
 vision!"
 (Camp Abilities motto)
 To learn more about Camp Abilities
 and find a
 local camp near
 you, just click on this link to
 their
 national Web site:
 www.campabilities.org.

 The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps
 visually
 impaired youth in
 Maryland have the ability to
 confidently say
 "I can!" How? Click
 on this link to learn more and to
 contribute:
 www.icanfoundation.info.

    Sent from my BrailleNote

    ----- Original Message
 -----
 From: Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com
 To: National Association of Blind
 Students
 mailing list
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:51:04
 -0400
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l]
 [Nfbnet-members-list]
 Threw Our Eyes
 interview,Ride into History, Race
 for
 Independence, Wed.  June
 22, 8:00 pm EDT

 This call would be very interesting
 indeed.  If representatives
 from both organizations are willing
 to
 participate, it can really
 be productive in many ways.
 On Jun 18, 2011, at 1:46 PM, Carly
 Mihalakis
 wrote:



    Good morning, list,

    A few days ago, someone on
 the NABS list  suggested a
 conference
 call bringing clarity to a younger
 generation.  What, exactly, is
 the history of the ideological
 parting of
 ways, between the
 Federation and the Council? Does
 anybody know
 today, the history
 of this division or is it a product
 of sheer
 habit as is the case
 with Republicans and Democrats? If
 such a
 meeting of both
 entities were to take place, There
 ought to
 be representation of
 both organizations  so that a
 wholistic
 portrait of this issue
 can be exercised.

    and its split from the
 ACB.  This seems like a productive and
 enlightening discussion but I
 wonder, if the
 Federation and the
 council claim to be friends, should
 there not
 be representation
 from both   sides, identifying
 their position and whereabouts
 they stand, in this? At
    ---- Original Message
 ------
    From: "Joe Ruffalo" <nfbnj at yahoo.com
 (by way of David
 Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)
    Subject:
 [Nfbnet-members-list] Thru Our Eyes interview,
 Ride
 into History,Race for
 Independence,
 Wed.  June 22, 8:00 pm EDT
    Date sent: Fri, 17 Jun 2011
 19:26:45 -0500


    Save The Date:

    On Wednesday, June 22,at
 8:00 pm eastern, Thru Our Eyes host,
 Joe
    Ruffalo will interview
 Parnell Diggs, chair of the Imagination
 Fund,
    Race for Independence.

    The interview will highlight
 current and past grants awarded to
 state
    affiliates and chapters.
    In addition, featured will
 be Imaginators who will share the
 methods
    to make the ask to make a
 difference in changing what it means
 to be blind.

    Special highlight of the
 interview will be the announcement of
 the 30
    winners who will have the
 opportunity to be driven by a blind
 driver
    while attending
    the national convention in
 Orlando.

    Witness the opportunity to
 ride into history!

    To watch and listen to the
 interview, please visit the
 following:
    <http://www.thruoureyes.org>www.thruoureyes.org

    For JAWS users and mobile
 phone users, please visit the
 following:

    m.thruoureyes.org

    Other options to watch or
 listen can be found on the sites
 listed above.

    To call in with comments or
 questions, please dial the
 following:
    1 888 572 0141
    Join us to Make a
 Difference!





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