[nabs-l] NABS Elections 2011-Briley Pollard for board member

[Briley Pollard]

Hello all,

After wrestling with whether or not to run for the NABS board, I've decided to give it a go. If I am fortunate enough to get the position, I can work to make a difference. If not, that just means I'll contribute without a title.

Firstly, I suppose I should briefly introduce myself. I'm Briley Pollard, a proud graduate of the Louisiana Center for the Blind as of May. I have a bachelor's degree in music, and am pursuing my master's in Educational Policy. Ultimately, I'd love to work at the Federal Department of Education to write policy that affects blind children all over the country.

At the end of the day, maybe I'm not that different from any other Nabs member. Maybe there are "millions" of other college graduates just figuring out that maybe what they wanted when they were 18 isn't what they want now. Maybe I'm not the only one waiting on the edge of the next phase of my life, scared but simultaneously excited by the prospect that I might be able to impact this world for good. Maybe I'm not alone in a search for my place in the organization. And, maybe that is what makes me right for the board. I want to speak for that average member who just wants one chance, who needs one person to listen to their ideas, one person to pour into them and give opportunities to showcase their abilities. I know that as one member of an entire board, I can't do that alone. It is about a team effort, not one super star with a lot of hard working backup singers. But, I'd love to see the division spring into something member driven. This current board has already taken great steps to achieve this and I just want to be a part of continuing and improving upon this work.

One vision I have is setting up an advocacy resource for our members. I've served as a disability advocate for several years, not only in high school settings, but for adults working with voc rehab agencies to get funding for education and rehabilitation training. I've found that so many students just don't have the right information. Not everyone is crazy enough to spend their Friday night reading through the federal rehabilitation services act. That's where my knowledge and experience, (and the experiences of all other board members), could be of great help to students. Whether its assisting in writing justification letters for technology or training, or creating a section of the website devoted to providing correct information to students so they can fight for themselves, the collective knowledge we all share can and should extend far beyond threads on the Nabs list. I believe in empowering and equipping people with the knowledge that will lead to them realizing their full potential. It is an unfortunate reality that blind people are served up lies at every turn about what their rights are, about what the "agencies" can or won't provide. Nabs, as a division of the most influential blindness consumer organization in the country, can really be a force for widespread change.

I'm pursuing a master's in Education Policy so I can one day be a part of the change on a federal level. But I don't want to wait until then to help as many people as I can. I know what it takes to get a job done and I'm ready to take on this responsibility. I may not have a lot of "leadership" experience within the organization, but I do have leadership abilities and knowledge and resources that will only help the division grow and expand to its full potential.

I have other ideas, but for brevity's sake I will leave you with these thoughts to digest. What is most important to me is that everyone voting is informed about their choice. Don't simply vote for someone because you've heard their name a lot or they've been around for a long time. Ask questions and put the person in office who you feel will meet your needs as a valued member of the division.

Best,
Briley Pollard