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

[Kirt Manwaring]

Briley,
  Well said.  That advocacy idea is, quite honestly, brilliant!  Good luck.
  Best,
Kirt

On 6/28/11, Briley Pollard <brileyp at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
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