[nabs-l] Future of the NFB
Jedi
loneblindjedi at samobile.net
Sun Mar 13 04:35:43 UTC 2011
Please forgive me for what I'm about to say as it might seem quite
blunt. On the other hand, I think it needs to be said.
I believe that we as blind people (and especially blind people with
other disabilities) set low expectations for ourselves, meet them and
don't go outside of them, thus fulfill our own low expectations and the
prophecies that come with them. I do think that training at a center is
a good idea for people who want to improve their skill sets or for
people who didn't have access to good training from the beginning. I
also think that we do tend to set our expectations low, then get
defensive when someone else challenges these low expectations with
something we don't want to hear; we do this to rationalize our low
expectations and thus maintain the status quo. I think we've got to be
careful as it's so easy to do. I've seen people with multiple
disabilities come leaps and bounds after working at one of our centers.
I've also seen multi-disabled people battle low expectations about
their other disabilities while at our centers. It frustrates me, but
there you have it. The bottom line is that we, as Jernigan pointed out
so many times, are a reflection of our own society; we also tend to
accept social biases and expectation levels. Therefore, we absolutely
must not take anything for granted and consider the possibility that we
are selling ourselves short (or selling others short). The next time
(Marsha) that someone challenges you to go to a center, don't take it
as a judgement regarding your skills or your various disabilities,
consider it as a challenge to grow and find new and exciting ways to
accomplish what you currently think of as overwhelming or altogether
impossible. I'm encouraging you to think of it this way because I truly
think that was the spirit in which the challenge to attend a center was
meant. I'm not defending anyone's rudeness, I'm just saying.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jedi
Original message:
> Marsha,
> I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you told that individual that you have a
> hearing loss and that presented additional challenges.
> Why is it that some judgemental people in NFB feel any deficit such as
> travel skills can be rectified by attending a center?
> People can have other challenges; teaching you can only go so far. For
> instance I've known people who received cane training for years, some
> structured discovery, some traditional, who cannot walk straight and they
> veer on streets. Others have trouble crossing streets and either may get
> assistance with it or ask for an audible signal; training, such as
> interpreting sound cues, can only go so far. You got to have some sense of
> direction for it to work well.
> Hotels are hard for anyone to navigate; especially big ones like conventions
> are in.
> As much as we talk independence, sight does help navigate crowds.
> Know why Jernigan and now Dr. Maurer have sighted guides often?
> Its faster and efficient!
> In new open areas, that is faster.
> Joshua said he needs help in unfamiliar places and sticks to learned routes
> in those spots.
> I'm a good cane traveler, but the orientation part is challenging; mobility
> part I can do; I just have trouble making mental maps and organizing space.
> Certainly I've traveled alone a bit in hotels including for state
> convention, but I memorize main things like where the elevator is.
> I've seen people judged also for not reading braille efficiently or fast.
> It may be a number of reasons such as tactile sensativity is lacking.
> I hope nfb comes more open in the future.
> Ashley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marsha Drenth
> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 9:02 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Future of the NFB
> Kirt,
> Very well said. And I agree completely. As a blind person, as a person with
> other disabilities, I never ever judge anyone for their abilities or their
> lack of skills, or the alternative ways they may do something. I do not
> judge others, because I do not want to be judged.
> Prime example, at the national convention. It's a huge hotel, I got a little
> disorientated. Granted I have been in this hotel 3 times now. And when I
> asked for help, I was treated as though my skills were not "good enough".
> Its not my skills that need help, its my ears that do not work. And when I
> explained this to said person I asked for help from, they said I needed to
> go to a center for training. The hotel in Detroit was a nightmare for me to
> navigate.
> Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. I am not even saying any of you would be
> so judgmental, but people do need to think of these things.
> Marsha
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Kirt Manwaring
> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 8:27 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Future of the NFB
> Darian, George, Brice, Joshua, Marsha and all,
> I would hope that us as blind people wouldn't judge those with other
> disabilities. We understand what it's like to be judged, doubted and
> ignored. Would we want any of our multi-disabled friends, especially
> within our organizations, to feel that same judgment? In that regard,
> we seem to share an eary resemblence to the sighted public so many of
> us love complaining about.
> True other disabilities doubtless pose challenges. So does
> blindness, and we overcome those inconveniences as best we know how.
> Why shun or belittle someone whose other disabilities make it
> impossible, or at least more difficult than practical, to use the same
> techniques we do? Our alternative techniques should never be seen as
> a one size fits all kind of system. Because others, and I'm talking
> about people like Marsha who have disabilities in adition to
> blindness, may use a different approach. I'm disappointed in anyone
> who thinks their way works for everyone. As Batman said, "it's not
> who we are that defines us. It's what we do." So let's all help each
> other to do the best we can with all our various challenges and
> disabilities, not just blindness.
> Best,
> Kirt
> On 3/7/11, Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com> wrote:
>>> Marsha:
>> I think in that regard we have the same issue as the sighted.
>> Just as some sighted judge us on our sight, or lack thereof, I think we as
>> the "vanila blind" to use your words, have a very similar issue.
>> Jorge
>> On Mar 7, 2011, at 7:58 PM, Marsha Drenth wrote:
>>> This is a very interesting question. Lets take those of us who are
> hearing
>>> impaired and blind. Now blindness is my primary disability, but I am hard
>>> of
>>> hearing. Yes we have a deafblind division, but is it promoted as much as
>>> say
>>> the parents, or the students? No, not at all. Are these disabilities any
>>> less than our blindness? No, not at all. But then my question is that why
>>> are those of us who are hard of hearing, deaf, hearing impaired, or
>>> whatever
>>> you want to call it, second class to those vanilla blind persons in the
>>> NFB?
>>> Why are those vanilla blind people so quick to judge those of us who
> can't
>>> do things in the same as everyone else?Its the judgement of people, that
>>> has
>>> kept some away from the NFB. I feel like a broken record in this matter.
>>> But
>>> frankly blind people are very quick to judge others who are blind for
>>> their
>>> abilities or the lack of skills. And its those same people who judge
>>> others
>>> for the additional disabilities they may have.
>>> Just my two cents,
>>> Marsha
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Brice Smith
>>> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 7:26 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Future of the NFB
>>> I spoke to one of my old VI teachers last week who gave me some
>>> interesting observations to consider. At least from the perspective of
>>> this professional, more and more students who are blind often have
>>> multiple disabilities. She suspects that medical advancements have
>>> made it so that children who previously did not survive are now living
>>> longer lives, but often with more profound impairments. She notes
>>> that it is a "rare treat" for VI professionals to work with students
>>> who are simply visually impaired. Please understand that I do not have
>>> any hard data or research to back up any of these observations.
>>> I realize the NFB respects and values other disabilities. there are
>>> many divisions within the NFB including the Diabetes Action Network.
>>> However, I think most people can agree that our organization is
>>> concerned primarily with blindness and not other physical or mental
>>> disabilities.
>>> This is not meant as a criticism of the NFB. Advocacy organizations
>>> simply cannot be everything to everyone, and I think it is a testament
>>> to our strength that we gather thousands of blind people and raise a
>>> unified voice that might otherwise go unheard. But if the number of
>>> people with blindness as their only disability is shrinking, what does
>>> this mean for our future?
>>> There has been discussion on this and other NFB lists about the future
>>> of the organization with regards to membership recruitment and
>>> legislation and advocacy. If more and more people with visual
>>> impairments are born with multiple, "profound" disabilities, I'm
>>> curious what, if any, impact would this have on the NFB in the future
>>> and years to come.
>>> Any thoughts are welcome.
>>> Brice
>>> --
>>> Brice Smith
>>> North Carolina State University, Communication - Public Relations
>>> Brice.Smith319 at gmail.com
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