[nabs-l] Future of the NFB

Sun Mar 13 19:00:40 UTC 2011

Jedi,
  I think the problem is our different definitions of culture...you,
as far as I can tell, are coming at it from a sociological prospective
of a culture being any shared belief, value, or characteristic that
binds people together.  I'm looking at it more from the vernacular
standpoint- a culture is a large set of values that lots of people
have in common, and use to define themselves.  Two very, very
different things.
  I do not live my life by the precepts of the Federation, except I
believe that the NFB philosophy helps me succeed in the rest of my
life.  For me Federationism (I hate that word, makes it sound like a
religion or political idiology or something) is not an end in itself.
Were I to condense my personal version of blindness philosophy in one
sentence, it would be something like "If I get quality training, and
have a positive atitude, blindness won't stop me from doing whatever
the hell I want."  Sounds a lot like the "with propper training"
statement you quoted above...but that doesn't make me part of an NFB
culture in the vernacular sense of being part of a tight-nit group
that shares a lot of common beliefs and a lot of underlying
assumptions about life.  That's just one belief, one assumption, that
doesn't make a culture in the commonly understood sense.  I mostly
don't hang out with NFB people and, from what I've seen, the NFB is a
cross-section of all sorts of different cultures and lifestyles and
philosophies.  I see blindness as a characteristic, not a cultural
identity.
  Best,
Kirt

On 3/13/11, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
> You're absolutely right. It is possible to belong to many blindness
> cultures at the same time. As far as I'm concerned, it would be quite
> difficult to do so because there are radical differences between each
> of them, so it would seem very difficult to belong to several of them
> because they often contradict each other on some very deep levels.
> That's not to say that they don't share certain aspects in common; they
> most certainly do.
>
> In a given culture, there are artifacts, values, and assumptions.
> Artifacts are things that a culture uses like language or customs.
> Artifacts also include things and processes for daily living. So in the
> NFB, our artifacts include the special phrases we use like "With
> training and opportunity, a blind person can do the average job in the
> average place of business and do it as well as a sighted person
> similarly situated." Another artifact might be the characteristic long
> white cane that many of us use. Artifacts also include symbols; the
> Louis Braille coin and even the Blind Driver Challenge are symbolic in
> a way; other examples include the original NFB seal with the circle and
> triangle or Whozit. All of these artifacts point to some value or
> assumption that we make about life and our place in it. We share some
> common artifacts with other cultures like Braille and the cane or guide
> dog, but we also have some pretty unique artifacts.
>
> We have some values that are are unique to us in the blindness
> community, but they share much in common with values held by the
> greater American society to which we belong. I suspect this sharing of
> values is what allows us to have discussions about integration. In this
> context, values have mostly to do with a blind person's place in life,
> but can also be applied to life in general. Some of our values include
> independence in the world outside the organization, togetherness in the
> world inside the organization, innovation, punctuality, human
> relationships, etc. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and many of
> these values are easily found in other blindness cultures and cultures
> broadly speaking. But the combination of independence, collective
> action, and innovation are pretty unique to our sector of the blindness
> community, especially when one considers the assumptions from which
> these values are derived.
>
> Assumptions are taken-for-granted principles that we all agree on at
> the most basic level. These are the beliefs that shape and influence
> everything else in our culture. They're the things we come back to no
> matter what we argue about. So these are "of course" statements. For
> example "Of course blind people can be independent." or "Of course it's
> respectable to be blind." There are many more assumptions that we have,
> this is by no means an exhaustive list.
>
> If you want to know a culture's artifacts, values, and assumptions,
> just look around. With ours particularly, these can be found in our
> literature, at our conventions, and anywhere else where a good number
> of us get together.
>
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
>
> Original message:
>> Jedi,
>>   Fair enough...I'm not up for arguing, especially when lots of it
>> would probably involve semantics.  I forfit, you win.  :)  All I will
>> say is that your analysis seems a little too cut-and-dry to me, and
>> there's very much a grey area between your four cultures.  Maybe I
>> belong to all four...heck, I probably do.  But that seems like it
>> excludes me from one or the other, because I'm not committed enough to
>> any particular organization and I'm not really "anti" any of them.  In
>> your definition, we're all part of all sorts of cultures...which begs
>> a very important question and, I would say, brings this thread full
>> circle.  You said culture is a set of shared common beliefs that
>> members adhear to.  What, pray tell, are the common beliefs of the
>> NFB?  I'm not sure that question's as easy to answer as it used to be.
>>   Best,
>> Kirt
>
>> On 3/12/11, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
>>> Yes, you are missing the mark. A culture has little to do with whether
>>> or not you believe you can achieve within the greater society, unless
>>> that is one of the questions that founds your culture as it is with ours.
>
>>> The blind community actually has at least four cultures that I can
>>> identify: the NFB, the ACB, the unaffiliated consumer base, and the
>>> unaffiliated professional base. Professionals affiliated with one of
>>> the organizations are likely to build their professional values on the
>>> foundation of their affiliation's values. The unaffiliated
>>> professionals (and consumers) will have their own cultures, but that
>>> could be considered a major cultural grouping.
>
>>> A culture is a group of individuals sharing similar beliefs regarding
>>> human nature, relationships between time and space, traditions, values,
>>> etc. Just because one individual belongs to one culture, that does not
>>> mean that the same individual cannot belong to other cultures
>>> concurrently; this principle is called intersectionality. It is true
>>> that an individual can belong to multiple cultural groups, but strongly
>>> identify with some of their cultural markers over others for just about
>>> any reason under the sun.
>
>>> I would be happy to argue the NFB as a culture, but that would take
>>> some time and a lot of analysis. And frankly, I'm just not up to the
>>> task at the moment. The bottom line is that, anthropologically
>>> speaking, the NFB is a culture and that you can certainly belong to
>>> such a culture and maintain your cultural identity outside of the NFB
>>> without compromising any and all of your cultural identities. Does that
>>> make sense? The disability community also has multiple cultures, and
>>> these may or may not have anything to do with a specific disability,
>>> but may have more to do with how disability is defined. There are some
>>> disability cultures that the NFB would most certainly not identify
>>> with, others with which we would identify with some, and others with
>>> which we share much in common in terms of our core values related to
>>> the role of disability in our lives.
>
>>> Respectfully submitted
>
>>> Original message:
>>>> Jedi,
>>>>   I'm still not sold on the idea of a "disability
>>>> culture."...although, I think in the context of working with other
>>>> disability groups with a similar mindset to us, it makes sense.  But,
>>>> for me, the point of the NFB is empowering us to be part of whatever
>>>> culture we feel like with blindness being as minimal a factor as
>>>> possible.  I recognize that others have different interpretations of
>>>> how to apply NFB philosophy, but that's what it means to
>>>> me...blindness will not keep me from any of my goals in the world,
>>>> even though it places some limits in the way I have to overcome.  If
>>>> part of assessing our future is examining what NFB philosophy means to
>>>> each of us, that's probably a good place for me to start.  Thoughts,
>>>> anyone?  Am I missing the mark?
>>>>   Best,
>>>> Kirt
>
>>>> On 3/12/11, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
>>>>> There are a number of disability communities that share similar beliefs
>>>>> to our own regarding disability. So, the thing we must do is ally
>>>>> ourselves with disability cultures similar to our own.
>
>>>>> Respectfully Submitted
>
>>>>> Original message:
>>>>>> Joe,
>
>>>>>> Something must eventually give. I do believe the NFB's prominence may
>>>>>> gradually fade if something is not done. You have touched on the
>>>>>> arrogance of our organization's leadership in earlier posts, and I
>>>>>> think that arrogance and NFB snobbishness may slowly destroy us unless
>>>>>> we learn to be more inclusive.
>
>>>>>> But while it might sound cold, I did not join the NFB four years ago
>>>>>> because I wanted to fight specifically for the disabled community as a
>>>>>> whole. I am weary of watering down our policies and core beliefs,
>>>>>> assuming we would even need to, to cater to people with multiple
>>>>>> disabilities besides blindness. I believe that quality is more
>>>>>> important than quantity, and yet our quantity will fade if we don't do
>>>>>> something in the future.
>
>>>>>> to lead on the cutting edge, I believe we need to recognize diversity
>>>>>> and develop working relationships with other organizations. But at
>>>>>> what cost, and is our national leadership willing to do this? Can we
>>>>>> protect our own core beliefs while becoming more inclusive, or is it
>>>>>> time we change the entire philosophy and structure of the
>>>>>> organization?
>
>>>>>> I cannot tell you what we should do. I am not even sure myself.
>
>>>>>> Brice
>
>>>>>> On 3/8/11, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Brice,
>
>>>>>>> You are the future of the NFB.  What do you think the organization
>>>>>>> should
>>>>>>> do
>>>>>>> about its operations if you think blindness might not be the only
>>>>>>> disability
>>>>>>> affecting the membership?  Don't speculate about what may happen.
>>>>>>> Instead,
>>>>>>> tell us what you think should happen.
>
>>>>>>> I don't know that I agree with this notion that people are made to
>>>>>>> feel
>>>>>>> inferior because they have secondary disabilities.  There have always
>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>> similar observations made about guide dog users in the NFB, but the
>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>> who disliked and looked down on me before I went and got my guide dog
>>>>>>> were
>>>>>>> going to dislike me and look down on me regardless of my choice of
>>>>>>> travel
>>>>>>> tools.  I think part of me went and got Gator to show these people
>>>>>>> where
>>>>>>> they could stick their condescending views.  Anyway, I guess Eleanor
>>>>>>> Roosevelt was more polished when she said "no one can make you feel
>>>>>>> inferior
>>>>>>> without your consent."
>
>>>>>>> But, seriously, what's this nonsense about the deaf-blind division
>>>>>>> not
>>>>>>> being
>>>>>>> as promoted as the student or parent division?  They all get equal
>>>>>>> access
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> the convention program, and if you hear about it more, it might
>>>>>>> simply
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> owed to the size comparison between the groups.  If divisions that
>>>>>>> focus
>>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> conditions other than blindness feel as though they're being left
>>>>>>> out,
>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>> might be owed to the fact that the division is not doing anything
>>>>>>> worth
>>>>>>> promoting?
>
>>>>>>> Mind you, I think the whole concept of divisions in the NFB is bogus.
>>>>>>> First, a vast majority of them do absolutely nothing between national
>>>>>>> conventions.  Second, they create rifts in the membership when
>>>>>>> power-hungry
>>>>>>> members view elections in these divisions as a badge of importance.
>>>>>>> Third,
>>>>>>> they distract us from the more important task of chipping away at the
>>>>>>> fundamental challenges facing the blindness community.  If I were
>>>>>>> president
>>>>>>> of the NFB for a day, my first order of business would be to
>>>>>>> eliminate
>>>>>>> divisions in the way they exist today.  There are so many
>>>>>>> professional
>>>>>>> organizations out there that we shouldn't create mirror groups within
>>>>>>> our
>>>>>>> ranks to create little havens for blind people.
>
>>>>>>> My point is this:  The NFB cannot exist without members like you.
>>>>>>> You
>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>> the current youth and will be the future leader.  NFB members spend
>>>>>>> so
>>>>>>> much
>>>>>>> time accepting and not enough time questioning and even less time
>>>>>>> acting,
>>>>>>> and that is why several months ago I advanced the controversial idea
>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>> if
>>>>>>> the NFB keeps going down its current path, it will virtually cease to
>>>>>>> exist
>>>>>>> in 50 years.  More on that point in a future post, but to answer your
>>>>>>> question:  The way you accommodate people with secondary disabilities
>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> encourage them to get involved.  Get on the boards and make the
>>>>>>> organization
>>>>>>> recognize and react to what may be a change in demographics.  A few
>>>>>>> years
>>>>>>> ago when a group of people proposed the idea of establishing a GLBT
>>>>>>> division, they were told that with enough support, the division would
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> established.  I think we're still waiting on this group to get their
>>>>>>> act
>>>>>>> together about drumming up support.  It's not enough to complain
>>>>>>> about
>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>> you, you in the general sense, think the NFB leadership is or is not
>>>>>>> doing
>>>>>>> to accommodate certain members.  Just like the NFB as a whole has to
>>>>>>> make
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>> good case to the general public that certain issues need to be
>>>>>>> addressed,
>>>>>>> blind people with secondary disabilities need to come together and
>>>>>>> make
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>> case for why we as a whole need to be more conscious of their unique
>>>>>>> needs.
>
>>>>>>> Just my twenty dollar's worth,
>
>>>>>>> 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
>
>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Brice Smith
>>>>>> North Carolina State University, Communication - Public Relations
>>>>>> Brice.Smith319 at gmail.com
>
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