[nabs-l] Future of the NFB

Jedi loneblindjedi at samobile.net
Sun Mar 13 19:12:17 UTC 2011


Kirt,

I think our definitions of culture are actually the same thing based on 
how you've worded them. But I think you're right that you see your role 
in the Federation and its role in your life differently from how I see 
the Federation and its role in my life. I think you're also right that 
the commonly held definition of culture usually relates more to 
geographic location and ethnicity. Generally speaking though, I think 
that's changing in general. Like anything else, the notion of a culture 
is a construct subject to change; so too is Federationism for that 
matter. *grin*

Respectfully Submitted


Original message:
> 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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