[nabs-l] Blind Majority

[Jedi]

Rather than turning your sighted friend down for membership, why don't 
you tell them that they should find a blind person to come in with them 
thus meting your majority? Or, use your sighted candidate's interest as 
motivation to generate interest in getting some more blind folks in?

Respectfully,
Jedi

Original message:
> I know why this rule exists and understand why,  but my issue is when a
> sighted person wants to join, we are supposed to turn them down if it will
> put us over the percentage rate. I do not think that is right.
> We had this come up last year and we had to count all of our members before
> we could vote in a new member that was sighted. I just think that if we
> turned to many people away that it would look bad on our organization and we
> are all about educating the public, but if we turn people away our
> communities will think we don't want involvement other then ourselves.

> Miranda
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 3:50 PM
> Subject: [nabs-l] Blind Majority


>> Dear all,

>> I always knew that the executive positions on any NFB chapter, affiliate
>> or
>> division board had to be blind.  I did not, however, know that this
>> majority
>> rule also applies to the general membership of these organizations.  It is
>> my understanding that at least 51 percent of the membership has to be
>> blind
>> and that this provision was primarily included to prevent sighted people
>> from taking over the organization.  I can see how this would have made
>> since
>> in the organization's early beginnings, maybe even during the 60's, but
>> seeing as how the provisions survived the 1986 ratification and is still
>> on
>> the books today, I am curious to hear what you think as the up and coming
>> generation of leaders.  Is it necessary to guarantee a predominantly blind
>> organization through constitutional provisions, or should we be allowed to
>> bring in sighted people interested in membership to further promote our
>> cause?  I have my thoughts on the subject, but I'm curious to hear your
>> views.  The NFB constitution provisions read as follow:

>> "Section C. State affiliates shall be organizations of the blind
>> controlled
>> by the blind. No organization shall be recognized as an "organization of
>> the
>> blind controlled by the blind" unless at least a majority of its voting
>> members and a majority of the voting members of each of its local chapters
>> are blind."

>> ...

>> "Any organized group desiring to become a state affiliate of the National
>> Federation of the Blind shall apply for affiliation by submitting to the
>> president
>> of the National Federation of the Blind a copy of its constitution and a
>> list of the names and addresses of its elected officers. Under procedures
>> to
>> be
>> established by the board of directors, action shall be taken on the
>> application. If the action is affirmative, the National Federation of the
>> Blind shall
>> issue to the organization a charter of affiliation. Upon request of the
>> national president the state affiliate shall provide to the national
>> president
>> the names and addresses of its members. Copies of all amendments to the
>> constitution and/or bylaws of an affiliate shall be sent without delay to
>> the national
>> president. No organization shall be accepted as an affiliate and no
>> organization shall remain an affiliate unless at least a majority of its
>> voting members
>> are blind. The president, vice president (or vice presidents), and at
>> least
>> a majority of the executive committee or board of directors of the state
>> affiliate
>> and of all of its local chapters must be blind. Affiliates must not merely
>> be social organizations but must formulate programs and actively work to
>> promote
>> the economic and social betterment of the blind. Affiliates and their
>> local
>> chapters must comply with the provisions of the constitution of the
>> Federation."

>> Regards,

>> 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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