[nabs-l] why is it important to join an organization of the blind?

[Chris Nusbaum]

Fellow Federationists,

As I have become more and more active in the blind community and 
have met more and more blind people, I notice that a lot of blind 
people are not affiliated with any organization of the blind, for 
one reason or another.  Some say they are put off by the 
political arguments between the NFB and ACB; some say they don't 
want to be "tied" to one organization; some say they don't agree 
with either organization's philosophy and don't want to identify 
themselves with either organization and their philosophy, and 
there are other reasons as well.  I try to explain to them the 
value of the Federation in my life, and how joining an 
organization of the blind connects you with a diverse network of 
resources, who can help answer almost any question they would 
have related to blindness.  I also try to explain to them that if 
they had any problems, being a part of an organization would help 
them with their advocacy efforts; the more people you have 
advocating, the more effective the advocacy is.  But they still 
don't want to be affiliated with an organization.  So I want to 
get your thoughts on these questions; why do you think it is 
important to be a member of an organization of the blind? Of what 
benefit/value is an organization to its members, and to blind 
people at large? Some people have said to me, "Sighted people 
don't have any organizations dedicated to their concerns as 
sighted people; why should I join an organization dedicated to 
blindness?" Still others have said, "Don't you (Federationists) 
want to be equal with sighted people? If so, then why do we 
(blind people) need to be organized in some kind of organization 
exclusively of and for the blind and people associated with the 
blind?" These are some interesting questions; what would your 
responses be to those people? I look forward to hearing your 
thoughts on this!
Thanks,

Chris

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan