[nabs-l] NFB Philosophy

[Chrys Buckley]

Wow, Sean that was amazing. I've read a lot of descriptions of NFB
philosophy but I think that's my favorite. Really well-put and honest and
clear.

Chrys

On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 10:38 PM, <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:

> Tyler,
>
>
>
> Fair question. And while I do not claim to speak for everybody, and, in
> fact, believe that there is no one great truth or philosophy about
> blindness, do believe that there is a positive and realistic way of
> thinking
> about blindness and all that it entails that is referred to as NFB
> philosophy. I happen to subscribe to it, though I, as I have stated before,
> do not agree 100% with everything the NFB does or says. Claiming to embrace
> this philosophy no more relinquishes my claim on independent thought than
> does subscribing to any point of view on any other issue. So, to boil it
> down into a few key points, here is my take on what the NFB philosophy on
> blindness is:
>
>
>
> 1)      Blindness need not prohibit one from leading a meaningful,
> productive and fulfilling life.
>
>
>
> 2)      While blindness surely presents certain difficulties, frustrations
> and inconveniences, the perception of blind persons among the general
> public
> and the associated chronic underestimation of the abilities of blind
> individuals causes more problems than anything inherent to blindness
> itself.
>
>
>
> 3)      Blindness, rather than defining who I am, is but one characteristic
> I possess. A characteristic with a greater impact on my life than the fact,
> say, that I have brown hair, but a characteristic nonetheless.
>
>
>
> 4)      By employing blindness skills, and when given the opportunity to do
> so, average blind folks can do the vast majority of jobs, and participate
> in
> the vast majority of pastimes,  that average sighted folks can. By
> extension, exceptionally bright, hard-working, or otherwise gifted blind
> individuals can do the things that exceptional sighted folks can do.
>
>
>
> And, though I wouldn't list it as a belief at the core of how I view
> blindness, I think it's worth saying:
>
>
>
> Sometimes, we, as blind people, need to be willing to go the extra mile to
> get things done. Should things be designed for universal access?
> Absolutely.
> Is it fair that I have to spend extra time scanning my books while my
> sighted peers do not? No, it's not. However, in full recognition that there
> are strong and persuasive moral, and probably practical, arguments for
> remedying the status quo, we must recognize that the world and life are not
> fair. Sometimes I'll have to work harder than the guy next to me to
> accomplish the same thing. But, sometimes, the guy next to me will have to
> work harder than me to compensate for some shortcoming of his own. That's
> life, and we can choose to accept it and move on, or we can wallow and wine
> that things aren't fair. We've all got obstacles to overcome, and, for me,
> being blind happens to be one of them.
>
>
>
> I hope that all makes some sense. I would be curious to hear what others
> think about the question. It is a good one and worth reflection and
> discussion.
>
>
>
> Take care,
>
>
>
> Sean
>
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