[nabs-l] NFB Philosophy

Mon Jul 23 21:24:05 UTC 2012

Joshua,
most countries have accessible money. why not research how they do it to 
answer a question what makes currency accessible? From what I heard, they 
have different sized bank notes. None have braille; impractical because it 
would get smashed; and more importantly not all blind people read braille.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Joshua Lester
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 1:43 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] NFB Philosophy

Also, do you know how much it would cost to make the money accessible?
My idea, when Alan Ramos first presented it to me, was a Brailled currency.
What is your idea of accessible currency?
I'm curious!
Thanks, Joshua

On 7/20/12, Littlefield, Tyler <tyler at tysdomain.com> wrote:
> I did attend the convention. I did not, however go to every general
> session from 8 to 5.
> But hey. lets bash the ACB for not voting for fair wages, for whatever
> reason they did, but not make money accessible because gosh, we sure
> don't want to put the manufacturers of a program out of business. Your
> logic is flawless, my friend.
> On 7/19/2012 11:20 PM, Joshua Lester wrote:
>> Well, did you attend the convention?
>> You should know!
>> I'm not "bashing," but am concerned that they claim to be of the
>> blind, but they vote against fair wages.
>> BTW, they voted for the accessible currency, but we voted against it.
>> I've heard from both sides of the issue, and I take the NFB's
>> position, because accessible currency would put the manufacturers of
>> the IBill out of business.
>> Blessings, Joshua
>>
>> On 7/20/12, Littlefield, Tyler <tyler at tysdomain.com> wrote:
>>> Josh,
>>> Like I said, before you go organization bashing and flap your lips, you
>>> should probably ask someone in ACB who knows about it. There's been
>>> things that the NFB has voted against too, I'm sure.
>>>
>>> On 7/19/2012 10:30 PM, Joshua Lester wrote:
>>>> Arielle: that was a great post.
>>>> I just have one question about this.
>>>> If our philosophies aren't at odds, then why did the ACB vote, "Do Not
>>>> Pass," on the "Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act,"
>>>> resolution at their convention?
>>>> Evidently, they're okay with disabled workers being paid below the
>>>> federally mandated minimum wage.
>>>> Hmmm!
>>>> Thanks, Joshua
>>>>
>>>> On 7/19/12, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>> I think Sean's description of "NFB philosophy" as he sees it was
>>>>> excellent. I would also add two things:
>>>>> 1. I don't think the NFB has a patent on this philosophy. In fact, I
>>>>> would argue that most committed ACB members and many other successful
>>>>> blind people who choose not to affiliate with organizations also
>>>>> espouse the positive philosophy of blindness that Sean described. The
>>>>> NFB has chosen to make this philosophy a central focus, but that does
>>>>> not mean that non-NFB members cannot live by it themselves or
>>>>> encourage others to accept it. It is important to remember that the
>>>>> ACB split off from the NFB, and although I am not an expert on what
>>>>> happened, everything I've read about the split suggests that it
>>>>> occurred because of disagreements about how leadership in the
>>>>> organization should be structured, not about fundamental philosophy of
>>>>> blindness. In more recent years the NFB and ACB have taken differing
>>>>> approaches to some policy issues, but that does not necessarily mean
>>>>> that their core philosophies of blindness are at odds. I don't think
>>>>> the two organizations should merge into one super-organization of
>>>>> blind Americans because I like the fact that individuals have choices
>>>>> about which organization to join and that there's not one big group
>>>>> monopolizing the organizational stage. But I also think that the NFB
>>>>> and ACB have more in common in terms of their goals for changing what
>>>>> it means to be blind than we might think on first glance.
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. To address Marc's point about universal design: In the nine years I
>>>>> have been a part of the NFB, I have observed that the NFB increasingly
>>>>> takes a pragmatic dualistic approach to promoting both individual
>>>>> coping with accessibility barriers and advocacy to bring them down. I
>>>>> would urge you to read the NFB 2012 resolutions once they become
>>>>> available online, and you will find that most of these resolutions
>>>>> address access barriers in one form or another and advocate for their
>>>>> removal. I believe the NFB is moving further in the direction of
>>>>> pushing for accessibility and I have seen change on this front even
>>>>> since the time when I first joined nine years ago. However, though we
>>>>> are committed to doing what we can to promote universal access for
>>>>> blind people, we also are aware that, realistically, it will take time
>>>>> for all those in power to make it happen. In the meantime, we are also
>>>>> working to help blind individuals figure out how to adapt to those
>>>>> barriers we are not yet able to control. For example, we will fight
>>>>> for full access to educational technology, but instead of waiting to
>>>>> enroll in college until this access happens, we will also work to
>>>>> harness the support of human readers and other adaptations so that we
>>>>> can still be successful in spite of these barriers. In other words,
>>>>> instead of pitting individual adaptation and universal design against
>>>>> each other as mutually exclusive options, why not take a dual approach
>>>>> toward both of these goals?
>>>>> Arielle
>>>>>
>>>>> On 7/19/12, Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu> wrote:
>>>>>> I have a few notes for a few different people on this thread.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tyler:
>>>>>> I understand the hesitancy about getting involved when you don't
>>>>>> fully
>>>>>> agree
>>>>>> with everything that everyone else believes.  I once had that
>>>>>> hesitation
>>>>>> about getting involved with organized religion.  I started going to a
>>>>>> campus
>>>>>> ministry at my college because a friend sold me on the free dinner,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> quickly learned that no church is homogenous in beliefs.  In some
>>>>>> churches,
>>>>>> the leadership will try like mad to perpetuate the idea that everyone
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> church believes exactly what they do and that anyone who disagrees
>>>>>> slightly
>>>>>> is against them.  In my church, we aren't like that, and we
>>>>>> understand
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> people have differing views.  We unite under the idea that it's okay
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> disagree on individual issues and discuss them, but we have generally
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> same core beliefs.
>>>>>> That's how we are in the Federation.  If you don't agree with
>>>>>> something
>>>>>> we're doing, I'll make an effort to help you come to terms with it
>>>>>> because
>>>>>> that's my individual personality.  I often find that, when someone
>>>>>> disagrees
>>>>>> with something we're doing, it is because of a lack of understanding
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> what
>>>>>> we're doing or the underlying issue.  At the end of the day, I won't
>>>>>> shun
>>>>>> you.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Marc Workman:
>>>>>>    Of course we, in the Federation, fight to break down the barriers.
>>>>>> Why
>>>>>> do
>>>>>> you think we do legislative lobbying?  Washington Seminar is an
>>>>>> absolutely
>>>>>> amazing experience, and you should try it!  We honor adaptability
>>>>>> because
>>>>>> there's no sense in being helpless in the meantime while we work on
>>>>>> those
>>>>>> barriers.
>>>>>> On the mention of Sean's place in social stratification:  I am a
>>>>>> colored
>>>>>> person, I'm the first person in my family to go to college, and I
>>>>>> don't
>>>>>> bother wallowing in the lack of advantage that I face because of it.
>>>>>> Quite
>>>>>> frankly, I'm not even convinced that I am disadvantaged by being a
>>>>>> colored
>>>>>> person.  With the first generation college student part, I have to
>>>>>> seek
>>>>>> mentors in the academic process from outside my family, and I know
>>>>>> many,
>>>>>> many educated Federationists who have eagerly fulfilled that role for
>>>>>> me.
>>>>>> Lastly, I've made comments like "i've had this conversation with you
>>>>>> before"
>>>>>> in a public manner to other people-trust me, I have-but I've realized
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> retrospect that it only creates distance between everyone who hears
>>>>>> me
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> myself.  A lot of people take that as an implied personal attack.
>>>>>> I'm
>>>>>> not
>>>>>> saying Sean took it that way, but I'm sure plenty of people did read
>>>>>> it
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> way.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs, I loved reading this part of your email:
>>>>>> In my book, there is no larger crime than depriving someone of their
>>>>>> dreams
>>>>>> and the second biggest crime is taking away the chance for people to
>>>>>> reach
>>>>>> for those dreams. For while there are dreams, there is hope. With
>>>>>> hope
>>>>>> life
>>>>>> always has enough energy to turn the corner and keep going.  The NFB
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> me
>>>>>> is that hope and the rock and refuge that is always there for me if I
>>>>>> need
>>>>>> it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yours in Federationism,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Justin Salisbury
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Justin M. Salisbury
>>>>>> Class of 2012
>>>>>> B.A. in Mathematics
>>>>>> East Carolina University
>>>>>> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>>>>>>
>>>>>> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
>>>>>> change
>>>>>> the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”    —MARGARET
>>>>>> MEAD
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
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>>> --
>>> Take care,
>>> Ty
>>> http://tds-solutions.net
>>> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>>> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>>> that
>>> dares not reason is a slave.
>>>
>>>
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>
>
> --
> Take care,
> Ty
> http://tds-solutions.net
> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he 
> that
> dares not reason is a slave.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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