[nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott

[Brandon Keith Biggs]

Hello,
I'm sure many people who have talked to me before know what I'm going to 
say...
It's the educational system that many of these problems come down to. We 
have teachers coming out of school who are not inspired to create a new 
style of teaching. We have teachers who are never taught about disabled 
students. We have blind students who are never taught how to ask for 
accommodations. We have parents who think being blind is bad!
Honestly, if I could have redone my education as a sighted person, I would 
not have done it. Being blind is such an advantage in the United States when 
going through school. You get extra time on everything, you get leniency on 
all your assignments if you can't finish them on time, you get free 
schooling, you get paid to go through school by SSI, you have so many 
scholarships you can apply for, you can use the law to fight for 
accessibility with little retribution, you become great friends with your 
teachers just because you get to talk to them all the time, you are by 
nature a very active participant in your class, you are able to read your 
books 1000 times faster than all of the other students combined, you're able 
to get tutoring for free, you don't have to feel ashamed for taking 
advantage of any of the above benefits because you're disabled and that's 
what you're expected to do!
Also, the expectation of your teachers is rather low and when you get 100% 
on all their hardest tests they get all embarrassed, people think it's 
amazing that you're getting strait As when it's nothing, (Stereotypically) 
blind people are very unsocial so they have lots of extra time to do school 
work, you're able to actually edit your teacher's handouts and instructions 
because Jaws doesn't miss skipped letters, if you have a problem with your 
online test you can blame it on your screen reader crashing the web browser, 
state colleges gobble you up if you have ever taken an honors class at a 
community college and you have good grades and you've written one of those 
inspiring essays, when you write inspiring essays you can get the super 
arrogant feeling for a moment and say "That's me in the essay!", you're able 
to participate in all kinds of extra activities through agencies like Global 
explorers or the Light House, you can participate in summer job programs 
like YES1 and YES2 in Washington State, when you go to community college or 
state college you're given a guide through the school because you need a 
mobility lesson and you have the disability resource person...
I should probably stop, but you get the idea...
It's probably because I was homeschooled for the first few years of my life 
and did all kinds of super awesome things with my overly amazing parents and 
didn't enter public school till 5th grade that I have this view of school, 
but I understood that I could learn in public school and it was just that 
either the teacher wasn't teaching me or that I wasn't equipped with the 
skills or technology that was keeping me from learning.
There are many other factors in learning, like Gardiner's multiple  theory 
of intelligences that play a factor in if one learns in school, but thank 
goodness I was able to learn that anyone can learn from anyone, they just 
need to know how they learn and learn that way!
I can give examples, but this email is already super long, so I'll get off 
education.
My point is that most blind people aren’t taught about all the above things. 
I was super lucky because my parents let me run my IEP meetings and my mom 
became a TVI half way through my schooling, but every blind person needs to 
know that school can be amazing! It is worth spending 8-12 years of your 
life there getting your music degree or dentist degree.

Another factor is that disabled people are fit into even a tighter mold of 
what they are to be when disabled people are the most unique of anyone.
Blind people do not belong in special ed classes because they don't need 
special ed. Special ed teachers are people who teach extreme cases of 
autistic or other mentally disabled people. If a blind person is put into 
that environment and they don't need it, they will go insane! It's like if 
Stephen Hawking would have been born totally disabled and people stuck him 
into special ed just because he can't talk!
Where would cosmology be?
Sadly it's those who break out of the mold and assimilate their own way into 
sighted culture in order to evade the label of mentally disabled that are 
fighting for these rights.

I keep on telling people that if someone is considered weird it's not them 
that's weird, it's you who's weird for thinking that they're weird. It's 
like you thinking the person in front of you is going through time the same 
way you are!

Sadly the world is not reasonable, so we have to shuck reason and go for 
emotion. That's why we write all the super inspiring essays and that's why 
we have to assimilate into the sighted world.
Those who end up working in low under minimum wage jobs have probably not 
learned how to assimilate enough to pass off as "normal" in the sighted 
community, so that's probably why they can't get the entry level jobs.

Before someone gives the line about not needing to be anything other than 
blind because we are blind, let me just say that most of this world likes to 
think they are sighted and normal. Most people like to walk with the crowd. 
Those who never learn to walk with the crowd are considered weird, those who 
learn how to walk with the crowd then figure out how to rise above it are 
considered great.
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Arielle Silverman
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 9:27 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott

Hi Brandon,
These are all good points. I like your statement about blind people
who are "nurtured to act like they are mentally disabled" as I have
met a few people who unfortunately seem to fit that description.
The problem is that there is no objective test to determine what a
person is or is not capable of doing. Even so-called objective tests
like IQ tests are incredibly biased and don't account for
environmental factors that artificially limit people's abilities or
knowledge, like what is expected of them by parents and teachers, or
what skills they are or are not taught. There is research showing that
when people are expected to behave or perform in a certain way, they
tend to fulfill that expectation (this is called a "self-fulfilling
prophesy; if you're interested in the research, look up "Pygmalian
effect"). So when teachers are randomly told that some kids are
smarter than others, they tend to treat those "smart" kids differently
without even realizing it and eventually the "smart" kids end up
performing better than the other kids. The reverse pattern too often
happens with disabilities. People have so many assumptions about how
disabilities limit potential, and people in authority can act in ways
that make those assumptions come true.
I also agree that people with disabilities would be much more
productive in sheltered jobs if they did work that was intrinsically
interesting to them and if the work was in a field they were actually
good at. It is common knowledge that people of all ages and mental
abilities will do a better job at any task if they find the task
enjoyable and motivating. Too often, sheltered jobs are simply too
boring to really engage people. Also, people with disabilities have
their own talents that are rarely utilized in sheltered jobs. I have
figured out that if I were forced to do a sheltered workshop job, I
would probably be the one losing them money if they paid me at minimum
wage, because I have never been good at making stuff with my hands or
using machines. Not only would I be bored to tears, but I just
wouldn't be good at it. I am much better at writing and thinking and
doing math, so I hope that society will let me use those skills
instead of forcing me to do work I'm not skilled at.
Regarding your comment about unemployment among the blind, it is true
that many fields are accessible to the blind these days, yet the
unemployment rate is still staggering. There are many reasons for
unemployment among the blind. I think one reason is that employers
want to hire applicants with relevant experience, and in many fields,
the entry-level position that people get at first to gain experience
isn't accessible to the blind. This might not be true with
programming, but in some fields it is really hard to get your foot in
the door even if it's easier to work at higher levels. For example,
before becoming a teacher, you need to do student teaching, which
means you are working under someone else who might not use accessible
materials or who will doubt your ability to do the job. Without
experience, it's harder to allay people's initial discriminatory
doubts and fears about hiring a blind person. Also, even within an
accessible field, individual employers might use materials that aren't
accessible to the blind. So even though programming is very
accessible, if some employers require you to use languages or scripts
that aren't accessible, this will limit job options.
Arielle

On 6/9/12, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> It's a tricky situation. We can't really say what it's like being mentally
> disabled and it's hard to say what mentally disabled can or can not do. We
> also can't tell if the blind who are nurtured to act like mentally 
> disabled
> people really are mentally  disabled.
> *That's a mouthful!*
> I am of the opinion that mentally disabled people are way under employed 
> and
> jobs like Goodwill are completely the wrong job for many of them. But I'm
> not a professional and I can only say from personal experience  that many
> mentally disabled people can do what they want quite well and often it's
> because they are babied and misunderstood  that they are pressured into
> doing jobs they aren’t good at.
>
> I do wonder the need of blind adults to be working at good will in the 
> first
> place though when it's not that hard learning programming and it's pretty
> easy to get reeducated for free in the United States as a blind person. If
> your career isn't working out, I don't see why one wouldn't just take a
> class at their community college and change their job. I believe SSI is 
> for
> college students and those fresh out of college, or for a back up when 
> work
> isn't coming. I am still a student, but I know I have for sure jobs if I 
> go
> into programming or being a TVI. So other than the moral  issues, I'm not
> sure why capable blind people are working at goodwill.
> Thanks,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 8:32 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott
>
> Hi all,
> I don't shop at Goodwill either, but I was regularly donating items
> like used clothes to Goodwill, and my parents do as well. A customer
> boycott might not matter much but a donor boycott would probably hurt
> them considerably. I have to say I found Justin's arguments very
> persuasive. I just hope that if we boycott all branches nationally, we
> make it very clear that what we want is a change to national policy.
> Interestingly, I used to rent an apartment from a woman (I'll call her
> S) whose full-time job was to be a live-in caretaker for a woman with
> Down's syndrome and significant mental retardation (I'll call her C).
> Since I rented the apartment right below theirs, I got to know both S
> and C quite well and learned a bit about C's situation. Apparently C
> is employed by a program for people with intellectual disabilities
> similar to Goodwill's but it wasn't Goodwill itself. I think S. told
> me that C. was paid around $1 per hour for doing an extremely menial
> job although I don't remember what that job was exactly. However, I
> don't think C. had any living expenses at all because she lived
> rent-free with S. She may have been helping pay for groceries. The
> program she was in was very custodial and I'm not sure she even had
> independent access to the money she earned at her job.
> I don't think I can really judge whether people with disabilities like
> C.'s are capable of living without custodial care or spending their
> own money, any more than a deaf person should be able to judge how
> independent blind people can be. I do suspect that people like C.
> would achieve more if they were held to higher expectations, and
> higher expectations should come with higher wages and more freedom.
> I definitely believe that anyone who lives independently should be
> paid at least the minimum wage, and I think it is clear that blindness
> by itself doesn't prevent anyone from living independently. However, I
> do wonder if minimum wage is necessary for those who don't have living
> expenses or who don't manage their own finances because they are
> living in custodial care situations. I'm sure there are people in
> these custodial arrangements who shouldn't be there, but that almost
> sounds like a separate issue. These people aren't in custodial care
> because they are earning low wages, but because their parents or
> others acting on their behalf have decided they don't have the
> intellect or the maturity to make adult decisions. Again, this should
> never be said about people who are just blind without other
> disabilities. As far as intellectual disabilities go, in some cases
> this judgment might be right; in other cases it might be wrong. But if
> someone is clearly not able to manage adult expenses, should they be
> paid adult wages? It's tricky.
> I can also understand the argument that if noncompetitive employment
> programs for the disabled raise wages, they can't hire as many
> workers. This ultimately means that instead of a bunch of disabled
> workers earning crappy wages, some will earn a decent wage and others
> will earn nothing. Of course, we hope that the reduction in
> noncompetitive jobs might bring more disabled workers into the
> competitive job market. A mandatory minimum wage would also force
> companies with high salaries at the top to redistribute their payscale
> more fairly.
> Arielle
>
> On 6/9/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I agree, Humberto, and I hope what you say comes true. However, there's a
>> lot of change we need to make in order for this to happen. Even if we
>> overturn the subminimum wage provision, and I hope and pray that we do, 
>> we
>> can't possibly tell employers that they have to hire people with
>> disabilities. So, we need to change the beliefs and the attidudes of
>> society, including employers, about the competence of blind people. I
>> know,
>> it's a big job, but I think we've made a lot of progress so far.
>>
>> Just my thoughts,
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Humberto Avila
>> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 10:10 PM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott
>>
>> Hello, I agree with this as well. I hope that by doing the boycott to 
>> this
>> company, in the national / universal spectrum, we are able to put 
>> pressure
>> on employers, and on other companies and corporations, as well as
>> organizations who pay subminimum wages. We could eventually end up
>> spreading the word of stopping companies to pay subminimum wages and they
>> could even see that people with disabilities and including blind people
>> are
>> capable of being paid like the sighted population. If potential employers
>> see this change happening, those employers will have a light bulb lit up,
>> and will be able to see that blind people are competent, then will hire
>> them. Then we can make more change. I see this happening, from my 
>> personal
>> opinion. Let's hope that the NFB does this.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Sophie Trist
>> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 6:57 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott
>>
>> Justin,
>>
>> I agree with the points you've made. If Goodwill was boycotted
>> universally,
>> it would put more pressure on them to pay their disabled workers fair
>> wages. Plus, if Goodwill developed a centralized wage policy and gave
>> their
>> workers fair wages, other corporations might follow their lead.
>>
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu
>> To: "nabs-l at nfbnet.org" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org Date sent: Sat, 9 Jun 2012
>> 23:19:15 +0000
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Goodwill Boycott
>>
>> One more note: I think that local business decision-makers within 
>> Goodwill
>> Industries would be educated/led to philosophical change simply by the
>> fact
>> that the corporate leaders of Goodwill Industries adopted a universal 
>> fair
>> wage policy (if they did), so that would help with the education, too.
>>
>> Justin M. Salisbury
>> Class of 2012
>> B.A. in Mathematics
>> East Carolina University
>> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>>
>> 밡ever doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
>> can change the world; indeed, it뭩 the only thing that ever has.?
>> 뾏ARGARET MEAD
>> ________________________________________
>> From: Justin Salisbury
>> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 7:13 PM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Goodwill Boycott
>>
>> Arielle, Gabe, and all:
>>
>> I like the point that you've made about the decentralized wage policies
>> and
>> rewarding good locations, but do you think that perhaps a benefit to
>> boycotting universally would be a possibility that Goodwill Industries
>> would create a centralized
>> (universal) policy that all locations must pay their workers fair wages?
>>
>> I feel like the end result that we want is for Goodwill Industries to
>> adopt
>> a universal standard of paying all workers fair wages, and the approach
>> that you all have mentioned seems to me to address the decisions in
>> individual locations.  I do understand the point of leading local 
>> business
>> leaders to undergo philosophical change and choose to pay their workers
>> fair wages, but which item is the top priority: education of individuals
>> or
>>
>> achievement of fair wages?   That's not a rhetorical question; I
>> want to hear opinions on it.
>>
>> Justin
>>
>> Justin M. Salisbury
>> Class of 2012
>> B.A. in Mathematics
>> East Carolina University
>> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>>
>> 밡ever doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
>> can change the world; indeed, it뭩 the only thing that ever has.?
>> 뾏ARGARET MEAD
>>
>>
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