[nabs-l] Wanted to share my experience living at Friedman Place, a supportive living community for blind adults in Chicago

[Sam Nelson]

Beautiful! So well said. You're amazing! 
 I particularly liked what you said about independence being about being
free. To me, something  that was particularly meaningful to  me about moving
here was getting  away  from a difficult family situation. Even in college I
felt trapped  in a way, knowing that if I had breaks and things from school
I'd  have to face things at home that were very difficult for me, unless I
stayed with friends which sometimes didn't happen. 
 I was overjoyed when I found out about Friedman, did absolutely everything
I could to apply and get in, and  then knew that once I was there I could
choose whether or for how long I returned to my family situation. To me,
that's independence. Especially when another family member, perhaps even
more affected than I, refused to do anything for himself to find a way out.
And he is  sighted, but his disability is being so emotionally  broken down
by another of  my family  members that he truly believed there was no way
out, and that this is as good as his life would get. He was miserable  but
chose to do nothing. 
 I hope that I can be a role model for a younger   sighted sibling I have,
who's close to 18 pritty soon. She's very strong willed herself, and no
doubt will figure a way out. But she's been pretty affected  to by
everything, and I just hope her seeing that I found a way out will give her
even more confidence that she can too.   
 Thanks again  Robert! 



-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert William
Kingett
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 8:10 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Wanted to share my experience living at Friedman
Place, a supportive living community for blind adults in Chicago

I too am a member of Friedman place and a competent member of the blindness
community, even if I have someone cook for me. I've raised money to donate
to the NFB and ACB to help their cause, even supporting my fellow peers with
advocacy related matters. I believe that Friedman place is just the right
fit for me. What I don't agree with is the notion that people, and yes, I've
looked at the archives, have tried to make others do what they deem as
independent. I have to ask this very simple question. What is independence
anyway? I believe independence is freedom, individuality, liberation. I
believe that it is freedom from dependence on or control by another person,
organization, or state. I'm both a member of the NFB and ACB, and I have
been nominated to be president of the LGBT chapter in the ACB, even though I
live in a place that fosters stereotypes and makes people think blind people
can't take care of themselves, apparently. Independence, as stated above, is
very different for people. Someone who's independent is free, and that, I
believe, should be celebrated and applauded. Since a lot of people have said
that the NFB is the optimal way to live I don't understand something. This
is my understanding of the NFB, and correct me if I'm wrong. The mission of
the National Federation of the Blind is to achieve widespread emotional
acceptance and intellectual understanding that the real problem of blindness
is not the loss of eyesight but the misconceptions and lack of information
which exist. We do this by bringing blind people together to share
successes, to support each other in times of failure, and to create
imaginative solutions. Acceptance is a key part of showing sighted people,
and people who have stereotypical perceptions that the NFB are a powerful
organization and not just an organization to adopt a one size fits all
policy. Instead, as I have said before and state again, independence should
be celebrated. We're paying our bills and we're paying for our food. When we
rise in the morning to brighten up the world we choose, with care, the
clothes we wear even if we have help with washing them. No one dictates my
path and I have achieved my level of independence that I'm very satisfied
with. 
Ii have my own apartment and I'm a very strong advocate for both the LGBT
community and the blindness community as well. When I hear that someone is
living on their own and paying their own bills, even if they have someone
cook for them. There independent and it makes me happy. 
Why? Because that's a blind person that has broken down the stereotype of
living at home with their parents all of their lives, and I celebrate that
with congratulatory words all the way. They're an independent person, living
how they want to live. It sure does feel good. As I have said, that's
something to be celebrated because, they're changing what it means to be
blind, those beautifully independent people.


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