[nabs-l] NFB and Independence

[justin williams]

I'll say this.  When I travel with someone, I hold their elbow due to our
differences in walking speed, and the cues that I use.  It's easier, and
less aggravating. We can tale a little easier.  

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
Silverman
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 12:09 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] NFB and Independence

Hi all,
Kenneth Jernigan, who was president of the NFB for 18 years and had a huge
influence on the organization's philosophical approach to blindness, wrote a
speech titled "The Nature of Independence" which is available on the NFB
website. I won't post it here since it is quite long, but will just
summarize what I got out of hearing it. Jernigan talked about times when he,
as a blind man, would walk with sighted guides, such as holding the arm of
his secretary while walking with her and in conversation. He said that he
did this from time to time, not because he needed the help, but because it
was more convenient for both of them. He stated that one can accept
assistance from others and still remain independent. Specifically, he
defined independence as:
The ability to travel whenever you want, wherever you want, with a minimum
of inconvenience to yourself and others.

To me, that definition sounds similar to those that some of you are
espousing. I think before we bash the NFB too much on this point, we should
bear in mind where Jernigan was coming from. In fact, I think most if not
all of us in the NFB agree that independence is the freedom to choose when,
and what kind of help, to get. We can all be a little better about not
judging others who make different choices than what we would make, and some
judgmental folks have tainted the NFB's reputation in this regard. But I
really think we agree more than we disagree here.
I believe that all people can seek help with things and still remain
independent. But I also think that being blind, by itself, shouldn't change
our standard of independence. I personally like doing the same kinds of
things that other 28-year-olds do, so I don't want to be called super-blind
because I do typical things like living with my fiancee and sharing cooking
duties with him, or walking independently around campus. And I think that
whenever we do accept help with something, there is always a trade-off where
we have to give up something. Sometimes we have to pay for help, like paying
a taxi driver or a restaurant to cook our food. Sometimes it's a time
sacrifice, like having to wait for a ride or a guide in order to go
somewhere. Other times the sacrifices are more subtle losses of freedom,
like if we choose to live somewhere that makes rules about whether or not we
can have overnight guests. Sometimes the help we get is worth the sacrifice,
but other times it's not, because the inconvenience on ourselves or others
is too great. Finally, I believe that in order to make knowledgeable
decisions about what we really need help doing, and what we don't, we should
get decent training. If someone always has another person do their laundry
because they never tried doing it themself, they will never know how easy it
might be for them. If they try it, they might discover that actually it's
not worth the sacrifice and that they prefer doing it themself, but we never
know these things until we try them.
I personally think there are many sighted people, and some blind people, who
would benefit greatly from a supported living community like Friedman Place.
Offering these communities could really help make a dent in national crises
like homelessness, poverty and ccrime. I think there are many other
populations in this country who need a place like Friedman far more than
blind people do. And while I don't fault those who choose to go to Friedman,
I would submit that there are sacrifices and trade-offs involved. You get
low-cost housing, cooked food and companionship, but you lose control over
most of your spending money, have to sign out to leave the premises and the
hot date you bring home has to pass a background check. I think these are
small sacrifices, but I also think that living on one's own, and especially
getting training in daily living skills and job skills, gives us the
flexibility to handle all kinds of life situations, either on our own or
with assistance.
Best,
Arielle

_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40gmail
.com