[nabs-l] NFB and Independence

Wed Apr 10 04:52:24 UTC 2013

I haven't listened to the speech, but apparently, 
I probably should.    
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Desiree Oudinot
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 12:47 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] NFB and Independence

Since you brought up the Nature of Independence, I would like to get
some perspective on something that I honestly found to be quite
offensive about the wording of that particular speech.
When Kenneth Jernigan made this speech, he was addressing several
letters from students who were attending the Louisiana Center. when he
spoke of true independence, he implied strongly that although he was
free to make the choices he made, which empowered him and made him
independent, the students were incapable of making such decisions for
themselves while they were in training. he basically said that
students pass through phases as they learn blindness skills. The first
is timidity and overcautiousness, to the point where the student
doesn't trust themselves or their judgments; the second is
aggressiveness, recklessness, and arrogance, where they defiantly
refuse all vestiges of assistance to "prove" their independence, and,
hopefully, the third is a balance between the two. Is this a fair
summation? I believe it is.
If so, I have a real problem with the notion that he is so sure that
every student is alike, that every person who comes into training is
hopeless, then completely changes into their alter-ego. First of all,
for those of us who are congenitally blind, we have had time to adjust
to our blindness. While some people may have unhealthy attitudes about
it, the truth is, if you've been blind all your life, you can't
exactly deny that. I feel that being condescending towards one's state
of mind is not the way to win anyone over. I think that most people
are rational enough to know when it's appropriate for them to ask for
sighted guide, with some gentle guidance and prodding, of course. For
a newly blind individual, this changes somewhat, but the truth is that
everyone is different, and painting all students out to be, for lack
of a better phrase, rebellious fools, isn't doing the NFB's image any
favors. Students are people, too. Just because they're students
doesn't make them any less human, at least, it shouldn't. And all
humans have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Some may very
well be as Jernigan described. Others can think through problems and
situations logically as they arise. Still others may be overcome by
emotion in unfamiliar situations, but once they realize they can do
something a few times, their confidence may grow, but not to the point
where their egoes inflate exponentially.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong about all of this. I hope someone gives me
a swift kick if I am. But if I'm not...if I truly read what I thought
I did, there will always be a wall between me and the NFB. I mean,
what if a newly blind individual is 45 years old and coming in for
training? Do people really think that such a person will react in such
a juvenile fashion?

On 4/11/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>
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