[nabs-l] NFB and Independence

[melissa Green]

very well said. i agree completely.  the nature of independence is one of my 
favorite speeches.

Sincerely,
Melissa and Pj
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 10:09 PM
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

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