[nabs-l] NFB and Independence

Fri Apr 12 18:20:23 UTC 2013

I'm not mad at all, actually. you are simply defending your beliefs.
That's an honorable thing to do.
You're right, no one is trying to put up a wall between me and the
NFB. however, I can't pretend that I agree with the way the speech was
written just for the sake of keeping the peace. That's not how I am,
although people tell me I should be more dignified. That's beside the
point, though. There probably are a lot of gray areas within the NFB,
but they're rarely discussed. Perhaps if I attended their meetings I
would see more of them, but when something is written down, like this
speech, it kind of does give the impression that the person is laying
down the law. Likewise, I can see how, from my writing, you thought I
was laying down the law. In writing, there's really no room for second
guessing.

On 4/12/13, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
> Desiree:
>
> I would like to say a few things here, and hope I don't make you too
> mad.  That is not my intention.
>
> First, there is a wall between you and the NFB, if you put one
> up.  We are not trying to do so.
>
> You may be over analyzing this stuff -- but maybe not.  The language,
> norms, procedures and approaches in any field change over time.  This
> speech was written 20 years ago.  Today it is commonplace to
> acknowledge that we are all different, which we are, etc.  Twenty
> years ago, people wouldn't have been as sensitive to such a
> thing.  This was a speech and you make generalizations, to a certain
> extent, to explain stuff and to reach a lot of people.  This has been
> an influential and powerful speech for some years.
>
> You are asking us to acknowledge that it is a grey world out there,
> not black and white, that people are different.  I would agree but I
> am not sure you give us the same courtesy.  You paint us with black
> and white pictures and then reject us.
>
> Dave
>
> At 11:47 PM 4/10/2013, you wrote:
>>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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