[nabs-l] advocacy advice to an grandmother

[Arielle Silverman]

The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Arielle

On 5/10/13, Helga <helga.schreiber at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Justin, this is Helga. I just would like to ask you, What does ADA mean?
>
> I just would like to know!. thanks and God bless!!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: justin williams
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 9:11 AM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] advocacy advice to an grandmother
>
> I am also looking to do some advocating.  Not as a lawyer, but as I make
> the
> journey towards obtaining my phd, it will included advocating for persons
> with disabilities, or other focused groups who need assistance.  That won't
> be my full time job, but it will be a part of it.  I would love to help ADA
> lawyers with  my advocacy skills, and with my knowledge on the ADA.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Helga
> Schreiber
> Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 1:26 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] advocacy advice to an grandmother
>
> Hi Mr. Robert, this is Helga Schreiber. I just wanted to say that the
> letter
>
> that you wrote it says many true statements. In fact, I really like the
> part
>
> where you say you advocate for people's rights by using your gifts as a
> Journalist. I actually believe that God gives all of us a gift since birth,
> and when you say that you say that you want to help people by using your
> skills as a Journalist even though they say that nobody will read your
> journals, you ignore them  and you stood firm in yor goals to do so. As a
> matter of fact, I really like that, when someone has that kind of courage
> and faith. I'm actually a college blind freshman student, and I'm studying
> in order to become a Lawyer, so that I could advocate for people's rights
> as
>
> well. Just to let you know, I don't want to become a Lawyer just for the
> money; the reason I want to become a Lawyer is because I want to help
> people. I truly believe that God created me and all of us for a purpose,
> and
>
> that we dididn't came to this earth as an accident; instead, we came to
> this
>
> earth in order to accomplish something, and leave a legacy for our
> generations to come. In fact, Just to let you know, I just became blind
> five
>
> years ago, due to many surgeries, but the news ofbecoming blind didn't stop
> me; rather, it made my spirit rejoys in order to fulfil the purpose that
> God
>
> put on my heart; to be come a Lawyer in order to advocate for others.
> Actually, I want to help the elderly, disabled, immigrants, and people in
> general with their rights. Also, I actually have many issues with my
> college, due to the fact, that they don't provide the help that Visually
> impaired students need; I'm actually the only blind student in my college,
> but what happen if another blind student comes to the college, are the
> college going to provide the help they need with Braille and tecknology? I
> really like reading in Braille, but my college sdoesn't provide me my
> materials in Braill at all. Actually, my life story is and college
> experiences stories are very long, but if you want to hear them you're very
> welcome! I'm actually a Christian, and I believe that we should never give
> up or quit in our goalls; rather we should continue going. I actually like
> to listen to music, but I specially like to listen Christian music, and I
> like to listen to many artists, but one particular Christian singer that I
> like is called Chris Tomlin. And one of of his songs that really encourage
> me and gives me faith to continue is called "Whom Shall I Fear" I really
> like this song, and I hope that you like it as well. By the way. your
> letter
>
> was very encouraging for me a lot Mr. Robert. God bless! and keep using
> your
>
> gift in order to reach people and advocate for their rights. Hope to talk
> to
>
> you soon! :)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Darian Smith
> Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2013 11:14 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] advocacy advice to an grandmother
>
> Hi all,
>   So I am  no doubt catching this thread on the tail-end, but I still want
> to react  to  the letter.
>
> Firstly,  I appreciate your sharing   this  with all of us.  The Nabs-L
> list
>
> is a community, one with many many eyes reading what we write, but a
> community all the same.
>    No doubt  we all have different views on a particular subject and
> certainly different views on blindness and the NFB, as well as the various
> organizations  that  feel  that for their part they are  doing great things
> to change  lives for the blind.
>
> Personally, I don't believe any organization is perfect, nor do I think
> that
>
> any one  organization  is completely negative.
> I think the best work in any movement is done when the people who are most
> effected by the  issues they face are the people making the decisions and
> driving the change ("nothing about us, without us").
> In the National Federation of the blind, we work with  our sighted peers in
> making those changes, which makes sense if we say that  the work we does
> being done so that we can compete on a level playing field  with our
> sighted
>
> peers.
>   I think that's important, because sometimes we think  that we are setting
> ourselves  in a situation where it is the blind against the sighted, and
> that's not very accurate at all. Our parents of blind children are some of
> the strongest advocates in our movement, we have sighted members of our
> affiliates that are just as loyal  as some of our blind members, and we
> don't consider them any less or  any more of a part of what we do. Further,
> I would dare say that sighted students can be just as active  members of
> our
>
> organization, and we should welcome them with open arms.
>   There is no denying  that there is not a lot of cross-organization
> collaboration, and for my part, I think this is unfortunate.  I think that
> it is possible that one day, maybe sooner than we know, we will see some of
> those bridges mended, and meaningful relationships grow from that.
> In the meantime, I think it's fine to keep an open mind and connect with
> anyone you feel a commonality with in either organization, however that
> connection might  take root from.
>       I admire anyone who feels strongly enough about a matter to advocate
> for it. Some learn it from their parents, some learn it on their own, some
> have learned it from theACB or NFB.
> I personally think I gained  parts of my  philosophy on blindness and
> advocacy as I  lived and learned, but a good deal of it came from my
> experiences in the  federation.
>   One thing  that I will say in closing is that I believe we all have the
> ability to be the change that we wish to see in the world we live in.  Some
> of us do it by working with the blind, some of us do it by living our lives
> and showing in how we live it how we believe the blind out to be treated.
> Obviously, you can  and should  find your own thing to believe in, but so
> long as you find that thing you believe in, it tends to make life much more
> of an amazing experience.
>
>   respectfully,
>   Darian
>
> On Apr 26, 2013, at 2:01 PM, "Littlefield, Tyler" <tyler at tysdomain.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I only have a couple of points.
>> First, I really liked the letter you wrote--I'd just remove the random
>> lol. Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but older people generally don't
>> care for what Lol means and it totally kills your flow here.
>> Second, you're focusing a lot on NFB and ACB fighting among themselves.
>> This might be true, but there are amazing people in both camps. I've been
>> attacked on this list for being part of the ACB, then others don't care
>> because whatever I am part of, as long as I do something somehow to help
>> it doesn't matter.
>> The organizations themselves don't fight, it's mainly the die-hard fans
>> of
>
>> either camp. While it's not always the case, I've never seen all that
>> much
>
>> intelligence in the people that attacked me for being part of the ACB to
>> begin with, so if they feel they need to scream at me, I'd rather them do
>> that than say, try to promote fairness by doing something that would make
>> us look worse.
>>
>> You also kind of sound like you're screaming into the wind here with your
>> talk of nothing happening. There is a lot of stuff happening, it's just a
>> very slow process. Your influence as well as everyone elses helps
>> contribute to that bigger picture, even if it's not obvious right now.
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>> On 4/26/2013 2:20 PM, Robert William Kingett wrote:
>>> Let me know your thoughts.
>>>
>>> Dear xxx.
>>>
>>> I hope that I got your name right because I have never ever been good
>>> with names. I guess it runs in the family. LOL.
>>>
>>> I want to introduce myself to you. Sam forwarded me your message and it
>>> was really moving that I just had to respond personally.
>>>
>>> I want to introduce what Sam and I do and then I will comment on what
>>> you
>
>>> have so truthfully written and I also want to give you my thoughts,
>>> based
>
>>> on observation alone. Sam and are both blindness related advocates here
>>> in Chicago Illinois. I'm a blind journalist here in Chicago Illinois as
>>> well as an advocate for the LGBT community. I'm most known for my
>>> journalistic endeavors and I want to tell you something very personal
>>> and
>
>>> profound.
>>>
>>> I've been blind ever since birth and I grew up in a very abusive
>>> environment. When you say the word invisible that really struck a chord
>>> with me. Even though I have dealt with the abusive past by turning it
>>> into positive advocacy energy that one word brought back several
>>> memories. I was invisible in both cases, from the blindness side and the
>>> domestic violence side, and, I had to find my own way out of it because
>>> the school for the blind I was in just didn't care to get involved with
>>> such matters. The unusualDCF investigations never went as far as someone
>>> from child services coming to our home to investigate only to deem that
>>> everything was fine because, even though I did not like my mom, I
>>> covered
>
>>> up for her. My troubles at home were invisible to everyone, or so I
>>> believed. The truth is that they weren't invisible and someone had
>>> noticed. Naturally, they just didn't know what to do.
>>>
>>> In school I also learned to embrace my blindness because I saw the
>>> treatment that we received at a young age. When I was 11, I asked the
>>> manager at a restaurant why he didn't have any Braille menus, and why he
>>> was breaking the law. He didn't have an answer for me, so I began to ask
>>> that question at every restaurant I came to. It was an easy question for
>>> me to ask. Why? Because I asked my mom why she broke the law all the
>>> time. I was, and still am, a bookworm so I had a lot of questions, based
>>> on the stuff I read critically. In high school I found my own way out of
>>> the abusive home and that's when I truly learned what independence was
>>> and so I began to go around school telling other blind kids what it
>>> meant
>
>>> as well. On the academic side of the circle, the Florida school for the
>>> deaf and the blind was very good, but anything social skills related,
>>> advocacy related, that just flew over their heads. They didn't even tell
>>> us what college was going to be like. I had to experience that for
>>> myself. I realized that I had a gift and that gift was to string words
>>> together to make people listen. I was a writer and I started studying
>>> the
>
>>> extent, the power that my gift held. I began writing proposals for a
>>> school newspaper that the school had never had and I soon started my own
>>> school newspaper. Even at a blind school, the teachers told me that no
>>> one would read it. Kids at Saint Augustine high were crawling to pay for
>>> the fourth issue.
>>>
>>> I do have a point to this entire story so just hang in there! LOL.
>>>
>>> I wasn't invisible anymore but the blindness community was, and I
>>> realized this even more after I got out of high school. I'm sure that
>>> you
>
>>> have heard about the NFB and ACB and AFB and all of the above and many
>>> more. If you haven't they are blindness advocacy groups that do their
>>> own
>
>>> parts in different things. You want to talk about invisible? These
>>> groups
>
>>> are invisible. They are just now being heard about in mainstream media
>>> regularly. Even now, though, the only people who know about them are
>>> blind people. Why? Because there haven't been any loud voices. Okay,
>>> correction, there are loud voices but they are quietly yelling, thinking
>>> they will not do anything worthwhile by speaking up. You're an example
>>> of
>
>>> a voice that everyone should listen to. These blind groups would listen
>>> but there's a huge problem with these groups, and it's a shame to see
>>> the
>
>>> ironic twist, they don't reach out to sighted people for assistance with
>>> legal matters, or any other matter, they'd rather stay in their own
>>> tents, if you get my drift. Some efforts, not all, but some, are after
>>> the media to do stories about them. The NFB and ACB both have a lot to
>>> offer but they both don't do a big enough job on their own separately.
>>> They do things on a case-by-case basis, and their efforts are to educate
>>> the public about the blind and then change comes after the education.
>>> Plus, they even fight among one another, and waste energy doing it. All
>>> that yelling could have been done to do something better. The ACB people
>>> will say they are better, the NFB say that they do the right thing.
>>> Never, ever, have they collaborated on anything solid to make a powerful
>>> enough standing for change. Education does little good if change isn't
>>> implemented but they haven't realized this yet. They want to say that
>>> their group is better than the other rather than make efforts to change
>>> the community to better serve the blind.
>>>
>>> That being said, there's a lot of people who are making a difference.
>>>
>>> For example, I want to point you to Christine.
>>> http://www.christineha.com/
>>>
>>> She was a blind MasterChef winner last season.
>>>
>>> There's a car that's driverless, allowing blind people to be mobile like
>>> never before... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car
>>>
>>> Also, the ACB have managed to get the communications and accessibility
>>> act signed by Obama, which will allow all electronic devices, even cell
>>> phones to be accessible. http://www.acb.org/adp/tv.html. They are also
>>> taking strides to make all paper currency accessible to the blind and
>>> the
>
>>> visually impaired.
>>>
>>> The NFB have done much work on employment. They have done so many things
>>> that I'll just give you their website. https://nfb.org/
>>>
>>> And people like us, me, Sam, you, and every other small voice out there
>>> makes a big difference, even if we don't realize it or see it right
>>> away.
>
>>> For instance, I received an email from a woman whose wives, sisters, and
>>> friend I helped out years ago. You know how they say that every action
>>> has an equal and opposite reaction? Even though the action isn't seen
>>> and
>
>>> heard for years, it's an action that will be carried out for sure. For
>>> example, the FSDB kids of today now have a paper they can write for
>>> because of my simple action three years ago. I'm glad that I made that
>>> decision.
>>>
>>> I do think that we should unite to give the blind a much more stable
>>> ground to walk on but I'm just one person. Bigger and better companies
>>> and blindness organizations have a lot to fight about that are a lot
>>> more
>
>>> important than our wishes and dreams. I'm sorry to say but it's the
>>> truth. These blindness groups have a lot of energy to fight each other
>>> but that's changing too. That being said, I'm still going to continue to
>>> do my small actions of writing and advocacy and standing up for our
>>> rights as blind people because I know that somewhere along the line,
>>> even
>
>>> after my death, I will have made a powerful impact on someone's life and
>>> have made them a better person because I managed to get people talking
>>> because an article was published or because I demanded to see a company
>>> officer to straighten out an accessibility barrier, gave them some
>>> guidance. It's hard to stand up for the right thing because it seems
>>> that
>
>>> no one is listening. They are listening. I do believe, however, that
>>> this
>
>>> blindness schism is the worst that I've ever seen and it's the dumbest
>>> thing ever especially since they both promote inclusion and equality and
>>> they can't even include one another. To combat this, the people, not
>>> organizations, not the NFB, not the ACB, not the AFB, the people need to
>>> change what it means to be blind. We're doing that. You're doing that.
>>> You're amazing! We're amazing! Even though we're making progress it will
>>> take time, as with all great things. Big things come in small packages
>>> and voices and efforts.
>>>
>>> Your small actions towards your granddaughter will be remembered, and
>>> appreciated, and used very well even though they may seem as though they
>>> are not getting anywhere at the moment they will blossom into something
>>> big. People like us just have to continue to be loud positive vocal
>>> people who will both advocate and educate for the blind and the visually
>>> impaired. We can't rely on just blindness groups because then we will be
>>> sitting on our hands talking, taking no action.
>>>
>>> I just want to say hell yes you're a good grandmother. She knows
>>> Braille;
>
>>> she's standing up for herself. You're giving her all she needs, even if
>>> it's not right now. Even a small ripple can make a big wave. We're
>>> making
>
>>> a big wave, even if that wave won't come until years later. Our small
>>> actions will impact the world, and that's why I do what I do. That's why
>>> I don't give up because no matter how much arguing goes on, ignorance is
>>> displayed, services are denied, etc. I know that I have the power to
>>> change things. I'm proud to use my particular power of writing to change
>>> the world and to change what it means to be blind. You are changing your
>>> granddaughter's world, and someday, she will remember how you changed
>>> her
>
>>> world and then she will change other people's lives and that will be all
>>> because of you, xxx, you're an amazing ripple. Continue to make that
>>> wave!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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/tyler%40tysdomain.com
>>
>>
>> --
>> Take care,
>> Ty
>> http://tds-solutions.net
>> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>> that dares not reason is a slave.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/dsmithnfb%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/helga.schreiber%40hotmai
> l.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/helga.schreiber%40hotmail.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/arielle71%40gmail.com
>