[nabs-l] What is independence?

[Ryan Silveira]

Hi all,

I agree with what has been said thus far; the word “independence” has several connotative meanings.  For me, I believe that an independent person has the ability to function without being fully reliant on others to manage their lives.  Independence does not, however, necessarily mean that one must never rely on others for assistance.  Whether one is blind, hearing impaired, in a wheel chair, developmentally challenged or without any diagnosed disability, one still needs to ask for assistance from time to time.  If a person can think for themselves, take care of themselves, make trivial and important decisions by and for themselves and manage life in general (whether that be home life, school, a career or all of the above) and do it mostly on their own, they are independent.  They should also, however, know when to ask for help.  No one should have to go through life alone.  Every person needs help in some way.  The greatest sign of independence is the ability to manage life on one’s own, while also knowing where the limit is and when to ask for help.


Ryan L. Silveira 


On Feb 27, 2014, at 4:49 PM, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> This is a very good topic for discussion.
> 
> For me, true independence is living your life without feeling burdened by the things that you can't do. It is knowing that you have the skills necessary to achieve whatever your goals and aspirations in life are.
> More importantly, it means knowing your limits. It means being able to explore the depths of your soul freely and without guilt. This is necessary because people who scream the loudest about their independence are often the ones who spend the most time consciously emulating someone else's values and beliefs. If one can think for themselves, and be inspired by, rather than shamed into, knowing how they feel about themselves, their place in the world, their morals, etc., that, to me, is the key ingredient to being truly independent.
> 
> On 2/26/2014 5:08 PM, Darian Smith wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>>   It seems to me that a word  that  we use a lot  in the Federation is  independence.
>>   Obviously, we go about it differently which would suggest  differing definitions for each individual. As you read this message, I wonder what the word independence means to you?
>>   Best,
>>   Darian
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/turtlepower17%40gmail.com
>> .
>> 
> 
> -- 
> Desiree
> 
> 
> ---
> This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
> http://www.avast.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/ryan.l.silveira%40gmail.com