[nabs-l] NABS: A Division IN the National Federation of the Blind

[Justin Salisbury]

Fellow Federationists:
It appears that my last letter missed the mark.  The emotions that I wanted to produce to begin the Justin Salisbury campaign were not what I achieved.  Since the only direction to move is forward, that is where I will go.  In one look back, I sincerely apologize for writing in a way that produced such a variety of emotions.
I want to thank those who have supported me over the years and those who are supporting me today.  From my very first Federation event, I knew that this organization would always push and empower me to be the best I can be. I remember being so unsure of my own ability to succeed in math and science as a blind person and then being approached by a blind engineer and a blind environmental scientist at the end of the banquet. I thought I had already received the best rehab training and had achieved the pinnacle of mathematical competence as a blind person, which was inherently below that of a sighted person; boy, was I wrong. They wouldn't let me doubt myself, and they made it clear that I could always find a mentor in the National Federation of the Blind. One of the things that makes our movement so strong is that you don't have to be the chosen one to seek advice from the best leaders and mentors. I remember thinking that I could not possibly have anything important enough to discuss with Dr. Maurer, and then, I found myself telling him about my boyhood dream of serving in the military. I have grown out of that shyness one step at a time.  I now seize and treasure my opportunities to take advice from and bond with some key players in our movement. I do not receive this support because I am uniquely deserving of it; I receive it because I seek it and seek it with the desire to make the Federation stronger with it. So far as I know, there is no chosen one for this position until our membership chooses at our business meeting, and I hope that the chosen one will be me.
If anyone here has not yet read the June Braille Monitor, I strongly recommend reading the article by the young Marc Maurer, who was then President of the National Association of Blind Students. What I find most appealing is his attention to the purpose and function of a division in the National Federation of the Blind. While the early NABS would provide advocacy help to anyone desiring it, the primary duty of the division is to the National Federation of the Blind. It is not to lead the Federation on student initiatives but to advise the Federation on student initiatives and provide a learning forum. The early NABS existed to inform the entire Federation membership and prepare us all for the effort to help blind students achieve. Instead of looking at NABS as a division of the Federation, we should consider NABS a division IN the Federation. If I am elected President, I understand that I am not going to be the primary leader of the National Association of Blind Students; the primary leader will be the President of the National Federation of the Blind, and our movement will be unified.
To me, the value of this model is evident. We need to have this kind of NABS. Now, I want to ask questions of our membership and facilitate discussion in order to learn how the membership wants the NABS President to best serve. How do we want to fulfill this role in the Federation? What role do our members want to play in achieving this model?
I eagerly await every reply.

Sincerely yours,

Justin Salisbury
Board Member
National Association of Blind Students
president at alumni.ecu.edu<mailto:president at alumni.ecu.edu>