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

Sat Jun 14 13:25:15 UTC 2014

What is going on in virginia, ? We can all help each other out.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 13, 2014, at 10:12 PM, Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> hi Chris,
> communication is good, but national doesn't track what every state division does, at least not to my knowledge.
> Your state president and affiliate should communicate with your state division though.
> I think you in your MD division communicate with national because you're right in MD but remember this is not typical.
> Just saying. But overall,
> good message. Glad your  division is strong, and I wish I could say the same about the virginia student division.
> 
> Ashley
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Chris Nusbaum via nabs-l
> Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 6:02 PM
> To: 'Justin Salisbury' ; 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] NABS: A Division IN the National Federation of theBlind
> 
> Dear Justin:
> 
> I thank you for this latest note and, quite frankly, for your last one as
> well. In my view it always behooves us as members to have these kinds of
> open discussions about how we would like NABS to operate. It is particularly
> gratifying when a member of the Board poses these questions to the open
> forum of the listserv, thereby opening the door for public discussion and
> debate. As someone who has served on the Board of the Maryland Association
> of Blind Students for the past two years now, I willingly admit that such
> conversations are too often reserved for the Board members and committee
> leaders. I think we forget to poll the membership on these questions between
> conventions, which I fear widens a potential gap between the membership and
> the leadership. As our nation is called to be one governed by the people, so
> our Federation is in essence a people's movement. Thank you for reminding us
> to return to this essential principle. With this said, I have spent some
> time pondering your questions and would like to provide my thoughts and
> experience.
> 
> To me, the essence of a division's unity with the wider movement can be
> found in its close communication with state and national leaders as well as
> its support of Federation-wide policies and programs. The NFB Pledge calls
> us to "support the programs and policies of the Federation, and to abide by
> its Constitution." In the experience of our student division here in
> Maryland, we began to fall apart when our leadership felt that they could
> reinvent the wheel and halt the close relationship which used to exist
> between the student President and the affiliate President. Their goal in
> doing this was to make the student division its own entity, operating on its
> own terms and making its own rules. They thought the division would be more
> effective if it was not perceived as operating solely at the whim of the
> "big wigs" in Baltimore. The result, however, was the opposite of what these
> past leaders had hoped for. The members, and ultimately the leaders
> themselves, became apathetic. Very little events were held and almost no
> revenue was coming into the treasury. Eventually, the division became
> completely dependent on the affiliate to remain afloat financially. Even our
> bank account was joined with the affiliate's. Only when a new Board led by a
> new President were elected did the division begin to grow. This new Board
> was energetic about our cause, willing to work, and--most importantly--they
> were willing to cooperate and communicate with Federation leaders at the
> state and national levels. Our division President often jokingly tells the
> Board that at times it seems like she is on the phone with the affiliate
> President nearly every day.
> 
> Over the past few years we have found this close communication with our
> state and national offices beneficial in the continued growth of our
> division. It allows us to provide mutual support to each other, as I believe
> divisions are meant to do. When the state and national movements launch a
> new initiative, we can use our resources to support it. In return, the state
> and national leaders can use their connections to advertise our initiatives
> and fundraisers to more people than we ever could on our own. Moreover,
> invaluable insights can be gained from such communication. Often we on the
> MDABS Board contact our state President with our ideas and ask for advice on
> how they can be carried out. I personally and MDABS collectively have found
> that the experience of older Federation leaders has been very helpful to us
> in planning more effective events and generally growing a stronger
> organization which remains an integral part of the wider movement.
> 
> Therefore, I believe that NABS is doing a very good job currently of
> remaining united with the Federation as a whole while staying true to that
> which makes us unique. We have divisions, I believe, to serve the needs and
> concerns of those who have a special interest in certain issues which only
> effect a certain group of people. NABS, for example, exists to serve the
> needs of blind students specifically. However, I believe we must remember
> that we are also, as you so eloquently stated it, a "division in the
> National Federation of the Blind." This status calls us to maintain
> communication between our colleagues in the movement who are not students.
> It also requires that we honor the pledge we took upon joining this
> organization: that we would, both personally and collectively, "support the
> programs and policies of the Federation." So long as we maintain this level
> of communication and mutual support with our fellow Federationists, in my
> opinion, we will remain on the right track.
> 
> Yours in the movement,
> 
> Chris Nusbaum, Secretary
> Maryland Association of Blind Students: a division in the National
> Federation of the Blind of Maryland
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Justin
> Salisbury via nabs-l
> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:44 PM
> To: 'nabs-l at nfbnet.org'; 'ctabs at nfbnet.org'; Massachusetts Association of
> Blind Students List (massabs at nfbnet.org); List for NABS State Presidents
> (nabs-presidents at nfbnet.org); Wisconsin Association of Blind Students List
> Subject: [nabs-l] NABS: A Division IN the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 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>
> 
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