[nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB

Sun Mar 30 18:00:01 UTC 2014

Hi Joe,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have not been following the
Braille Monitor that closely but I can understand what you are saying
about the increased emphasis on fund-raising. I have also felt like
the national convention is turning into more of a carnival with all
the exhibitors and prizes being given away, and much of banquet that
used to focus on philosophy and NFB spirit is now taken up with prize
drawings and the like.
To be fair, NFB was stronger financially when we joined than it is
now, and I understand that some national programs have been cut due to
a decrease in revenue from what used to be steady reliable income
sources. So NFB may be pushing fund-raising more, but the alternative
could be a loss of programs and resources.
I have not heard of anyone being blatantly turned away or refused
membership in an NFB chapter. If that ever happens it is truly
shameful. I do think that sometimes prospective members choose not to
join because they perceive hostility from the organization or judgment
of their lifestyle choices. I think part of that is perception only,
and part of it is reality. The NFB is stereotyped as a radical
one-size-fits-all organization, and new members expecting to find that
could be especially sensitive to cues of hostility. However, there
probably is some real lack of acceptance among certain segments of the
organization, which, again, is unfortunate. I will say that I am not
the most graceful blind person and was relatively unskilled when I
first joined, and I still felt completely accepted. But I know not all
of us are so lucky. I would encourage prospective members who have a
negative experience to try again in a different chapter or division
and perhaps they will find acceptance there. But at the same time,
this is something we need to be sensitive to in the organization.

Arielle

On 3/30/14, Michael Capelle <michael.capelle at frontier.com> wrote:
> Hello all.
> This is why I am not apart of any "blind movement."  I live my own life,
> live my own philosophy, ETC.  I do not believe in a one size fits all
> mentality, which is unfurtunately what the NFB does.
> Thanks.
> Mike
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RJ Sandefur
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 11:51 AM
> To: jsoro620 at gmail.com ; National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB
>
> Joe, I agree with you. I had to attend both college, and Seminary without
> the NFB's help, although it would have been nice to have a mentoor. RJ
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe" <jsoro620 at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 12:25 PM
> Subject: [nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB
>
>
>> 2006 was the last year I attended a national convention. While there I
>> was
>> caught up in the ra ra of the movement and felt glad to be in the company
>>
>> of
>> so many people who could relate to the challenges that awaited me as a
>> recent college graduate. I left convention, finished up my summer as a
>> counselor in Iowa, and set off for DC to begin my business with the real
>> world. I would never take away someone's enthusiasm from attending a
>> national convention or Washington Seminar or one of the weekend
>> leadership
>> seminars in Baltimore. They are very well-suited to boost a person's
>> spirit,
>> but I believe too many people fall through the cracks when faced with
>> reality outside of those infrequent gatherings.
>>
>> To be fair, the organization is no different from any other nonprofit
>> business. It needs money to sustain itself, and in turn it needs more
>> members to help raise the money. Still, I found it rather disappointing
>> that
>> so much of the board meeting I tuned into listen to last summer was
>> dominated by calls to raise money for this fund or that effort. I found
>> it
>> even sadder that a recent issue of the Braille Monitor, our monthly dose
>> of
>> inspiration, featured several articles just to the focus of generating
>> more
>> ways to drum up more financial support, but perhaps the most frustrating
>> byproduct of this new NFB are the e-mails from so-called friends from whom
>>
>> I
>> have not heard in years but boldly ask me to contribute to their NFB
>> fundraising campaigns.
>>
>> In short, at some point the NFB embraced enterprise and forgot about the
>> movement. Between 2006 and 2012 I went on to help lead development
>> efforts
>> for other nonprofits outside of the blindness field, also national in
>> scope.
>> They too made fundraising a priority, but it never felt like the top, or
>> the
>> only, priority. It gets tiresome when we focus on recruiting new blood
>> and
>> raising new money and forget about strengthening the members and
>> resources
>> we've already had.
>>
>> Nowadays I have the privilege of knowing some excellent blind
>> professionals.
>> I think they would do well in the NFB. They are smarter than I ever will
>> be
>> and have accomplished more than I may ever achieve, but they shun the
>> organization because they were turned away or because they were never
>> welcomed in the first place. It's something I should have kept in mind
>> when
>> I had my brief taste of leadership in the organization. I had too much of
>>
>> a
>> mouth on me to ever be anyone's golden child, but I was reliable enough
>> to
>> get the job done. But, getting the job done should have really meant
>> attracting and pulling in these men and women who could have made the NFB
>> lots better, listening to new ideas, and most important, remaining true
>> to
>> the cause and not some multi-million-dollar institute we find ourselves
>> incapable of sustaining.
>>
>> So, what does any of this have to do with the original post? I don't want
>>
>> it
>> to ever be said I was a hypocrite. The leadership may as well know what I
>> think of them, but more importantly, to the college kids on the verge of
>> spreading their own wings, I want you to know the NFB banner will only
>> guide
>> your way so far. Take what's great about the organization and leave the
>> political drama and marketing ploys behind. In the end it will be your
>> own
>> wits and talents that will earn your pay check. The NFB will never give
>> you
>> anything new. The philosophy merely helps you uncover what you always had
>>
>> to
>> be successful. Anything could happen with the new NFB president, and I
>> will
>> be the first to retract my words if he is brave enough to reverse this
>> downward spiral. You see, we no longer live in a world where the NFB is
>> necessary for collective momentum. Technology has seen to that. Whether
>> or
>> not the movement sticks around largely depends on how badly we want it to
>> exist.
>>
>> Is the ACB doing it any better? That's debatable, but you know what I've
>> found from the people I've met on that side of the house? They seem
>> happier,
>> and that's something we can't seem to figure out in our camp. The few
>> victories they celebrate they do with even less money. Let that be a
>> lesson
>> in financial management to you.
>>
>> I don't know what the hell I'm doing back here. I told myself I would
>> never
>> become one of those bitter former NFB members. My only goal was to
>> provide
>> different perspectives to the new generation of leaders coming up through
>> the ranks. After all, if you never taste the real world, you have no
>> business leading. That's like the teacher who teaches because they
>> couldn't
>> cut it, and believe it or not, I want to see more and more of you excel
>> at
>> whatever it is you want to do. The more of you there are, the greater our
>> strength.
>>
>> Moving forward I reckon I'll keep my opinions to myself here lest I be
>> the
>> rotten apple that spoils the bunch, but in some lame attempt to answer
>> the
>> original question, my answer would be this:
>>
>> The characteristics of a successful blind person are humility to consume
>> what they need to be successful, fortitude to turn away what will not,
>> and
>> wisdom to recognize the difference.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> --
>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>
>> Visit my blog:
>> http://joeorozco.com/blog
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/joltingjacksandefur%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/michael.capelle%40frontier.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
>