[nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB
RJ Sandefur
joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com
Sun Mar 30 21:40:05 UTC 2014
Sir, that's why I'm not a member of either organization! Both of you gripe
and complaine and both organizations why the blind have a seventy percent
unemployment rate! RJ Sandefur
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Capelle" <michael.capelle at frontier.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 5:25 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB
> as a member of ACB, peter, you are sadly mistaken, as most of you NFB
> people are, you sit and bitch, bitch about how ACB is trash, how ACB does
> this and that, as a proud member of ACB, we do not sit and bash NFB, we
> dont sit and call your president a dictator, even though my personal
> opinion, is that he is, how if someone doesn't agree with nfb philosophy,
> you shun them and kick them to the curb as if they are junk, calling
> people traders and the like to boost your ego does not and will not
> achieve anything, you are the sad depressed people who need to see the
> light or are you just to blind to see the light?
> Lets take a trip back in time if we may, to the year 2000. ACB held there
> conference/convention in DesMoines. Durring the convention, ACB President
> Chris Grey and other members were treated pourly. Based on what I have
> been told,, you nfb people treated acb like we were the plague.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jamie Principato
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 4:05 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Success and Why I Left the NFB
>
> This is exactly the problem I have with the way some within the
> organization play the political game. The feud with the ACB is nothing but
> a distraction. It's a tool to give a cub set of members something to rally
> behind, because nothing says "I'm a dedicated member of the in-group" like
> sharing a common out-group rival.
>
> And why do you need a computer with internet connection for verification,
> simply to be a respectful individual and hear a colleague's proposal?
> Stating that you run a company is not by any means sufficient to scam
> anyone. And you can always check when you get home if you're so inclined,
> but to turn them away entirely and claim it is because your laptop isn't
> handy makes me suspect another motive for turning away a member of the
> out-group.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 30, 2014, at 2:47 PM, "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Good afternoon everyone,
>>
>> I have a few thoughts on this thread. First no one likes anyone who
>> runs from a fight. Health, work, and other issues can get in the way of
>> serving in the organization but there are other ways to stay involved.
>> People are only pushed to the side is they believe they are and don't
>> find other ways to stay involved. They become lion prey rather than
>> becoming or remaining lion chasers.
>>
>> The shunning we've seen is of those who lack blindness skills being
>> offered the opportunity to learn them from those who just happen to be
>> NFB members. My advice to such individuals is that of Judge Judy "Get
>> over it!" If learning to use a computer, honing your Braille skills,
>> becoming a better traveler will help you become more independent and
>> create new career opportunities for God sakes except their offers of help
>> regardless of whose camp they come from.
>>
>> As for this whole NFB VS ACB junk particularly when ACB members like to
>> bring up stuff that happened 50 or 60 years ago they have been served
>> notice from us that such conversations are off limits and they would do
>> well to "Get over it" and that we're not interested in hearing it. On a
>> few occasions we had several of them removed from our home due to the
>> conversation getting out-of-control. And it didn't bother us to see them
>> pay a $50 cab fare to get home to teach them that continuing to engage in
>> this kind of non-productive garbage can become a very expensive
>> proposition.
>>
>> On several occasions our chapter exhibited at a local resource fair for
>> those with low vision. Both NFB and ACB had booths at this event. Some of
>> us went by the ACB table to say hello. At no time did we attempt to harm
>> their display or interfear with their activities in any way. They did not
>> return the favor. One year several of their members tried to knock over
>> our table which had a number of expensive notetakers on it. Our president
>> at the time should have had the backbone to notify show officials and
>> have them removed from the event but didn't. On another occasion one of
>> these ACB folks tried to tell us he was the president of a new company we
>> may be interested in learning about. Since we did not have a laptop with
>> an Internet connection present to verify his story or not we were unable
>> to do anything about it. Had we searched for the name of his company and
>> found no reference to it online it's possible we could have had him
>> kicked out for promoting a scam during the expo. By now you know that we
>> have no patience with those who misrepresent themselves by atempting to
>> promote a fraudulant company or engage in destructive behavior. The
>> individual I referred to in this paragraph has served as the Alamo
>> Council of the Blind's President.
>>
>> On the other hand if they wish to learn about various programs and
>> services offered by the federation, learn about the BELL Program for
>> example, our STEM Initiative, or if they would like an opportunity to
>> ride in a car driven by a blind driver we're game for the conversation.
>> Yes I know this is rather heavy-handed but there's some history behind
>> why we've taken such a hard line with these people. It can be best
>> summarized in a paraphraise of some words of a song by the late Stompin
>> Tom Conners:
>> "That there may never elsewhere be,
>> Another Philadelphia tragedy,
>> Another philadelphia tragety."
>>
>> The words above refer to an insident I and several other individuals
>> were involved in during our 2001 Convention in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
>> Disagreements and philosophies among organizations of the blind helped
>> lead up to this incident. Since taking such a hard stance against those
>> who have nothing better to do than to run away from battles, sit on
>> fences, etc there has never been another incident of that kind involving
>> us. We had a close call in 2012 but heeded the warning signs and took
>> action prior to that year's national convention to fend it off. Thanks to
>> our alertness that national convention went without a hitch.
>>
>> Another thing that disturbs us is the ACB's attempts to undermind our
>> programs and activities in some states. Did anyone tell them that this is
>> America and they're free to establish programs and operate them as they
>> see fit instead of attempting to scuttle the hard work of others?They
>> attempted to quash NFB Newsline in a few states. If they didn't like the
>> way the Newsline Program operates they're free to begin a similar program
>> and operate it as they choose. Fortunately since we now host The Braille
>> Forum I would hope it's got them thinking twice about that one.
>>
>> One thing that could help bring about greater unity in the blind
>> community is if more agency directors had more backbone and laid out to
>> all potential partners for a program they're considering the criteria
>> these partners will need to satisfy for consideration instead of feeling
>> like they need to be all things to all consumer groups of the blind.
>> Again this is America and we're a free enterprise society. If someone
>> wishes to be considered to assist with a program or to help fill a need
>> they need to meet the criteria for consideration. For example if a host
>> agency decides that immersion training is to be used in the operation of
>> a particular program or service anyone wishing to partner with this
>> agency will need to endorse immersion training or they will not be
>> considered as a venture partner. Thus if ACB wants to be a partner in the
>> operation of a program or service offered by a blindness agency that
>> chooses to use immersion training they'll need to over hall their
>> philosophy and adopt immersion training as a viable way to operate a
>> program. If they're unwilling to do that they will be filtered and would
>> do well not to complain that they were left out of consideration and
>> would do well to refrain from trying to undermind the activities of such
>> an agency because they were unwilling to adapt their approach and
>> philosophy to meet changing conditions and needs of the blind. Again we
>> have no patience with losers according to our standards!
>>
>> As for Joe's point about fundraising part of this one can be traced to
>> the approach to career planning taken by many in the field including the
>> NFB. We hear it every day about how unstable the job market has become
>> yet we still tell people to go to school, get good grades, and you'll
>> land that dream job when we should be taking it a step farther and urge
>> blind individuals, parents, and educators of blind children to develop
>> multiple income channels should something happen to your primary income
>> source and so you will have the funds to support causes such as the
>> activities of the NFB. We're currently working with the mother of a blind
>> child in our area to encourage her to do this so she will be bettter able
>> to meet her blind child's needs as she progresses through school and
>> college and to have financial resources that will last her for her entire
>> life instead of just 40 or 50 years of it if even that given the high
>> unemployment rate we face.
>>
>> And let's not forget aboutthe the high cost of technology, and the
>> refusal of the so-called blindness professionals to teach blind children
>> and adults such valuable skills as Braille and cane travel to name a few.
>> The NFB needs to urge blind persons and parents of blind children to
>> develop multiple income sources so in the event that a school district is
>> unwilling to teach a blind kid Braille no problem. They can hire someone
>> to teach them privately and perhaps provide a job for another blind
>> individual. If necessary they could home-school their blind child and
>> give him/her an education far superior to that offered in many public
>> schools. Likewise if a state agency refuses to fund a blind person to
>> attend one of our centers since we urged them and their families to
>> create ,multiple income streams they could pay for it themselves and to
>> Hell with the rehab system. The more financial resources you have at your
>> disposal that you can control the better you can provide for your blind
>> child or fund the training you yourself wish to obtain.
>>
>> We attend regular information sessions related to one of our ventures.
>> Each week we see many college students at these meetings. They're heeding
>> the advice of those telling them not to put all of their eggs in one
>> basket. These young folks most often referred to as Generation Y or Gen-Y
>> for short understand the value of this advice and are creating multiple
>> income streams for themselves should something happen to them or their
>> career job. Individuals 30 years of age and under are considered to be a
>> part of Gen-Y. Like their sighted Gen-Y counterparts blind individuals
>> should be as intelligent. Consumer organizations of the blind need to
>> become more agressive in this respect and urge blind persons and their
>> families to do likewise.
>>
>>
>> Mary and I have been around professional networking for years. In
>> the late 1970s a blind individual and his wife became very successful in
>> a well-known direct selling business achieving an extremely high level of
>> success. Back then there were no smart phones, no direct delivery of the
>> products in question to his home as there is now, no Internet portals in
>> which one can transact business, yet this individual and his wife built
>> an empire using this concept. The online resources I'm speaking of our
>> accessible and usable by blind entrepreneurs. We have worked closely with
>> the company in question to insure that this is so and they have greatly
>> appreciated our assistance. Given his success one would think other blind
>> individuals would have followed his lead in large numbers given the
>> technology and services now available to those persuing careers in the
>> direct selling industry. We find this state of affairs sad and shameful!
>> This is something that can change in the years ahead. It's not too late.
>> Anyone wanting more information about such opportunities is strongly
>> advised to seek it from credible sources such as attending a meeting like
>> the one mentioned above. Some of our NFB Lists have been used to spread
>> information concerning particular companies that is inaccurate, false,
>> and misleading. We're neither talking about your grandmother's business
>> opportunity or NFB.
>>
>>
>>
>> If the NFB wishes to have increased financial support it needs to
>> change the advice it gives to its members and others with respect to
>> career options and advise blind consumers to create an income to last
>> them a lifetime not just for 50 years of it only to end upon skid row
>> when those years are over. It needs to give the kind of career advice
>> that will allow its members and others to have the resources needed to
>> support its programs and to allow blind individuals to maintain a deasent
>> quality of life. Now I believe I'm spent. All the best everyone.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>>
>>
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