[nabs-l] Chris Nusbaum for NABS Board

Sat Jul 4 13:17:28 UTC 2015

Hi Chris,

I'm glad to see that you are running. I've seen a lot of promise from you for a long time coming.

One thing that I think you really understand is the concept of having an actual personal relationship with people in our national leadership. At least, it appears that way from our past discussions. I encourage you to not forget that component as you move forward.

I hope I'm there when it's time to vote!

Justin

Sent from the iPhone of

Justin Salisbury - Running Thunder Phoenix
Graduate Student
Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
Twitter: @SalisburyJustin

 First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller

On Jul 3, 2015, at 10:25 PM, Chris Nusbaum via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org<mailto:nabs-l at nfbnet.org>> wrote:

Dear NABS Family:

In a few short days we will gather together in our hundreds to celebrate our
past achievements, assess our present progress, and dream for our future-a
future full of opportunity, in which blind students can and will be
empowered to live the lives we want. We will be inspired by our leaders,
informed by our tireless advocates, and entertained by our dynamic speakers.
We will also exercise that most fundamental of democratic rights: the right
to elect our own leaders, to choose those who will represent us in the halls
of power. It is our duty, then, to choose those candidates in whom we
believe, as well as those who believe in us. I believe in each member of our
organization. I believe that we, working together, have the power to
transform dreams into reality. This is why, after much contemplation and
consultation with many NABS leaders, I am asking for your vote for the
position of NABS Board member.

By way of introduction, I am a rising senior at Francis Scott Key High
School in Union Bridge, Maryland. A member in good standing of the National
Honor Society, I have participated throughout my high school career in many
extracurricular activities which have made my character very well-rounded,
while keeping my academic efforts at the forefront of my activities. After
graduation I plan to receive training at the Louisiana Center for the Blind
(LCB) before attending college to become a teacher of blind students. In my
spare time I enjoy reading, writing, singing, traveling, hanging out with
friends, listening to all types of music, and-most importantly-working with
my Federation family to build our movement.

Though I have known about the National Federation of the Blind for most of
my life, I did not become a contributing member until 2011, when I attended
a life-changing program at the Jernigan Institute at which I was inspired by
our positive philosophy and introduced to the myriad ways in which I could
get involved in our cause. Empowered and excited as I was about our
movement, I immersed myself in Federation activity the moment I returned
home from this program, and my enthusiasm has never waivered. I currently
serve the Federation in many capacities, most importantly as Vice President
of the Maryland Association of Blind Students. Through my involvement in
MDABS leadership since 2012, I have been able to participate actively in the
planning of two student seminars, a variety of fundraisers, and other
projects which have built and strengthened our division. Since I joined the
Board of our division, we have established and maintained a social media
presence on Twitter and Facebook, worked to engage our membership in all
aspects of our work, and grown our organization from a virtually unknown
division with do-nothing leadership to a vibrant participant in the work of
the National Federation of the Blind and our Maryland affiliate.

Moreover, we have expanded our membership to include many passionate and
energetic middle and high school students, many of whom I was instrumental
in recruiting into our movement. This recruitment of the younger generation
is a passion of mine which I will bring to my work in NABS. All the while I
have remained personally engaged with our members, always ready to answer
questions and be of support as I am able. I believe that the best way to
lead is through maintaining a productive dialogue with the membership,
listening to their ideas and collaborating with them to achieve the best end
result. I have tried to live up to this philosophy in my work with the
Maryland student division, and will do so at the national level if I am
elected.

I am running for NABS Board because I believe in our cause, and I am ready
to do my part to further us in our journey toward first-class citizenship.
The National Federation of the Blind has changed my life, and I am ready to
give back that which has been so generously given me. Moreover, I am running
because I believe that if NABS is to truly represent all blind students,
high school students too should be represented in our leadership. Too often
I have met blind high school students who have not yet been touched by our
message of hope. They believe that their futures are limited and that
blindness is the characteristic that defines them. We must reach out to
these students, showing them by our example that blindness need not hold
them back. As a member of this generation of students, I feel that I would
be the best leader to facilitate this outreach. Finally, I am running
because I have found NABS to be lacking in our social media engagement.
Through my experience as social media coordinator for the NFB of Maryland as
well as a member of our national Public Relations Committee, I plan to work
toward fixing this lapse in our leadership.

Yes, I am running for a position of national leadership. However, I do not
plan to use that title to distance myself from the membership. I want to
hear from all of you-your ideas, your suggestions, even your complaints. It
is only through constructive dialogue that an organization such as ours can
thrive. In that spirit, I would welcome your questions about my candidacy,
concerns about NABS, and suggestions of what you would like to see NABS do
in the future. In summary, the position of NABS board member is not a
meaningless title to be taken lightly; rather, it is a sacred trust which
must be honored and kept. I hope that you will trust me enough to elect me
as your next Board member. Let us continue to transform dreams into reality
together!

Yours in the movement,

Chris Nusbaum, Vice President

Greater Carroll County Chapter

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

Vice President, Maryland Association of Blind Students

Coordinator of Social Media, National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

Phone: (443) 547-2409

Email: dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com<mailto:dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>

Twitter: @Chrisn98 and @NFBMD

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

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