[nabs-l] Some Thoughts on Recent On-List Discussion and a Friendly Reminder to All Listers

Sun Jan 31 21:15:59 UTC 2016

I would like to help. I've been in what seemed like a hopelessly insurmountable situation with barriers to receiving an education as well, and I have since overcome those obstacles. Elizabeth, I get the feeling that you aren't looking for suggestions of things you can do on your own at your school to address this problem. Can you contact me either here or off list to give me a better idea of what it is you're looking for? You got a lot of suggestions, but clearly none were suitable and is like to understand why so I can offer better advice. 

-Jamie

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 31, 2016, at 1:13 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello Chris,
> 
> I appreciate you posting this message to the email list. I do not wish to
> make this situation worse, but I would like to point out that I am not a new
> member to this organization. The comment you reference in this email comes
> from my experience in not being able to receive the help and support from
> this organization when I needed it. I find it very difficult to see other
> people receive help and support from this organization to help them advocate
> for things that go beyond the means of what they are able to handle on their
> own when I have never really been able to receive this same help and support
> to advocate for things that are beyond the means of what I am able to handle
> on my own. I am sorry if this statement offends people, but it is the truth
> of my experience in trying to be a part of this organization. I think part
> of the reason why I overreacted to the responses I received was because it
> seemed as though the initial responses I received offered solutions that
> went beyond my specific situation and this only caused me to become more
> overwhelmed by my situation. And I am sure this was not the intent of anyone
> who responded to me, but I really felt as though I was being attacked by
> most of the responses I received in response to my message. It seems to me
> that I receive a lot of personal attacks from a number of different members
> within this organization. I honestly do not understand why I am treated this
> way, but the pattern of being treated this way by different members of the
> NFB only leads me to believe that I am this no good person who will never
> really amount to much of anything in life. But anyway, I am sorry for my
> rambles that probably do not belong on this email list. I wish it was easier
> for me to communicate effectively with other people, but it appears as
> though there are some injuries that never really heal.
> 
> Elizabeth. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> via nabs-l
> Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2016 2:36 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Chris Nusbaum <cnusbaumnfb at gmail.com>
> Subject: [nabs-l] Some Thoughts on Recent On-List Discussion and a Friendly
> Reminder to All Listers
> 
> Dear Fellow NABSters:
> 
> 
> 
> Since its beginning Friday morning, I have been attempting to follow our
> most recent large-scale thread, entitled "A Struggling Blind Student Looking
> for Some Advice," as closely as I can. Though the discussion has evolved and
> expanded to encompass several different topics and points of view, I have
> observed a few common themes which seem to me at once gratifying and
> troubling. In an effort to avoid the highly emotionally-charged nature of
> some of the discussion in this thread, I have chosen here to try to address
> these commonalities in a new and separate post rather than responding to a
> lot of individual comments which have been posted throughout the thread.
> 
> 
> 
> Firstly, I would like to thank those who provided constructive answers to
> the questions posed in the original post based on your own experiences. Your
> thoughtful and practical approach exhibits the best characteristics of this
> list. Indeed, this list exists as a forum in which blind students can get
> support, encouragement and information from each other in a nurturing,
> nonjudgmental environment. It was in this spirit that the NABS list was
> created, and it is this spirit that the NABS leadership team tries to keep
> alive as we monitor the day-to-day discussion which takes place here. I
> personally and the leadership team collectively are very appreciative of
> those many list members who assist us in keeping the NABS place an inviting
> forum that people want to participate in. You are what holds this list
> together.
> 
> 
> 
> With this in mind, I have also observed to my dismay that a small but vocal
> minority has engaged in personal attacks and angry rhetoric used against
> those with whom they disagree. There have also been those who have appeared
> immovable in their positions, even as new information is disclosed. This has
> created tention and high emotions in a discussion which began as a
> productive exchange of ideas. I completely understand the frustration which
> comes when those of us who are more experienced offer a suggestion to a
> struggling new member, only for that new member to seem to reject the advice
> we gave them. One is tempted to throw up one's hands and reply, "You asked
> me, and I told you what you should do. If you had just done what I told you
> to do, you wouldn't be stuck in this mess!"
> 
> 
> 
> This frustration is a very real feeling, and one with which I have struggled
> on many occasions both inside and outside the Federation. However, I believe
> we must remember that we can only control the advice we give. What a new
> member does or fails to do based on our advice is completely out of our
> control. Moreover, I believe it must be emphasized that what works for one
> may not work for all. Our philosophy states that the blind are a
> cross-section of the general public. If this is true, it follows that each
> blind person is an individual with his/her own strengths, weaknesses, and
> preferences. It is very easy to become insistent on our way of doing things,
> not understanding why others do not do what seems so easy to us. However,
> there are often a number of secondary factors which complicate a
> situation-secondary disabilities, family situations, financial hardships,
> etc. Since we may not be aware of all these factors, we may not always be
> able to provide the most workable advice in every situation. All of us,
> including myself, must therefore recognize the innate individuality of each
> blind person, and exercise patience with those who may be dealing with
> situations which we may not fully understand.
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I was deeply troubled when Elizabeth, the list member whose post
> began the thread in question, expressed her regret that she had posted her
> question to an NFB list. As she wrote, "I guess the support of the NFB is
> for everyone else but me." Obviously, this is not the kind of feeling that
> we who are dedicated Federationists want to leave with our newer colleagues.
> Therefore, I would like to remind all list members that when we post to a
> list like this one, we often represent the first contact blind students have
> with our movement at the national level. Unfair though this may be, it is a
> fact of life that first impressions often determine a person's perception of
> a group of people as a whole. To use a personal example, I did not
> participate in the Federation for ten years because the first impressions I
> gleaned from an earlier experience involving an NFB-sponsored program were
> negative (see my article in the June, 2013 Braille Monitor for more on
> this.) It is vital, then, that we all remember the importance of first
> impressions when posting to the list. Of course, we all have the right to
> express our opinions freely on this list-indeed, we have this list for that
> very purpose. When we resort to anger and personal attacks, however, we are
> not only making bitter an otherwise pleasant conversation, but we are also
> misrepresenting the true, supportive nature of our Federation to new
> members. I challenge all list members, therefore, to remember the support we
> have received from the Federation over the years, and resolve to show that
> support to others whenever we post to our list.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope that my comments here serve only to refocus our on-list discussion
> rather than to further polarize it. If what I have said has offended any of
> my fellow listers, I am truly sorry. Finally, please understand that what I
> have said above is merely my personal opinion and does not reflect any
> official position of NABS or the NABS Board. I hope we can end this brief
> period of discord, and that we can work together to rededicate ourselves to
> accurately representing the love, hope and determination of the National
> Federation of the Blind.
> 
> 
> 
> Yours in the movement,
> 
> 
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Chris Nusbaum, President
> 
> Maryland Association of Blind Students
> 
> Vice President, Greater Carroll County Chapter, National Federation of the
> Blind of Maryland
> 
> Board Member, National Association of Blind Students
> 
> Phone: (443) 547-2409
> 
> Email: dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
> 
> Twitter: @Chrisn98 and @nabslink
> 
> 
> 
> 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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