[nabs-l] SHARE WIDELY: National Federation of the Blind Is Seeking to Support DREAMers

Mon Sep 25 00:55:06 UTC 2017

Thank you for asking.
For the sake of privacy, I will write without much personal details.
In my opinion, one issue is in navigating the process of receiving
accommodations when people with disabilities must work with U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS.) Working with USCIS could
include applying for permanent residency, applying for citizenship,
and a range of other services.
Based on my personal experience, USCIS staff are not super
knowledgeable about how to execute accommodation for people with
disabilities.
Immigrant rights organizations are not well-equipped with knowledge on
requesting accommodations either based on my experience.
Similarly, most people in organizations like NFB are not knowledgeable
about immigration related procedures, and are unable to help when
their members seek help with immigration related matters.

In regards to why disability and immigration are not separate issues,
many people come to U.S. for better medical care or simply better
opportunity as people with disabilities. In other words, for some
people, having a disability themselves or having a child with
disability is primary reason why they forgo the comfort of their
homeland and immigrate to the U.S. even when (in some cases) they risk
being undocumented because U.S. offers better medical care and
educational opportunities than their home country.

On another note, I would like to note that NFB is not the only
disability rights advocacy organization that  is taking a stance on
DACA repeal.

National Council on Independent Living expressed its stance on this article:
http://www.advocacymonitor.com/ncil-condemns-the-decision-to-end-daca/

Miso

On 9/24/17, Sarah via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Miso, please explain more about your immigration process. (You may do so
> privately if you wish.) This is something that I for one would like to
> understand more about. How was this impacted by your blindness and what do
> immigration organizations need to know? I think that what you say here is
> extremely valuable, and while I agree thhat educating other organizations
> will take a long time I also think it is part of what we need to do. I work
> with other organizations that support immigrant rights in various ways, and
> I would like to educate them as much as possible.
>
>
> Rev. Sarah Blake LaRose
> http://www.sarahblakelarose.com
> Accessible instruction in Biblical languages
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miso Kwak via
> NABS-L
> Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2017 6:35 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Miso Kwak <misokwak12 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] SHARE WIDELY: National Federation of the Blind Is
> Seeking to Support DREAMers
>
> Joe and others who may share his sentiments, I would like to preface this
> email by saying that I am neither an expert, nor deeply involved in NFB
> leadership.
> However, I am also a naturalized citizen, who self-identify as a 1.5
> generation immigrant.
>
> So, for those who argue that disability and immigration are two completely
> separate issues, I am here as one of many living counterexamples to that
> argument.
>
> If NFB or any other organization for that matter claims to be a consumer
> organization promoting the blind to live the lives they want, I think it is
> the organization's responsibility to stand with blind people who are
> affected by such major policy as DACA repeal. Bluntly speaking, regardless
> of one's view on whether DACA should be allowed or not, it is fact that with
> the repeal of DACA, blind people who are DACA recepients cannot live the
> lives they want, figuratively and literally.
>
> My personal belief is that organizations serving the blind and immigrant
> rights organizations must collaborate in order to meet the needs of blind
> immigrants. Immigrant rights organization are not often equipped well enough
> to understand and serve people with not just blindness but any other
> disabilities. My personal experience of going through the naturalization
> process is one evidence.
> Similarly, organizations that are solely dedicated to serving people with
> disabilities are often poorly equipped with the ability and sensitivity to
> serve immigrants (whether the immigration was legal or
> not)
>
> I am afraid it may take too long to see collaboration between disability
> focused organization and immigrant rights organization, but I believe NFB's
> effort to learn more about the blind people affected by the repeal of DACA
> is a necessary first step forward.
>
> Miso Kwak
>
> On 9/24/17, Ashley Bramlett via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Joe,
>>
>> I'll try to be nonpartisan here. The DACA is a major thing impacting
>> all those immigrants in it.
>> I would guess it may impact blind  people more in the following ways:
>> 1. It may impact their ability to receive state vocational rehab
>> services that we all get or can get.
>> 2. Unemployment among any immigrant population is hindered by  the
>> language
>>
>> barriers. I  have seen it firsthand.
>> While most people can go out and grab low wage jobs, blind people are
>> excluded from these service sector jobs which require little language
>> skills. Immigrants including dreamers partake in these jobs such as
>> housekeeping staff at hotels, cleaning facilities in public areas such
>> as our colleges and universities, painting houses, and of course lawn
>> services.
>> Blind people who cannot fluently read and write english are more
>> negatively
>>
>> impacted. When an immigrant I know tried to take ESL classes at
>> Northern virginia community college, it is my understanding he could
>> not follow the class due to the visual nature of it such as pictures
>> in workbooks. And, of
>>
>> course Nova is terrible at accomodations and failed to help this
>> student with special needs succeed.
>>
>> 3. Blind Dreamers may also have a harder time securing other
>> government services.
>> 4. Dreamers may be denied other services their fellow dreamers can
>> partake of.
>>
>> I'm glad NFB is taking this up.
>>
>> Yes it is true we are vastly underemployed in general. It is true we
>> have a
>>
>> ways to go in that area for all Americans.
>> I think a huge hindrance to employment is accessibility of software.
>> I've seen it firsthand. I'm hoping NFB will make headway in advocacy
>> for accessibility sooner than later.
>>
>> Its also true that none of the NFB national resolutions spoke of this
>> issue.
>>
>> However, I believe the resolutions were written prior to Mr. Trump's
>> decision.
>>
>> Its something to ask the national office if you are still curious.
>> I'm a naturalized citizen too, and I definitely understand your concerns.
>> As a naturalized citizen, I want to be a first class citizen and earn
>> my way
>>
>> including participating in the workforce but so far many barriers have
>> hindered me such as attitudes of employers and accessibility of third
>> party
>>
>> software.
>> However, Dreamers have unique needs and challenges which I, as a
>> naturalized
>>
>> citizen growing up here in American public schools, do not have.
>>
>> Good questions.
>> I look forward to the outcome of such studies NFB conducts.
>>
>> Ashley
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Joe via NABS-L
>> Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2017 7:06 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Cc: Joe
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] SHARE WIDELY: National Federation of the Blind
>> Is Seeking to Support DREAMers
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>>
>>
>> This post has been gnawing at me for over a week. Maybe someone can
>> help me understand our rationale in getting involved in an issue that
>> is clearly partisan.
>>
>>
>>
>> My understanding is that the NFB seeks to enable all blind individuals
>> to live the life they want, irrespective of immigration status. No
>> argument here. I appreciate the work we do to provide equal
>> opportunities for everyone--regardless of their legal status, which
>> ought not to be any of our business anyway, and regardless of their
>> membership in our organization.
>>
>>
>>
>> But now we're talking about devoting already limited resources to
>> better inform policymakers about the administration's decision to
>> rescind the DACA program. I don't understand how this became a priority.
>>
>>
>>
>> Why are we suddenly interested in providing assistance to
>> beneficiaries of the DACA program? If we are doing our work correctly,
>> then one could argue the affected blind beneficiaries are already being
>> served.
>>
>>
>>
>> Why would we collect statistical analyses on the unemployment rate of
>> the blind before and after the DACA program when we barely have a
>> handle on the unemployment rate among the majority of blind Americans?
>> If the general statistics are accurate, then the unemployment rate
>> among the blind is somewhere in the neighborhood of 75%. I don't
>> understand why our limited resources would not be devoted to solving
>> for the employment needs of all blind Americans as opposed to the
>> needs of the few. The fact we are largely excluded from the vast
>> majority of minimum wage jobs accessible to the rest of the population
>> should be of greater concern than the consequences of a program that was
>> legally and constitutionally controversial to start.
>>
>>
>>
>> The DACA program is not likely to result in mass deportations and
>> other grim predictions forecasted by one side of the highly polarizing
>> issue. The point is part of a larger debate on immigration reform.
>> Congress should enact legislation the way it should have done when the
>> legislative measure was originally proposed under President Bush in
>> 2007, and to be fair, a bipartisan effort is underway to provide at
>> least a three-year reprieve to the affected community. Given the
>> convoluted and hotly contested nature of the overarching dialogue on
>> the matter, why would the NFB spend its limited political capital
>> appearing to take sides on this issue?
>>
>>
>>
>> Looking through this year's resolutions, I see no mention of devoting
>> resources to beneficiaries of the DACA program. How do we go about
>> deciding outreach efforts in situations where our mission was not
>> directed by the objectives agreed to by our convention?
>>
>>
>>
>> To me, the step feels like an opportunistic means of snagging
>> attention on an issue that is already steeped in controversy. We are
>> already fighting an uphill battle on employment equality for those
>> individuals working in sheltered environments. We already face
>> educational and employment disparities among highly qualified blind
>> permanent residents and citizens, born and naturalized.
>>
>>
>>
>> But, perhaps I am missing something. I'm willing to be educated. As a
>> naturalized citizen, I understand the benefits of something like DACA
>> to get ahead in this country. For that, there are other immigration
>> rights consumer groups. We can trust them to take up the cry for fair
>> treatment. We can trust them to help undocumented individuals find and
>> keep a place in our society. I would like to think we place our trust
>> in the NFB to make that society more accessible.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>
>> Joe
>>
>>
>>
>> From: NFBNet-Members-List
>> [mailto:nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>> Behalf Of President, National Federation of the Blind via
>> NFBNet-Members-List
>> Sent: Friday, September 15, 2017 9:07 AM
>> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] SHARE WIDELY: National Federation of
>> the Blind Is Seeking to Support DREAMers
>> Importance: High
>>
>>
>>
>> National Federation of the Blind Is Seeking to Support DREAMers
>>
>> As the principal vehicle for collective action for the blind in the
>> United States, the National Federation of the Blind is committed to
>> enabling all blind people, irrespective of immigration status, to live
>> the lives we want.
>> To better inform our current and future advocacy and policy
>> strategies, the National Federation of the Blind is collecting the
>> following information to better understand the impact of the
>> administration's recent decision to rescind the Deferred Action for
>> Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program among the blind in the United States.
>> The information collected will be used to:
>>
>> 1. Identify DREAMers who are blind in order to better understand the
>> impact on blind people and help inform the National Federation of the
>> Blind regarding ways the organization can best provide assistance.
>> 2. Develop an aggregate summary of the blind people in the United
>> States who participate in the DACA program, which can be shared with
>> government officials, advocates, and other interested parties.
>> 3. Develop statistical analyses on the unemployment rate among the
>> blind before and after the establishment of the DACA program.
>> 4. Highlight general narratives of blind people living the lives they
>> want because of the DACA program.
>> 5. Coordinate a community of blind DACA recipients in order to
>> maximize the resources available.
>>
>>
>> If you or someone you know is blind and receives DACA benefits, please
>> complete the National Federation of the Blind DACA form at the below
>> links (available in Spanish and English), or share this information
>> with them. If you know of a DREAMer who does not have internet access,
>> we would appreciate your helping them complete the form.
>>
>> Spanish NFB DACA form: https://nfb.org/daca-es English NFB DACA form:
>> https://nfb.org/daca
>>
>> Together with love, hope, and determination, the National Federation
>> of the Blind transforms dreams into reality. Through this effort we
>> seek to support the hopes and dreams of blind people seeking to be
>> fully contributing members of our nation.
>>
>>
>> Mark A. Riccobono, President
>> 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
>> (410) 659-9314 | Officeofthepresident at nfb.org
>> Twitter: @Riccobono
>>
>>
>> <https://nfb.org/> Image removed by sender. National Federation of the
>> Blind
>>
>>
>> <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind> Image removed by
>> sender. Facebook     <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice> Image removed by
>> sender. Twitter     <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> Image removed
>> by
>> sender. Youtube
>>
>> The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
>> friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind.
>> Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they
>> want.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Miso Kwak
> University of California, Los Angeles | 2017 Psychology B.A. | Education
> Studies Minor | Disability Studies Minor
> (909) 660-1897
>
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-- 
Miso Kwak
University of California, Los Angeles | 2017
Psychology B.A. | Education Studies Minor | Disability Studies Minor
(909) 660-1897