[NABS-L] NABS Officers Standpoint

Mon Dec 14 15:00:31 UTC 2020

Thank you for your words, Justin. I believe you when you say there
will be change, and I am hoping that is true. Reading so many accounts
of misconduct has brought up a lot of memories of my own, which I have
written about on my social media account. For those who are curious
and I don't know personally, just know I am a victim and a survivor. I
will not be accepting requests from people I do not already know or
don't feel comfortable with.

With so many stories comes a lot of pain and reliving trauma, and for
those of us who have experienced sexual assault, harassment, physical
violence, emotional or verbal abuse know that I am with you. I am here
for you. I believe you. If at all you feel like you need to talk,
please consider seeking professional help to start the healing process
and mend those wounds. You may be surprised how just talking about it
helps along with learning coping skills to handle those unbearable
moments of discomfort, anxiety, and panic. We may not be able to
change our pasts, but we have the ability to change the future--not
just for us, but for future students and future generations of blind
people. #MarchingTogether
Sincerely,
Caitlin

On 12/14/20, Justin Salisbury via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> We all heard from Trisha. It sounds like some of you might be worried about
> what she said. I think we all have different communication styles, and I
> think sometimes it takes people with styles similar to our own to help us
> feel the way we want to feel. I promise you, we're not done yet.
>
> Since we're talking about such a sensitive topic, I think it's safe to say
> that anyone who writes anything is at risk of receiving a negative reaction.
> I've had people try to kill me before, literally, so maybe that's why I'm
> not afraid to join here.
>
> From what I'm seeing, we have a lot of people speaking up in ways we've
> never seen before. For so many years, many of us have been silenced when we
> have tried to speak up, and we have felt betrayed. Many of us have been
> treated like Colin Kaepernick when we have spoken up. That needs to stop.
>
> Realistically, many of us have come to feel like formal, polished,
> organizational statements are efforts to silence conversations and bring
> conversations under the control of the body that issued the formal polished
> statement. I know that feeling very well. I don't think Trisha was doing
> that. And no, that's not a side pass at any other organizational statement;
> I don't speak passive aggressive that well.
>
> Maybe I'm a little more raw with what I say because I grew up in redneck
> country. I'm at my dad's house right now, and I very realistically could be
> the only person with a college degree on the entire street, which is a
> really long street. Everyone here is either a factory worker, retired,
> agricultural, or one guy who works at a tire barn. Maybe it's because I'm
> part Puerto Rican, and we don't might being really direct. Maybe it's
> because I'm from New England. I don't know.
>
> Sometimes, when I communicate that way, people from socially conservative
> suburban places don't like it. On the other hand, people from wealthy
> suburban places would struggle very much to gain the trust of the people
> where I am right now. No single person can connect with everyone, but I'm
> hoping that we can as a team.
>
> My understanding, when NABS says we're working on it, is that we are
> genuinely talking about what we can do, but we don't exactly know what the
> best solution is yet. Some of us knew this was a problem for a long time,
> and some of us are in shock. We don't necessarily want to react on impulse.
> I know I've done a lot of stupid things when I react impulsively, and I'd
> like to believe I've been growing out of that as the Federation has watched
> me grow up from 19 to now 31 years old.
>
> Many of us are angry, and as a survivor myself, I am not going to tell
> anyone that they shouldn't be. I think we're just trying to figure out how
> to do the right thing.
>
> You all have now seen what I could type during a coffee break. I now have to
> get back to work. I love you all, even those of you I don't know, and I hope
> we can heal together.
>
> Aloha,
>
> Justin
>
>
> Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury
> he/him/his
>
> Second Vice President | National Association of Blind Students
>    A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind
> (808) 797-8606
> president at alumni.ecu.edu | www.nabslink.org
>
> If you need help with a current accessibility barrier in school, visit:
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXoK5sWCpBjvAu4EMOANUufEoJPyUlu4QeJnMB6pIdeohmsg/viewform
>
>
> If you have a story about an accessibility barrier you faced in higher
> education, please tell your story here:
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf68TacBetKMAHZcMhGJLmYgeWDIjjpSm9Sz1OUwYKxzsIEAg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Maura Loberg via
> NABS-L
> Sent: Monday, December 14, 2020 7:51 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Maura Loberg <mauraloberg at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] NABS Officers Standpoint
>
> If I was a self-respecting student, I wouldn't be applying for the
> scholarship program. I don't want money from an organization with so much
> corruption. I plan to stick it out and help them change, because they
> really, really need change. This will no doubt be a big topic of discussion
> in the coming months, and I hope that leads to extreme leadership and policy
> changes. Until those changes occur, keep fighting the good fight and
> marching together. Sending love!
>
> Maura J. Loberg
> Nebraska Wesleyan University, class of 2024 President
> | Nebraska Association of Blind Students
>
>
>> On Dec 14, 2020, at 12:51 AM, Dimitrios Kouniaris via NABS-L
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>     As a former graduate from both the LCB adult program, and STEP
>> program reading all of these stories over the weekend has brought tears to
>> my eyes! I am disgusted by the lack of response from our leaders.
>> Especially our national president!
>>    This is a cancer that has spread, and corrective action needs to be
>> taken! What is the point of being a member of a organization that refuses
>> to deal with these on going issues? I challenge our national president to
>> do some restructuring now! I challenge him to come up with solutions to
>> this cancer that has spread! No one should feel like they can’t come
>> forward. All complaints should be investigated and proper action should be
>> taken! We don’t get anywhere if we sweep things under the rug!!! Until
>> these issues are delt with, and some restructureing is done i refuse to
>> suggest anyone to go to training! I believe that the skills that are
>> taught are good, but policy’s need to be changed, and the bad apples need
>> to go!
>>
>> Warm Regards,
>> Mr. Dimitrios Kouniaris
>> Direct Phone: 504-607-2776
>> Email: dkouniaris at gmail.com
>>
>>> On Dec 14, 2020, at 12:39 AM, Leena Bandy via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I am concerned about this too. I can verify the claim about the
>>> assistant shop instructor at LCB who is also bigoted toward races and
>>> religions different from his own. I cannot say much more here about my
>>> personal story, but I hope action is taken because this has to stop. I
>>> have seen far too many posts by young people who have been taken
>>> advantage of which is sick!
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Juan Parra via
>>> NABS-L
>>> Sent: Monday, December 14, 2020 1:30 AM
>>> To: Danielle Montour <danielle.montour1 at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: Juan Parra <jp7002200 at gmail.com>; National Association of Blind
>>> Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] NABS Officers Standpoint
>>>
>>> As I suspected NABS was going to come out with a BS statement. Saying we
>>> are working on the issue.
>>>
>>> That is code for we will talk about it for a bit and wait for everyone to
>>> settle down and continue as usual. It is like a mass shooting everyone
>>> will say sending our prayers and thoughts. The victims will fight for
>>> change, but nothing will happen.
>>>
>>> The NFB will continue as usual because NABS is scared even though they
>>> are the future of the so-called voice of the nation’s blind and the abuse
>>> continues for another generation.
>>>
>>> All NABS members should step down until the NFB really changes. Pam Allen
>>> is the chair of the code of conduct committee which is a joke. I heard
>>> there is a sexist assistant instructor at the LCB Wood Shop class. Pam
>>> knows about him and his attitude against women, but he is still allowed
>>> to work their even after so many complaints.
>>>
>>> How about we all continue to support NABS and participate but just do not
>>> pay dues because the NFB love’s money. We must do something guy’s the
>>> youth are the future of the NFB.
>>>
>>> If Mark Ricco Bono does not talk about what is currently happening in
>>> the NFB during the entire live presidential release in January or I
>>> think it might be in February, he must go as president even if he
>>> does talk about it, he must go you have to be naive. To think he does
>>> not know about what is going on he has complete control of the NFB
>>> nothing happens in the NFB without his permisssion
>>>
>>> Honestly, the thing the NFB hate’s more than losing money is losing
>>> members to the ACB.
>>>
>>> Ask yourself this when the #MeTo movement was going on nothing happened a
>>> BS Code of Conduct was created and a year later a known violator was
>>> given mic time at the 2019 national convention. This time it is confined
>>> to the NFB nothing is going to happen guys.
>>>
>>> We could try to convince people to not go to the CCB, LCB, and Blind Inc
>>> until the NFB changes.
>>>
>>> We could try to vote all the current board members and officers out
>>> at this year’s
>>>
>>> national convention.
>>>
>>> We could refuse to participate in Washington Seminar.
>>>
>>> The NFB needs the blind youth more than we need the NFB. We are the NFB.
>>>
>>>
>>>>> On Dec 13, 2020, at 6:04 AM, Danielle Montour
>>>>> <danielle.montour1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> good morning,
>>>> As someone whose first run in with sexual assault in this organization
>>>> happened at a Blind students seminar, I’d like the answer to this, as
>>>> well.
>>>> before it happens to us as adults, it often happens to us as children
>>>> when we are at specific programs to benefit students and young adults.
>>>> Quite a few young people have come forward, sharing stories of all forms
>>>> of misconduct that happened to them when they were children. If the
>>>> survivors  of these stories have actually been taken seriously, a good
>>>> number of people would not be able to live near schools and playgrounds
>>>> right now, and they wouldn’t be able to be part of an organization that
>>>> values children, either.
>>>> There has been a pretty resounding silence on this, and I hope that
>>>> breaks today.
>>>>
>>>> With careful optimism,
>>>> Danielle (she/her/hers)
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>>>> On Dec 13, 2020, at 07:10, Juan Parra via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Where do the elected officers of NABS stand on the current issue
>>>>> of sexual harassment inside the NFB and what are you guys planning to
>>>>> do about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> As the largest division of the NFB and the future of the NFB NABS
>>>>> should boycott the NFB until they put their money where their mouth
>>>>> is when it comes to policy and enforcement of the code of conduct
>>>>> and insuring predators are not allowed to be part of the voice of the
>>>>> nation’s blind.
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>> r1
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>>
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