[NABS-L] finding vollunteer opportunities

[andrew edgcumbe]

Hi Brian

Thanks for writting in on this topic.

Well All you said not all but to me it all is very confusing to me.

I just have such a struggle thinking through what it is i really like
or would like to do.
I know i like animals as well but in that case I have not been able to
because tthe answers i received is they don't want  to  they don't
take hearing or vision impaired people as vollunteers.

Honestly it has been very hard for me to think through things with
just myself the more I think i tend to feel very confused and very  to
point my head is spinning.
Often times it seems like  I tend to find that it is like a fog like
my head gets very fogged up very easily.
I tend to get very discourraged and feeling down like very down and it
gets to point that i tend to loose my selfesteene and stuff like that.
I tend to find that for me it is very difficault to know what I want
at same time.
I tend to find that with me that i am more of a doer then just a heavy thinker.

I never was a ackidemick person at all matter a fact.
I tend to find that with me it is like i have allot of darkness in my
head when i say that it is like I tend to struggle with knowing for
sure if i truly have a purpose or not at all.  and I never been been
able to find a purpose and quite often it is very hard for me to want
to get out of bed and stuff like that.

On 2/18/24, Brian Buhrow <buhrow at nfbcal.org> wrote:
> 	hello Andrew.  It can be difficult to find one's place as a blind person in
> society.
> Instead of just banging your head against the proverbial closed doors of
> churches, nursing
> homes and the like, I suggest sitting down with yourself and thinking about
> what it is that you
> like to do and what it is you're good at.  And, while you're at it, think
> about how you
> contribute to your family life today.  Then, when you have a list, you can
> begin to think about
> how to take some of the items on that list and do them outside of family
> life.
> 	It's worth noting that most volunteers, whether blind or sighted, don't get
> their
> volunteer jobs by coming in the front door of where ever it is they
> volunteer and asking for a
> volunteer job.  Instead, they do one of two things.  Of course, there are
> exceptions, but I
> think these two cases cover a majority of folks who volunteer.  The first
> way is for them to
> decide they want to be part of a particular group or organization.  So, they
> join it as a
> member, or, they make sure they are present when the group meets.  As they
> participate in the
> activities of the group, they observe how it works and who does what and,
> this is important,
> watch for opportunities where they might be able to lend a hand.  When they
> see such an
> opportunity, they step in and do the thing that needs doing.  The second
> thing many people do
> is a variation on the first.  That is, instead of deciding what group or
> organization they're
> going to be a part of, they decide they want to do a particular thing.
> Then, having decided on
> the thing they want to do, they begin searching for groups and organizations
> that do that thing
> and join them, thus leading them back to the task of joining the group and
> figuring out where
> their talents can be helpful in furthering the cause of the group as a
> whole.
> 	This process is made somewhat more complicated as a blind person because
> not only does the
> blind person have to fit into the group they want to join, but they have to
> convince the group
> that their talents and skills will help the group thrive.  Just talking
> about one's skils as a
> blind person won't cut it; the blind person must demonstrate those skills,
> sometimes over and
> over again, to convince their peers they really can do the thing they say
> they can.
> 	I have done this many times over the years, most times with great success,
> but sometimes with
> a result that is a complete failure or is not satisfactory.  The most
> important thing I've
> learned through these experiences is that I will never succeed if I make my
> blindness my
> colleagues' problem.  That is to say, if I'm volunteering for an
> organization, performing a
> job, or otherwise engaging in  a civic activity, I cannot ask those I work
> with to solve the
> problems I encounter due to blindness.  That isn't to say I can't ask for
> help, but it means I
> need to know what to ask for and to be specific about what I ask for, rather
> than asking open
> ended questions of them like: how do you think I might be able to do this
> job?  They don't
> know, and if I ask that question, they will become overwhelmed, feel bad and
> shut down, thus
> removing my opportunity to work with them.  Instead, I could ask something
> like: explain to me
> what  you are doing and how you do it?  Then, I can take that information
> and
> translate it into a process I can follow.
>
> 	I notice you're asking how to find volunteer positions, but you haven't
> told us what you
> want to do and what you're good at or what you enjoy doing.  In other words,
> what do you bring
> to the party when you volunteer?  If you tell us that, we might be able to
> offer more ideas on
> how to get involved with some organization.
>
> 	Good luck with this process and I hope these insights are helpful.  And,
> when you land
> that volunteer job, tell us about it!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> -Brian
>