[NABS-L] Seeking Feedback on Draft Resolution about Changing the Name of a School for the Blind

[Brian Buhrow]

	hello Justin.  Out here in California, our local community college recently considered
changing its name for many of the same reasons you urge the Perkins School for the Blind to
change its name.  There was a lot of heated debate both for and against the change.
One of the strong arguments against the change, which I think will apply here, is the notion of
current name recognition.  I imagine, but don't know for sure, that the Perkins School secures
many of the donations it receives to run its current operations based on the name recognition
it has in the blindness services field. Clearly the leaders at the Perkins School understand
the problmatic nature of their benifactor's legacy by virtue of the fact that they acknowledge
it on their web site.  While I don't know how the National Convention wil vote on this
resolution, I think it instructive to tell you what happened here with the local community
college.

	After considering a number of alternative new names, all of which were problematic for one
group or another, while, at the same time, taking the current value of its old name recognition
into account, the board of trustees for this community college decided to take no action and
not change the name of the college at this time.  Considering the fact that this college is a
local college and that it is only 50 years old, versus the fact that Perkins School has been
known by its current name  for over 150 years, I don't think this will be an easy change for
the school's board to make.

-Brian