[nagdu] what the NFB Should Do!

[Cindy Ray]

Marion, I think that was well said. I think you should enlarge upon it and make a Monitor article out of it. I know that variations have been done before, but we can't hear it often enough.

Cindy

On Jun 23, 2011, at 8:09 AM, Marion Gwizdala wrote:

> Dear All,
>    Please excuse this cross-posting but I think it is important enough that I wanted to share it with as many of you as possible. When I speak with many blind people who find out I am a leader in the Federation, I often have them say, "The NFB should ...". You can fill in the blank with a myriad of suggestions of what needs to be done to improve the lives of the blind. Generally, my response is, "Are you a member of the NFB?" The most frequent answer is "No!" This opens the door for me to share that the Federation is a membership organization -  a grass roots Movement in which each member must be actively involved in order for us to improve our lives. It is not dr. Maurer; it is not the Board of Directors; it is not the people who work at the National Center for the Blind; it is not our divisions, our affiliates, or our chapters! It is each and every member of the movement! I then invite them to become a member of the NFB and hear the same tired excuses of not being a joiner, not having enough time, not wanting to choose sides, not agreeing with the philosophy, yah dah yah dah yah dah yawn! "In other words," I say, "you want someone else to solve your problems for you and are unwilling to help. Is that right?" Of course, they think I am a rude, obnoxious, belligerent Federationist, what my wife and I would call "C.B." - Confirmation Bias - the bias that "All Federationists are (fill in the blank!" and this experience confirms this belief! 
>    I praise those of you who have joined me in our effort to improve the lives of the blind. You have not made it someone else's problem to solve; you have made it yours! To paraphrase the words of Mahatma Gandhi , "You are the change you want to see in the world!" Thank you for your service and for joining me on the barricades! On to Orlando!
> 
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU)
> National Federation of the Blind
> 813-626-2789
> President at NAGDU.ORG
> HTTP://WWW.NAGDU.ORG
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