[nfb-db] First Steps

[Catherine Miller]

Friends:

First, thanks to all of you who replied to my request for your geographical location.  That's a great start.  

Scott, the point you made is a very good one.  In order to write a grant proposal, there needs to be what is known as an RFP (Request for Proposal).  When grant money is available, the entity that has the money sends out RFPs so that you can write a proposal to try and win the grant money.  In this case, there are no RFPs, because there is no grant money available on the national level.

Some states have State SSP programs, and one of our objectives should be to strengthen and broaden the SSP program in our state if there is one, or to try and get one if there isn't.  Some states have begun with a "pilot program," meaning that they have obtained limited funding to prove whether or not a SSP program can be successful.  We all know that SSPs work, but when a large amount of money is involved, there needs to be data showing that SSP projects have been successful.

I believe that enough evidence is available from different states with pilot SSP projects to provide the evidence we need.  If not, it won't be long.  Meanwhile, we don't want to just sit around and wait.  Now is the time to begin organizing ourselves so that when the time is right, we can approach Congress in Washington, DC, and request that they consider a bill appropriating funds for SSPs.  There are many reasons why Congress would want to honor our request, but that's another story.  Our focus is how to get to the point where we have enough momentum to make the request.

The thing to do first is to educate each State Affiliate of the NFB about the deaf-blind and SSPs.  We don't need all 50 states (although we certainly can try to get all of them).  Talk with your Chapter President.  Some may have no clue; others may be open.  Establish a relationship with your Affiliate President if you don't already have one.  Tell them what you've learned about SSPs and see what they think.  If they already know about SSPs, then take it upon yourself to provide a little more knowledge.  

Eventually, when you feel comfortable doing so, you may suggest a resolution at your State NFB Convention that shows your Affiliate's support of an SSP project, for example.  Does your state NFB have a Deaf-Blind Division?  Probably not; but is it a possibility in the future?

Obviously all these things take time.  But we're not the only ones working on this.  The Deaf-Blind are also working within the NAD (National Association of the Deaf).  Some of us are familiar with the AADB (American Association of the Deaf-Blind), and  social networks on the Internet.  All of these deaf-blind people have in common the need for SSPs.  Those of us who have used SSPs recognize how liberating they can be.

The next steps are laid out for us in the history of the NFB.  The first convention in 1940 had just a few blind people.  The thing they had in common with the deaf-blind was their hunger for independence.  The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s was a fight for independence, and so was the American Revolution.

Remember, organizations don't work together; people do.   At the Affiliate level, NFB members must learn the plight of their brothers and sisters who are deaf or hard of hearing.    They must understand and believe that we are not defective.  They must know that we have needs that are beyond the skills of blindness to fill.  

Every year, at the Washington Seminary in February, NFB members from all 50 states, DC, and the US territories take three issues to Congress. Within a period of less than a week every Congressman receives the same message at the same time.  How powerful is that?  These messages are the bills, written by the talented members of the NFB, many of whom are lawyers, and eventually get passed into laws.  Why can't one of those initiatives be a request for Congress to fund a national SSP program?

Let's talk about this, you guys..  If you see faults in my thinking, please bring them to my attention.  If there are certain parts you particularly like, say so.  Let's move to award a plan we can all agree on, then invite others to join us.

What have we got to lose?

Cathy Miller