[nfb-db] HKNC

[David Andrews]

So this discussion doesn't get out of hand I would like to suggest an 
alternative word.  It was said that state presidents "denied" that 
they had deaf-blind members.  Maybe a way to think of it is that they 
aren't aware of deaf-blind members.

David Andrews, List Owner

At 08:13 AM 5/22/2013, you wrote:
>Janice,
>
>I want to make sure that I understand correctly, the NFb DB division 
>asked the state presidents for the names of those within their 
>states who are deafblind? And the state presidents denied that they 
>even had deafblind persons in the state? What! Seriously! Please 
>tell me your kidding. I guess your not. In a way I do believe that 
>this happened. UGH! This makes me all shades of mad and frustrated.
>
>I know of quite of few DB in the state of PA. Perhaps those 
>presidents are delusional, or perhaps they really don't have any DB, 
>because the NFB has such a bad reputation for acceptance of the 
>different, or the DB.
>
>its the same as the NAGDU board/division asking the state presidents 
>of who the guide dog users are. I remember a time when guide dogs in 
>the NFB were not accepted, so now as the DB division and people we 
>are starting off at the same point.
>
>I wonder if, one of us wrote an article, and wanted it in the 
>Braille Monitor about DB issues, if it would be included. What do 
>you all think?
>
>Marsha drenth
>Sent with my IPhone
>
>On May 22, 2013, at 6:14 AM, Janice Toothman 
><janice.toothman at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > Hi Marsha and Pawpower,
> > I empathize.
> > As a secretary of the deaf-blind division, the board talked about 
> lack of acceptance by the NFB to issues of the deaf-blind. We had 
> tried to get asked each state affiliate president for the names of 
> deaf-blind individuals in their state all had denied they had any 
> deaf-blind members!
> > We discussed the growing as more people live longer they will 
> acquire age related deaf-blindness.
> >
> > We will be seeking to propose resolutions this year at the 
> National Convention to hope raise awareness to the deaf-blind issues.
> > Janice
> > On 5/22/2013 1:09 AM, The Pawpower Pack wrote:
> >> Marsha,
> >> I have never been to HK as a student, but I did want to say that 
> I have had the same experience with the NFB, on local, state, and 
> national levels.  Not willing to provide interpreters, Resentful 
> attitudes, nasty namecalling and treating me like I have terrible 
> blindness skills because I'm deaf and therefore can't interact with 
> the world like hearing people.
> >> I have to say, that the NAGDU has been the single exception to 
> my experience and is wonderful.
> >> I don't go to national conventions any more, because I'm tired 
> of the names and the superior attitudes, and the downright nasty 
> behavior.  It's very sad.  Because as our population ages, more and 
> more people will experience hearing loss.  So the same people who 
> are being rude and horrible today may have hearing loss in 20 
> years.  I hope, for their sake, that fundamental change will have 
> happened in the NFB by the time they need it.
> >>
> >> Rox and the Kitchen Bitches
> >> Bristol, Mill'E-Max, Laveau!
> >> pawpower4me at gmail.com
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >> On May 21, 2013, at 9:14 PM, Marsha Drenth 
> <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hello Listers,
> >>>
> >>> For the past year I have lost a significant amount of hearing. 
> Last tested I was at a 100DB loss. I have been totally blind for 
> the last 10 years. as a child I attended a school for the blind. So 
> my blindness skills are good. But now with the loss of my hearing, 
> life has certainly gotten interesting and challenging. I will be 
> the first to say that I have been struggling. Currently I am a full 
> time student at a major university pursuing a degree in Social 
> Work. I have one year left.
> >>>
> >>> So my questions are this, Has anyone on this list been to HKNC? 
> I know the NFB advocates for a blindness skills training center, 
> but that is NOT what i need. my OVR came to and has recommended 
> that I go to HKNC for training. If you have been, I have a whole 
> slue of questions, that i'll ask at another point.
> >>>
> >>> What is the NFB's stance on HKNC? This by no means will impact 
> my desicion to go or not to go. I am curious.
> >>>
> >>> I guess a better reason of why I ask the above questions, is 
> that I have been an NFB member for my entire life, my parents, my 
> grandparents all have been in the NFB. my grandparents were around 
> when the two organizations split. I have grown up with the positive 
> philosophy. I get it, I truely do. But here I have been thrust into 
> the world of deafblindness. Not many people know this yet, as I am 
> working to figure things out, I am only begining to be comfortable 
> with expressing my needs to others. I know that is whole another 
> subject on acceptance, but that is not my point for this post.
> >>>
> >>> I will relay an experience I had at my last national 
> convention, last year in Dallas. I was in the general session, I 
> got up to go to the bathroom, found my way out fine. Found the 
> bathroom fine. But when I entered the big huge room, I was lost. I 
> asked persons around me where I was. People were rude. i said I 
> can't hear. people made fun of me. I walked around looking for my 
> state for atleast 15 minutes. I was frustrated, I didn't know which 
> way was to the front or the back of the room or the way to get out.
> >>>
> >>> I tell you all this, because I realized that my ability to 
> hear, my independence was changing. There were other times that I 
> got lost, but people were so rude, so mean. When I expressed that I 
> was hard of hearing and totally blind, people did not understand, 
> care, or get it. In other words I was shunned, looked down upon, made fun of.
> >>>
> >>> Why can't people in the NFB accept persons who are different? 
> Why are us who are deafblind looked down upon? And if confirmed, 
> its just because our blindness skills are lacking. That is not the case.
> >>>
> >>> So do the NFB people look down upon those who go to HKNC? Is 
> there a difference in training philosophy? Again I said this won't 
> change my desision to go for training or not. more curious than anything.
> >>>
> >>> Look folks I don't want to argue about this, but I do want answers.
> >>>
> >>> Thank you for reading, and sorry this is so long....
> >>>
> >>> Marsha drenth
> >>> Sent with my IPhone