[NFB_of_Georgia] Fwd: Open Letter on Safety and Support Progress

Fri Apr 16 15:31:50 UTC 2021

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<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20801&qid=5163229>
Open Letter on Safety and Support Progress

*Content warning: This article mentions instances of abuse and sexual
misconduct. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you
are not alone. The National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free,
confidential support, 24/7, at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or at online.rainn.org
<http://online.rainn.org>.*

Dear Federation Family:

On December 16, 2020, I wrote to you about the pain of Federation members,
former members, and other people within our blindness community. This
letter is a follow up to that communication and part of my accountability
to you as your President.

In this letter, as with the work we have been undertaking since December, I
will not address specific allegations. We will focus instead on the steps
we are taking to ensure our movement is as safe as possible for everyone.
It is also my hope that it clarifies misinformation circulating about our
work and our intentions, as well as the depth of our efforts and the plans
ahead.

We begin this letter by thanking each of you who have given your time,
emotional energy, expertise, and heart to helping our community move
forward. Thank you for making our movement what we all want it to be. I
continue to be humbled and deeply informed by each powerful personal story
that is shared with me by survivors. There is still much work and healing
to be done, but together our work is making a real difference every day.

In the December 16 open letter, the following initial priorities were laid
out to guide our safety and support initiatives:

   - improvements to reporting of incidents
   - open meetings and support of survivors
   - enhancing our Code of Conduct
   - clarifying and enforcing expectations
   - continuous training and consistency among NFB training centers

The following is a summary of the steps we’ve taken:
Survivor Leadership and RAINN Partnership

At the beginning of 2021, we announced a partnership with RAINN
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20771&qid=5163229> (Rape, Abuse &
Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence
organization, and established the Survivor Task Force
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20772&qid=5163229> to help provide
guidance on behalf of blind survivors. Working with RAINN, we have created
and conducted mandatory trainings for all national board members; national
division and affiliate board members; NFB training center staff, students,
and boards; national staff; scholarship committee members; and task force
members. Nearly one thousand people will have received this training by the
end of April.

Our experience with these trainings will inform development of our next
phase of training, expected to roll out this fall. This will include
training for chapter-level leaders and expanded training offerings for
those working with youth. In the meantime, training is planned to ensure
that all individuals involved with our 2021 summer programs including NFB
BELL and NFB EQ are appropriately trained and clear about our expectations
for working with minors. Training is in addition to background check
processes that were already in place.
Special Committee Independent Investigation

On January 6, 2021, the board of directors of the National Federation of
the Blind unanimously established a special committee to oversee and direct
an internal investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by
NFB members, participants, or staff at NFB or NFB-affiliated events,
facilities, or training centers, and the adequacy of NFB's and its
affiliates' response to such allegations. The committee directs its own
work and has complete authority to examine all aspects of the organization.
Its independent work has guided and continues to guide the steps we are
taking to create a safer culture across all NFB affiliates, events, and
programs. The committee hired an outside law firm, Kramon & Graham, to help
with the internal investigation. The four members of the special committee
include an attorney, two affiliate presidents, and a current NFB board
member. None of these individuals have been named in any allegations being
reviewed by the special committee. To ensure the independence and integrity
of their investigation, the special committee will communicate directly
about its work in the coming weeks and months.
Code of Conduct Independent External Investigator

Since December 2020, all reports of sexual misconduct, abuse, and
harassment are reviewed by an independent investigator, Tonya Baña LLC, to
preserve their confidentiality. Once a report is thoroughly investigated, a
report of findings is submitted to the Federation for action. The report is
considered by a two-member panel of national board members who do not have
conflicts of interest in the case. Recommendations are forwarded by the
panel to the President who issues rulings. All rulings are appealable. To
date, all final rulings have been completely consistent with the
recommendations of the external independent investigator.
Climate Assessment Survey and Report

As an additional initiative, RAINN will execute a climate assessment by
gathering feedback from NFB community members to help inform
recommendations for further sexual misconduct prevention and response
programming. This effort will assist in determining additional and
continuous training, which will ultimately provide consistency across the
organization. This is a baseline measurement to target our future efforts
and will continue to be assessed as a component of our accountability
measures.

Please participate in the assessment survey which is expected to be
available later this month. The anonymous survey will result in RAINN
delivering two reports: one internal and one public-facing, detailing
findings and implications that will be shared at the time of our 2021
national convention.
Response Protocols and Code of Professionalism

The NFB Code of Conduct
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20773&qid=5163229> remains in place
to set expectations within our organization, and we have published the Code
of Conduct FAQs <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20774&qid=5163229>
to improve clarity and ease of understanding. All current reports submitted
will be reviewed, regardless of when the incident occurred.

In addition, we are thoroughly reviewing our code of conduct. This work is
on-going. We have instituted the following immediate changes based on your
feedback, as well as input from RAINN, the survivor-led task force, and the
independent investigator.

   - We improved communication protocols to ensure leaders of the
   Federation are notified when individuals have been removed or suspended
   from the organization.
   - We strengthened the appeals protocols to ensure that survivors have
   more time to respond to rulings they feel are not satisfactory for healing.
   - We distributed interim guidance to Federation leaders
   <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20775&qid=5163229> to encourage
   sharing of information about incidents at all levels of the organization so
   patterns can be tracked nationally. The guidance is intended to balance the
   obligations of leaders to share information with the need for survivors to
   consent and guide the sharing of their stories.

In addition to the immediate changes we have made, prior to July, RAINN
will be leading us through the development of a set of customized and
actionable standards of professionalism to address sexual misconduct and
strategic response protocols. The standards will clarify and emphasize
appropriate behaviors for members of the NFB community and act as the
foundation for a safer, healthier organizational culture.
Training Center Coordination

The directors and board chairs of our three training centers have been
coordinating improvement efforts. In addition to training for staff and
students, each center has been examining its policies and procedures to
ensure correct practices are in place. In addition, the Federation has been
reviewing and updating its oversight of affiliated training programs.

We are also working with our training centers and RAINN to strengthen and
implement protocols to ensure we have a uniform approach, that all local
regulations are clearly followed, and that we have consistent communication
throughout the Federation. That work will be fully implemented after our
convention this summer.
Next Steps and Our Commitment to You

Every member of the Federation should be proud of the work we are
undertaking and the speed with which it is happening. But there is still
much more to do. We need all leaders of the Federation to continue to
reflect the expectations of our code of conduct and to help facilitate a
supportive culture when survivors disclose information about incidents
within the organization.

We continue to seek feedback from members and nonmembers regarding safety
and support. Your voice and experiences in these efforts are crucial. Open
meeting announcements, ways to become involved with the work of the
Survivor Task Force, and an archive of updates and resources can be found
at nfb.org/survivors
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20776&qid=5163229>.

We will be making another report of our progress and next steps at the 2021
national convention. These decisions will be grounded in on-going deep
listening and best practices that result from working with RAINN, input
from our survivor-led task force, recommendations of the special committee,
and the input of all of you. Your voice is critical in this process.

We promise to march with you to a stronger future that we build together.
More than words, we know that trust is built through actions that are
meaningful, visible, and sustainable. We continue taking all necessary
steps to earn that trust and ensure blind people can lead their best lives.
We are not yet done with our changes, and together we will move closer
every day to fulfilling the commitments we have made in our movement.

Sincerely,

Mark Riccobono, President

officeofthepresident at nfb.org, 410-659-9314

The National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors shown below affirms
our support and commitment to the content of the above letter from our
President. Each of us are available to answer questions and concerns from
members. We continue to encourage the reporting of any incidents so they
can be independently investigated.

Pam Allen, First Vice President and Board Chair, pallen at louisianacenter.org
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20777&qid=5163229>, 318-251-2891
Ron Brown, Second Vice President, rb15 at iquest.net
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20778&qid=5163229>, 317-213-7031
James Gashel, Secretary, jgashel0923 at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20779&qid=5163229>, 808-234-9259
Jeannie Massay, Treasurer, jeanniemassay at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20780&qid=5163229>, 405-600-0695
Denise Avant, davant1958 at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20781&qid=5163229>, 773-991-8050
Everette Bacon, baconev at yahoo.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20782&qid=5163229>, 801-631-8108
Amy Buresh, amy.buresh74 at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20783&qid=5163229>, 402-440-4722
Shawn Callaway, callaway.shawn at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20784&qid=5163229>, 202-352-1511
Norma Crosby, ncrosby at nfbtx.org
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20785&qid=5163229>, 281-968-7733
John Fritz, president at nfbwis.org
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20786&qid=5163229>, 608-622-7632
Ever Lee Hairston, ever.hairston at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20787&qid=5163229>, 323-654-2975
Carla McQuillan, president at nfb-oregon.org
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20788&qid=5163229>, 541-653-9153
Amy Ruell, aruell at comcast.net
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20789&qid=5163229>, 617-752-1116
Joe Ruffalo, nfbnj1 at verizon.net
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20790&qid=5163229>
Terri Rupp, terri.rupp at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20791&qid=5163229>, 702-524-0835
Adelmo Vigil, nfbnewmexicopresident at gmail.com
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=20792&qid=5163229>, 575-921-5422

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-- 
Dorothy Griffin - President
National Federation of the Blind of Georgia
dgriffin at nfbga.org
770-374-4832

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.