[Nfbc-info] Suggestion to blind people who care

[Michael Peterson]

Hi Everyone This is just to say if you can be in San Francisco on the 
morning of October 22 We need you at the Golden Gate Bridge Walk.
When I checked the sponsor sheet I counted 23 people yesterday who are 
signed up.  I'm thankful for those who are but we need lots more to show 
potential sponsors and others who may be concerned like the press that lots 
of blind people care about Braille literacy.
We care because we want to be able to read and we care because it's a 
provable fact that the more literate we are the more likely we are to get 
and hold on to jobs.
We're telling the world that we truly want to go to work. We are telling the 
world that participating fully in society is important to us in High school 
and in College at work and at play.
We're telling the world that we truly need them to support us.
We're telling the world that the sell of the Louis Braille coins is 
important!
In fact the bridge walk was the bridge we used just this week to go from our 
pizza fundraiser to the purchase of a coin by one individual  so I know it 
works.
While in a different post I ask about incentives I didn't talk about our 
greatest incentive.  This is the incentive that helped us get the Randolph 
shepherd and the Wagoner o'Day acts passed.   It's the incentive that 
changed legislation and allowed us to go to school, keep our children have 
accessibility and much much more. It brought 60-minutes to examine sheltered 
workshops in the 1980's and it helped create a commission in Iowa as well as 
blind centers in Louisiana, Colorado, and in Minnesota--am I leaving anyone 
out?
 It is the incentive that broke down the social barriers so blind people can 
sit where they want on airplanes and can take there guide dogs with them 
where ever they go.  IT allows us to rent our own apartments and travel in 
the public streets unaccompanied.
It's the incentive that rewards great agencies of and for the blind and 
exposes bad ones.
    In New York a few months ago when the Kendall reader issue came up we 
thronged the streets with hundreds of people.  At the golden Gate we need 
thousands if it were possible.  Thousands because numbers are convincing to 
the public numbers tell Joe the plumber and his friends that we care and 
they show the media that it's not just a small elite group of blind 
intellectuals.  We all care!
It's not even about just the NFB it's much much more!  In orange county the 
Library of Congress and others are holding a conference early next month 
professionals are doing what they can.  But on October 22 it's our turn the 
blind consumers we need to have our day and we need to have our say and we 
need to do it at the very least in the hundreds.
Students, Teachers, housewives, sheltered shop workers, Vendors, elementary 
school children, Seniors and more if your blind and you care we need your 
bodies, living of course and we need your voices.
The public needs to know we care about our lives.  We care enough to leave 
our comfort zones and we care enough to when need be take our message to the 
streets.
We tell the media we are the blind--and if you consider the numbers in all 
the organizations of the organized blind movement we claim hundreds of 
thousands.  Where are you people?  I only see 23 names posted on the sheet 
of walkers.
To quote Neil Diamond, and I'm paraphrasing of course,
 Pack up the babies and grab theold ladies and everyone goes cause everyone 
knows it's our salvation show"
Even if you don't come to the convention meet whozit on the bridge!
Tell the public that blind people care.
If you can get sponsors to support you wonderful!
They can sign up and pay by check or credit card on line and the money will 
help lots but yourPhysical  presence helps more!  That's what shows on the 
evening news and on the front page of the Los Angeles times, the Sacramento 
Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Your presence means even more.  When we go to the legislature to put sound 
in the quiet cars you will be there.
When we tell them we need better work incintives in social security you will 
be there.  When we ask Verizon to take down or raise the utility boxes you 
will be there.
When we raise money for agencies of the blind so they can provide training 
and help us find work you will be there.
Why? Because as they say a picture is worth a thousand words! And, the 
picture they see of hundreds of blind people crossing the Golden Gate bridge 
together will make a lasting impression long remembered!


This is California one of the biggest States in the Union which compared to 
other states has a huge blind population--Where are you?
That's what the media will be asking.
And that's what the public will be wondering.But than again public 
stereotype misperception and accepted mythology says you won't appear you 
can't your blind after all.

Ask Martin Luther King, Caesar Chavez, or any of the freedom fighters who 
served in American history.
Freedom isn't free it takes commitment. Many have been injured and died for 
what they believed just so others could be free yet all we are ask to do is 
come to San Francisco and cross the golden gate bridge this is today's 
challenge.
 Ask any of our Veterrans about what would happen if we stop fighting for 
our freedom and I'm not asking any one to go to war!
But to quote the Virginia slim commercial "we've come a long way baby!"
We've come to far to rest on our laurells and we've come to far to turn 
back.
During the late 60's and early 70's the youth of America mobilized to end 
what they felt was an unjust war--whether you agree with the politics or not 
they were affective. In the 70's and 80's the disabled mobilized and made 
major changes in Rehabilitation which led eventially to the Americans with 
Disabilities act (ADA).

Change takes individual commitment yours and mine--if that goes away so will 
our gains.
It takes effort to say I won't sit at the back of the bus anymore and it 
takes effort to at the risk of physical inconvenience sit in the front and 
demand that right.  But only through commitment are landmark gains made. We 
have a message and a song to sing which the public needs to hear but it 
takes voices to make a choir.
By myself I can do little compared to the power of us together! If your 
reading this and my words are touching your heart at all we need you.
It's your time to help make a difference your time to shine.  Maybe you have 
done it before maybe you never have but we need you now, today to strike 
while the iron is hot.
I will be there to do what I can and thank God I see 22 others who will be 
joining me--but we need lots more.
Please sign up today and show the world on October 22 that blind literacy 
really does matter.
Come by bus, come by train come by foot or come by plane--but if you 
possibley can come meet us in San Francisco.
We've crossed so many bridges before and now here's another one.
A bridge from SSI and poverty to work and full participation in society. 
The bridge is braille literacy.
So come together let's open the golden gate to freedom.
Mike Peterson


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