<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br><br><div dir="ltr">Robert Stigile, Second Vice-President<div>National Federation of the Blind of California</div><div>President San Fernando Valley Chapter</div><div>818-381-9568</div><div><br></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> National Federation of the Blind via NFBNet-Members-List <nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org><br><b>Date:</b> December 16, 2020 at 9:49:13 AM PST<br><b>To:</b> nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org<br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[Nfbnet-members-list] Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> National Federation of the Blind <webmaster@nfb.org><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">
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<h1><b>Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono</b></h1><br>
<br>
Content warning: the following letter addresses sensitive topics
regarding sexual misconduct and violence.<br>
<br>
Dear Fellow Federationists:<br>
<br>
Many NFB members, former members, and people within our blindness
community are hurting. For some, the pain comes from their lived
experience of being abused or violated by one of our members and/or made
to feel like no one else was listening or came to their defense at a
Federation event or training program. For others, what they feel is
empathy for survivors who were harmed by participating in the National
Federation of the Blind, recognizing that we have not done enough within
our movement and systemically within our community. We are deeply sorry
that this is true and apologize for where we have failed. As the elected
President of this movement, Icarry the responsibility of this pain. I am
profoundly sorry that anyone has been harmed by experiences in our
movement. As a husband, father of three children, and leader who tries to
live by a strong set of ethical values, I hurt for the survivors, and I
deeply regret that I have made mistakes along the way. At each
opportunity that I have to sit with my young children, I am directly
reminded how fragile the balances are in our lives and how much our
actions can have a lasting impact on others. I live with the regret and
sorrow for the mistakes I personally made in dealing with inappropriate
behavior in the past. Sometimes my mistakes have only been illuminated
later through the honest reflection of a friend or the vulnerable sharing
ofsomeone who has been harmed. How do you adequately write a letter to
apologize for that? How do you spread this sentiment to an entire
movement of people including those who have left our organization? How do
we, collectively, create an adequate action plan to promote healing,
prevent future incidents, and continue our development of a culture that
is welcoming, safe, and eliminates the barriers to bringing concerns
forward for resolution? This letter attempts to explore those questions,
but this is merely a single moment in these needed conversations.<br>
<br>
Our hearts break for the survivors of abuse and sexual misconduct who
have bravely shared incidents that have happened within our organization
over the decades. During the past couple of weeks, a number of courageous
individuals have shared painful stories about their experiences on social
media and in individual conversations. We thank those brave survivors for
sharing their stories because we recognize how difficult that is and how
each story creates a unique set of emotions and challenges. We deeply
regret that over our eighty years we have not handled each situation
appropriately or been able to heal the pain that such incidents create.
We do notreject these feelings of pain. In fact, we want to find and
establish better ways to hear them and continuously eliminate the actions
that caused them. We have no intention of debating the circumstances of
any instance. Instead we acknowledge that if a survivor was left feeling
the situation went unaddressed, then we have failed. The membership
demands we do better. I, as President, demand this of myself and expect
it from our movement. We will do better. In addition to calling upon all
Federationists to listen better, honestly reflect upon your own biases,
and to actively align our actions to our words, I call upon you not to
dismiss those who cannot believe that our intentions are sincere or those
who have had the courage to come forward.It is our individual and
collective action, positively focused on making things better that will
create belief. That is what has been true for us since 1940, and it will
continue to be true for us going forward.<br>
<br>
Let us get down to the hard facts. Words appear to mean nothing without
actions, so below I’ve outlined six steps that we are committing to in
the near future. Before I list them, please understand that these are
initial steps, and we are committed to exploring and implementing
whatever policies, programs, trainings, or resources necessary beyond
these steps to appropriately address these horrible situations.<br>
<h2><b>Improvements to Reporting of Incidents</b></h2><br>
<br>
We are currently thoroughly reviewing the pathways for reporting
incidents and how those paths are handled. We are open to revamping all
of the reporting mechanisms we have. We are in discussion with outside
consultants who are expected to do a complete review of our processes
with a specialized emphasize on sexual misconduct and harassment. We will
rebuild all of our procedures if needed. We expect our revised processes
to involve a third-party entity, but since we do not yet know how that
will turn into actionable efforts within our organization, we cannot be
specific about that process. Our hope is to be more transparent about our
partnership andtimelines for action during the first quarter of 2021. We
hear you about the uncomfortable position some people feel is created by
the current reporting system when a person must report through members
they will later need to deal with personally. Regardless of the reporting
mechanisms we maintain and create, we must be very clear on one point:
Every elected leader of this organization must be prepared to take
concerns seriously and to act upon information they are given as quickly
and thoroughly as possible. Furthermore, the safety of blind youth who
are under our supervision is our highest priority, and any incident that
is discovered must be dealt with immediately.<br>
<h2><b>Open Meeting and Supporting Survivors</b></h2><br>
<br>
We are committing to hold an open meeting or series of listening sessions
to discuss these issues and solicit feedback on what support and
resources victims and survivors need. We have not yet detailed what the
open meeting and conversations will be. Because we do not want to
unintentionally contribute to further pain among survivors, we want blind
people with lived experiences and our consultants to guide that process.
In the meantime, we continue to answer calls and emails from Federation
members seeking clarity about these issues and offering solutions that we
will carefully weigh as our learning continues. We are grateful to those
of you who havereached out directly offering your personal experiences as
a guide to future development. The members of the Federation are expected
to shape what we do, and your readiness to bring solutions makes a big
difference. Our goal is to provide support and healing to victims and
survivors. <br>
<h2><b>Enhancing the Code of Conduct Work</b></h2><br>
<br>
Prior to recent events and the stories that have emerged, we were in the
process of considering and implementing several enhancements surrounding
our code of conduct and its related procedures and programs. We have now
paused those efforts. Why? Because we are listening. We have done
horribly at messaging and sharing our internal procedures and our plans
for effectively administering our organization's code of conduct. I say
paused because we want to carefully evaluate where we are and our next
steps guided by the expertise of anti-sexual-violence experts from
outside our movement. If we must completely reset, that is what we will
do. For now, ourcode and existing procedures are in place to set
expectations within our organization. We will carefully evaluate current
grievances to ensure that they continue to be safely and swiftly
investigated even while our procedures are under review.<br>
<h2><b>Illuminating Expectations </b></h2><br>
<br>
You may already know, but the board made its annual revisions to the code
and procedures process on December 5, 2020. When we went to post the
revisions, we realized that the FAQ we planned to post after the December
2019 review did not happen. No excuses, that was a pretty big dropped
ball. That document is intended to answer questions like what happens
when a grievance is filed, how is information kept confidential, and what
communications can a filing party expect? Overall, we have failed to
communicate broadly the procedures we have been using. For example, we
allow for advocates to participate with parties who are involved with
code of conductinvestigations. Moreover, these FAQs will also be informed
and expanded based upon questions that continue to be raised. They will
also evolve as we implement additional avenues for raising concerns and
for training members of the organization. We take ownership for the
misinformation that is now circulating. Please keep those questions and
suggestions coming.<br>
<h2><b>Continuous Training</b></h2><br>
<br>
Training on issues around misconduct and abuse is something we have only
skimmed the surface of in the recent past. We have done a minimal amount
of training for affiliate presidents and workshops at our national
convention. We were not satisfied that our training was sustainable, so
we have been seeking other partners. That has been unreasonably slow. No
excuse, we understand. We are going to be putting together training with
the specific goal of preventing misconduct and abuse at Federation events
and to strengthen the level of comfort with reporting. We have also hired
an individual to assist in a number of areas including
coordinatingtrainingthat person only started on November 30, which is
why we had not yet introduced her to the membership. <br>
<h2><b>Consistency across NFB Training Centers</b></h2><br>
<br>
A lack in consistency in practices across the three training centers that
are affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind has been raised
as a concern. It is worth noting that only BLIND Incorporated, the
Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind
have made the specific partnership commitments necessary to be formally
and officially affiliated with the organized blind movement. On a regular
basis, I have been meeting with our training center directors with the
specific goal of better aligning our practices and policies. There is
more work to do there. We expect these centers to fully commit to our
code of conductpractices and set the highest standard of professional
practice in all programs. During the most recent revisions of our code of
conduct, we discussed the topic of consistency in handling and reporting
concerns at our centers. We will be conducting a full review and
implementing consistent training for the personnel at each of our
centers. I stand with those who have been harmed by any employee,
contractor, or volunteer at one of our centers, and I am prepared to help
eliminate ineffective practices and urge the termination of those
employees and contractors (as well as the exclusion of volunteers) who
violate our policies in this area. <br>
<br>
Let me also add that our training centers have made a great difference in
raising the standard of training for blind people in this nation and all
around the world. As a graduate of one of our centers, I share that pride
for the training I received but also the pain that even one person coming
through one of our centers would have had a harmful experience. The
employees at our centers are some of the most dedicated and thoughtful
folks I know, and they are committed to the safety and wellbeing of
program participants. However, that does not excuse harmful incidents
that have happened in our training programs. I know our centers are
committed to doingbetter. I know the executive directors and boards of
each of these training centers will be prioritizing the advancement of
these conversations. Most importantly, I know they feel your pain in a
very deep and personal way.<br>
<br>
Again, these are immediate actions and commitments. This is not a
complete roadmap for the years to come, but it outlines some of the
forthcoming actions we are focusing on. We know that we need to examine
more ways to support our members such as mental health resources and the
expertise of crisis professionals. Members of the Federation have a right
to demand information about what is being done, and Federation leaders
are expected to share that information. When we committed to the code of
conduct in 2018, we made a commitment to a much-needed journey. Our
commitment has not wavered even if we have not been outwardly
demonstrating a commitment that youcan trust. As leaders, we will
continue to work to earn your trust and we will remain committed to
continuous improvement and an open dialogue for organizational change. We
are committed to finding ways to heal that pain, while preventing any
future pain that results from unacceptable behavior. We are going to need
the ideas and support of the members of this movement to do that in a
meaningful and effective manner, so all are welcomed. <br>
<br>
You continue to be our wise teachers. You who have shared your personal
experiences and who have dared to open yourselves continue to guide us.
In the National Federation of the Blind, we value diversity, we strive to
be fully inclusive, and we want to be the safe space for all blind
people. Every blind person in this nation deserves what this movement has
to offer, and we recognize we have work to do so that every blind person
feels like there is a place here for everyone. We are going to get there
together. We apologize that we have not yet made it all the way, but we
pledge that the commitment is deep and it is real. We are not done with
our changes.<br>
<br>
With love and commitment, we are #MarchingTogether.<br>
<br>
Mark Riccobono, President<br>
</a><a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19462&qid=4709062">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a>, 410-659-9314<br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors shown below
requested that the President write an open letter regarding our
commitments. By signing below, each of us affirms our support and
commitment to the content of the letter above. Anybody with concerns
regarding the content of this letter, the commitments that have been
expressed, or potential incidents that may have happened at Federation
events are welcome to contact any of the individuals endorsing this
statement.<br>
<br>
Pam Allen, First Vice President and Board Chair,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19463&qid=4709062">
pallen@louisianacenter.org</a>, 318-251-2891<br>
<br>
Ron Brown, Second Vice President,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19464&qid=4709062">
rb15@iquest.net</a>, 317-213-7031<br>
<br>
James Gashel, Secretary,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19465&qid=4709062">
jgashel0923@gmail.com</a>, 808-234-9259<br>
<br>
Jeannie Massay, Treasurer,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19466&qid=4709062">
jeanniemassay@gmail.com</a>, 405-600-0695<br>
<br>
Denise Avant,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19467&qid=4709062">
davant1958@gmail.com</a>, 773-991-8050<br>
<br>
Everette Bacon,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19468&qid=4709062">
baconev@yahoo.com</a>, 801-631-8108<br>
<br>
Amy Buresh,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19469&qid=4709062">
amy.buresh74@gmail.com</a>, 402-440-4722<br>
<br>
Shawn Callaway,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19470&qid=4709062">
callaway.shawn@gmail.com</a>, 202-352-1511<br>
<br>
Norma Crosby,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19471&qid=4709062">
ncrosby@nfbtx.org</a>, 281-968-7733<br>
<br>
John Fritz,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19472&qid=4709062">
president@nfbwis.org</a>, 608-622-7632<br>
<br>
Ever Lee Hairston,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19473&qid=4709062">
ever.hairston@gmail.com</a>, 323-654-2975<br>
<br>
Carla McQuillan,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19474&qid=4709062">
president@nfb-oregon.org</a>, 541-653-9153<br>
<br>
Amy Ruell,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19475&qid=4709062">
aruell@comcast.net</a>, 617-752-1116<br>
<br>
Joe Ruffalo,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19476&qid=4709062">
nfbnj1@verizon.net</a><br>
<br>
Terri Rupp,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19477&qid=4709062">
terri.rupp@gmail.com</a>, 702-524-0835<br>
<br>
Adelmo Vigil,
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=19478&qid=4709062">
nfbnewmexicopresident@gmail.com</a>, 575-921-5422<br>
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