[NFBF-L] Washington Seminar Issues

[Paul Martinez]

Dear Florida Federationists:

As leaders in the National Federation of the Blind, it is our duty to
hear the concerns of all members. We heard from members of a comment
some felt was unnecessary and made them feel slighted. After bringing
these concerns to the other party who made the comment, they
volunteered to make an apology and was not asked to do so. We accepted
their offer. Each member of our affiliate is important and has a voice
and our goal is not to shame, defame or hurt any party to an issue.

We would also like to take this opportunity to dispel a certain rumor
that is circulating through our affiliate. The National Federation of
the Blind of Florida may seek out veterans, seniors or students for
outreach, whether it is for advocacy purposes or community events, but
we do not do so based on race, gender, gender identity or any
characteristic that may be considered exclusive.  In this case, the
person in question is the constituent and would have been the first to
present one of our issues.

We thank Marilyn for volunteering to apologize to the affiliate and
hope any disgruntlement will not affect members from reaching out if
they have any concerns in the future on any issue. Marilyn has been a
long-time member and leader in the National Federation of the Blind of
Florida and served us for many years, leading our Central Florida
Chapter and Diversity and Inclusion Committee. We ask each member to
understand that we all have hopes and dreams as blind people  and all
members should feel they can speak openly and freely with our
affiliate board and expect us to respect their confidentiality.



-- 
Be Well,

Paul M. Martinez