[nfbmi-talk] regarding the commission board meeting

[joe harcz Comcast]

Dearest Lydia,

I have no problems at all with sighted folks using "body language" per se. 
It is one of inconveniences depending upon perspective that those of us 
without sight have to deal with. It is a matter of fact and a reality of the 
world that no one on either side will ever totally adjust to in my mind, or 
opinion. Shoot, I use it myself though it is not always interpreted 
appropriately, again in my opinion. (And I'm damned well ready to right the 
record in the common use of the word, printed, and accessible word as I am 
now in case the rest of the world doesn't get my drift...lol,..) Man, while 
running the boards of a main channel radio reading service for the blind and 
others with other disabilities which I proudly pioneered and ran in 
Manchester, N.H. during the mid nineties some of my sighted 
readers/volunteers and others would say, "They can't see your 
demonstratitative activities (as I gestured) (And I used to be quite 
gesturing...I talked with my hands and gestured, but also, to my credit also 
explained for the audience what was important... Grin... I, Mean after all 
you're on radio."

I laughed and said in mild retort, "You're right, and perhaps that is my 
Eastern European background to talk with my hands. But, don't forget you can 
also hear a smile, a frown, or a cry or a grasp of pain in your voice while 
reading the news or in everything else."

Touches, nonetheless go all the way around this merry-go-round and there 
isn't much more to be said but that it will go on forever this thing of 
trying to translate between the sighted, those who are are blind, or those 
with other non-traditional communications issues, and especially those whose 
communications issues derive from disabilities.. The real issue and most 
especially of those in the public sector is not in interpersonal 
communications but with the legal, and civil rights requirements of federal 
civil rights laws and that includes of course the famous ADA, subpart e, 
effective communications requirements and those required even longer than 
the late 70ds for recipients of federal funds including VR agencies like MCB 
under the Rehab Act and Section 504. Wow, how screwy  is for any federally 
funded especially one like McB to not be accessible, and I mean one hundred 
and fifty percent accessible to its customers, employs and public itself. I 
mean these are matters of law long violated by the likes of MCB and over and 
over documented but not enforced and we must get enforcement of these laws 
danget.

Regardless, All of this politically correct stuff to the side it is just 
plain snaky to hide from those  of f us ho are blind things that should be 
accommodated especially in the public record. I mean this thing goes beyond 
my disability or blindness awareness and to an issue of essential democratic 
functions here. The reason for reasonable accommodation and in this case to 
know through alternative means  just who, what, when, where, why, and who 
something is being said, or written is to follow and communicate effectively 
and to basic democratic principles including the fundamental principle of 
the rule of law over the rule of man that is so essential to our Republic 
whether it be a school board or the Michigan Commission for the Blind.

Oh yes, there is the relationship in this context in which abusive sighted 
staff of MCB has reportedly belied, and in this context not in "politically 
incorrect" fashion but in harmful and illegally fashionable terms one blind 
employee by gestures. Here is one anecdote: One former employee noted that a 
sighted and, somewhat suspect clerical staff of the BEP program gave him the 
"double finger" when this person rightfully asked for data, let alone 
accessible data which it was this person's job to provide." Not only did 
this derive in this instance to illegal bias and actionable discrimination 
on the basis of gender and disability under law, but was profoundly 
incomprehensible as to the fiduciary responsibilities at hand to say the 
least. And it was only denoted because the official at issue had a trusted 
sited assistant who knew not only how to see but also how to see bovine 
stuff and illegal activity to begin with. So the matter isn't a matter of 
sight or who has it or that sort of thing, but how sight is used, abused, 
misued or that sort of thing.

No, one should not feel the least bit guilty about having sight or all of 
the other senses for that matter. And no one should be made "artificially 
superior or inferior for having absence of any sense". The truebottom line 
iis and always will be : "equality of opportunity and not equality of 
result..."

Also while self-deprecating, and truly humble in the best sense of the term 
I find the term "token blind" to be overly self-deprecating. I understand 
where that comes from and am sensitive and am far from deprecating your 
intent here. Listen, you are a friend and a colleague and that is and will 
ever be true no matter if and when we ultimately disagree on this or that 
issue. Your value as a commissioner above that is not based upon your 
ability to see, but neither is it diminished by your ability to see either. 
In other words, and to be more clear, except in my more angry moments which 
are perturbed and albeit truly emotional, and reactionary at the time, 
sighted folks are not our enemy. Nor, are partially sighted folks. In fact I 
truly believe that discrimination of all sorts is wrong in the law and the 
meaning of the law and that includes "reverse discrimination". I do not have 
time to divide personal from legal distinctions herein and most wouldn't 
wish to here it from a non-legal scholar, or one who is so-called legal for 
that matter...lol...

Regardless, we, or at least I and I think most of us on this list do not 
diminish in the least the abilities or the insights of sighted folks.

I'm kind of struck by the opposite in the past several years. And that is 
the gross discrimination, the gross perfidy, the gross violations of laws 
and rights by some individual people who are blind, including Patrick Cannon 
against those who also happen to be blind themselves for their own self and, 
most selfish interests. Man, I acan't count hwo many times for instance why 
I'm asked why oneblind person, namely why one Pat Cannon would discriminate 
against the blind. But, this is a proverbial "red herring". It doesn't 
matter in the least in this instance as to the "why". . It only matters not 
as to motive in this case for it only matters as to the "what" and the fact 
is that Cannon himself and under his dominion has vioolated the "What" as 
per access and the ADA and over and over and over ac\gain. That is enough to 
have him removed from his office. That is enough, frankly as these are civil 
rights violations committeed over and over again ad infinitum to have him 
stripped of his pension and other benefits ast they are most wilfull and 
egregious civil right sviolations.

Let, us put this in perspective if folks think I'm again hyperbolic. Man, U 
of M was stripped of its basketball titals and standings for things 
surrounding the "Chris webber" affair. Man, these things I'm talking about 
are worse and substantial violations of human, civil and constitutional 
rights by state actors. Terry Eagle and others have documented other as 
severe federal and other civil rights violations. Where does this stuff end?

Are we as taxpayers and recipients to have our rights denuded by some ssort 
of elite that is entitledto our funding and services without impunity or 
=are we to demand accountability?


I hope this impassioned appeal to reason and fact based reality makes sense. 
But, it makes no difference to me if I am discriminated against illegally by 
a blind person (aka token) than it is if I am discriminated against or 
persecuted against by a sighted person.

Throughout history in the context of civil, Constitutional and other human 
rights did it matter one wit if one was held in bondage by his or her own 
gender, race, color, creed, national origin, or disability and so on and so 
forth?

No, it didn't matter to the Jew, or Pole, or Slave or Russian or whomever 
who was the designated persecutor in the consecration camp even if a fellow 
Jew, or whomever was forced to be the persecutor. I'm not trying to be 
hyperbolic here either. You, Lydia are a sort of hope to me and I hope you 
know that. It doesn't, again mean you know everything. You cannot, anymore 
than I can or Larry can or anyone can.
But, you can bring to the table some sort of insight, and some sort of 
objectivity, and in this case even some eyesight to see how things are 
grossly wrong and illegal and immoral by any standard.

As Ray Berson and so many others rightfully point out for example Ray 
Peterson though a sighted person and while having bureaucratic tendencies 
was at very least a fair person, one of reason and at least followed the 
rule of law. Man, have we seen this from the blind Pat Cannon?

So, though I personally don't know if I'm making myself clear here I do 
neither oppose or support you on the basis of sight and never will do so. I 
will base ymy judgment of you on your public performance and on your actions 
period, as I have in our limited engagements in the past. I also know this 
and know it as a more intangible thing being a parent of a child with other 
disabilities: I care about caring at the risk of contradiction here too. Man 
all of we parents just plain damn give a hoot about what is best for our 
kids if we matter at all as parents. And we all put into that effort when 
our kids of any aage extraordinary efforts to learn how to educate, fight 
legal barriers, and so many things. I as a parent with disabilities a child 
with disabilities shared the frustrations  of all the madness surrounding 
just trying to make my child the best that she (in my case) could be in the 
educational environment.

Again in all the contexts of the myriad of MCB, NFB and other duties and 
obligations whether moral, legal or whatever our society in general, in 
spite of political affiliation or organizational thing is out of whack, and 
all of our children from birth through death are grossly underserved. These 
facts are just plain not in dispute.

And to speak more frankly the purpose of the now virtually 1000 old 
Vocational Rehabilitation Act and IDEA and other acts that effect all of us 
is not to employ, or entitle some chosen few whether blind or not in some 
sort of category of an elite entitled class as Pat Cannon and his luckiest 
has somehow been dictated or ordained by political perfidy to obtain.

I mean Marcus and others are right in that he, Pat Cannon has written and 
divined all of his own evaluations and then manipulated the MCB board 
through Machivellian entrigues, including the purging of the likes of 
DDonald Bowman through Mark Eagle to create a self-fulfilling prophesacy. 
Whow, what wiszardry. I mean this is the only man who can on the one hand 
talk about the "bigotry of low expectations" over and over again and who on 
the other can come to be the only GS-19 without a four year college degree 
after 68 years of life time.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not a college snob per se and ther are 
arguments of course to be made on the issues of "qualifications" versus 
"certifications". But Cannnon has neither which defies both substance and 
province of m=erit based pay, expectations, and civil service principles let 
alone those things liberals like me like including the afforementioned in 
addition to union activity and collective bargaining.

But, no Cannon is devoid of any measure accepted except in the political 
realm so odious to democratic form and function. Why in the Hell is that so?

WWhy can Dave, Christine, Tomchak, Fellow,s,Brooks, Richard Kent, Terry 
Eagle, and countless unsung just plain VR customers of MCB be rroutinely 
denied basisc services in violation of all the laws that binds the system in 
arbitrary and capricious sstandards without any sort of due process of law 
and/or equal protection under the laws of this land.

And here, dear Lydia, and dear all we come in full circle for it is not the 
matter of blindness alone that we are fighting for hear, but it is a matter 
so seminal to the American experience of fundamental fair play, civil, 
constitutional rights and similar considerations that we are fighting fror 
here.

Bottom line and while not being perfect itself in these regards NFB's 
fundamental principles parrellels those of our democratic Republic in that 
they call for "equality,oppurinity, and security". That is NFB's logo. That 
is the seminalrestatement of our U.S. Declaration of Independence. And If 
the U.S. Constitution with all of its fundamental principles cannot be 
invoked for all including extenstions of the 14th Amendment gurantees for 
disabled and non-disabled alike then I don't know which planet I'm on, but 
want off it.

I love my country but more I love its ideals and fundamental laws and 
rights.

I love the Rehabilitation Act and its spawn MCB, but I do not lovethe 
malignent, extra-legal, immoral, malfeasant, misfeasant, and dysfunctional 
and, cultish family it has become under the corrupt and again extra--llegal 
Patrick D. Cannon.

In summation and for the public record I will take one hundred thousand 
sighted Lydia's for each and every one, nominally blind PPatrick D. Cannons 
and that is not based upon disability but both merrit, actions, behaviors 
voer time, and indeed, based upon the difference between personal sense of 
entitlement as in tthe case of Pat, and the sense of altruism and public 
good, expressed by Lydia and all of her persuation.

While I do not know you well, Lydia, I know you by intent and action and 
your intents and actions have always been of goodwill. If I can be of 
assistence in any regards please do not hesitate to ask for it.

If you ever think I disagree with you on this or that public issue let you 
rest assured I am not bashful...lol. But that you already know... Big 
smile...

I would hope that you count on me as a fried who happens to be blind and who 
does not distrust or hate or despise folks simply because they ae sighted.

In fact there are, indeed some caseses where you sighted folks come in 
darneed handy...And I'nm grinning here as you know the irony in this 
situation alone...

Peace, Justice andCommon Bonnds,

Jo


No, there is some us against them going one but, in my mind it isn't us 
against the sighted per se, or the partials against the totals, or the NFB 
agains the MCBVI, or the customers against the staff, or the this against 
that or the Republicans against Democarats. No, this thing is about personal 
entitlement and some figures of both genders in both political parties who 
think of MCB and other social/educationa/rehab agencies as their personal 
entitlement. And that is ugly. And that is venal. And that is evil. And that 
is so repulsive that it makes me spit.

Oour mission should be and is designed to be the most effective habilitation 
and rehabilitation of people wwho are blind in the concontext of MCB under 
federal and state law.

I care only for the bottom line and not for labels and politics. I care only 
about actions and not motives for the latter gets messy but the former can 
be documented and is quantifiable and beyond pashions of the moment, 
including my personal pashions.

Man, some of this is so simple. I mean are directories kept up and 
accessable to all? Are personnell of any sort returning phone calls? Are 
they responding to needs of all potential customers, or even a portion of 
them? The issue isn't where people have a seat at the table in my mind which 
we don't, but rather, where even established law is being followed and 
wherther or not money earmarked for this or that is spent even remotely 
close to what the legislatures, and other governmental forces called for. 
These things are documentable and each and every commissioner should have a 
an accessable spred sheat along with each and every person who is a citizen 
for that matter including those who are of course blind.

Man, this organization cannot and will not account as to how it expends its 
money, good or bad or indiferrent.

what someone, in public capacity is saying in
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lydia Schuck" <laschuck at juno.com>
To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 6:11 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] regarding the commission board meeting


> Hello list friends,  Just to let you know first off that I  get the
> digest format, so I only get all the emails together once a day or
> whenever the file gets to a certain size.  sometimes my replies seem out
> of sequence because of that.  Just can't quite get to email often enough
> to get the emails individually....
>
> So by the time I wrote about Michael King, several others had.  In
> thinking about it today, when people are called up to talk to the
> commission board at the Victor Building, they do not sit near a door, and
> could never get away with strolling in an out and writing notes, etc.   I
> will try to use my eyeballs to notice at the beginning of the meeting
> next time, to ensure that the people called to the table to discuss do
> not have easy access to the door, or point it out right away next time.
> As a sighted person, I am very annoyed with the disrespect shown to blind
> people when sighted attendees use body language like raised eyebrows to
> communicate on a separate channel.  I realized I did it with my sighted
> daughters while my blind daughter, who talks on and on because of her
> autism obsessions, didn't even know I had had a communication with one of
> her sisters while she rambled on.  Had to really work on stopping that,
> because it encouraged my sighted daughters in bad behavior.
>
> I sometimes make comments about needing to be made useful as the "token
> sighted person".  I am teasing of course, sometimes in poor taste I
> guess.   You would need to tell me if I should stop it.  But I will use
> my token sightedness to try to keep that kind of bad behavior from
> happening at the board table.  Lydia
>
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