[NFBofSC] Membership in the National Federation of the Blind

Tue Aug 11 00:09:21 UTC 2020

Membership in the National Federation of the Blind: Equality, Opportunity,
and Security through Collective Action

by Mark Riccobono

>From the Editor: Our elected President assumes responsibility for an
incredible number of tasks, one of them overseeing our program to recruit,
grow, and nourish our membership. It is obvious that President Riccobono
sees this as a major priority, and here is what he says about his coming to
the organization and what we must do to ensure that others keep coming:

One of the most important titles I have been able to put next to my name is
member, National Federation of the Blind. I first became a member in 1996,
and I cannot imagine a day in my life when I will decide to no longer be a
member of this great organization. As I travel the country talking to people
about the work of our movement, certain predictable questions come up
including but not limited to: what does it mean to be a member; how do I
join; and what are the benefits of membership? More often than not, I find
that people have not joined because of misconceptions about membership in
our organized blind movement. I also find that the idea of "membership" in
an organization takes on different meanings depending on your background and
perspective. In this article I will attempt to share with you what
membership in the National Federation of the Blind means to me and what I
believe we, collectively, hope it means for each of our present and future
members. If you are not yet a member, this article is an invitation to
explore joining us and an opportunity to create understanding about who we
are and why we need you to be in our family. If you are already a member, I
hope this article speaks to your experience in our movement and contributes
to your growth as a leader. If you are not sure whether you are or are not a
member, I hope this clears things up and encourages you to make your
membership status definitive.

What Do We Mean by Membership?

It is important to begin with some organizational basics related to
membership. Let us start by talking about what membership in our
organization is not. I grew up in the 1980s when the Members Only brand
emerged in the United States. It was a cool thing to have something that
sported the name "Members Only," and we sought opportunities to create
social circles for ourselves that we considered "members only" regardless of
whether you owned any of the merchandise. For example, in elementary school
my friends and I had a Ghostbusters Club (based on the 1984 movie) where we
could easily limit the participants since there just were not many
characters in the movie. We created our own rules and expectations for
participation-sometimes driven by the movie but often with our own
agreed-upon alterations-and we had a good time. However, the goal was not to
bring other people into our club. In fact, we liked that it was a closed
membership. We were already friends and our "members only" club strengthened
our bond. This notion of membership is much different from what I have found
in the National Federation of the Blind over the past twenty years. In our
organization we believe in an open membership policy where all are welcome
to be considered for membership and, with only a few exceptions, our
meetings are open to non-members to observe even if they cannot vote on
matters of importance-only Federation members can determine its policies and
elect its leaders. While only members of the Federation have certain rights
and privileges within the organization, we hope to have as many blind people
as possible join with us in our mission to improve the lives of all blind
people.

Open membership means that we do not put significant qualifiers on being a
member of our organization. It is worth talking about the handful of
qualifiers we do have for membership.

To begin, you have to want to be a member, and you need to pay dues to a
chapter, division, affiliate, or the national organization. Our goal is not
simply to sign people up for the membership roll; we seek members who want
to actively participate.

In general, another qualifier is that the majority of our members have to be
blind. On a nationwide basis better than 90 percent of our members are.
Thus, on a national basis, we do not need to worry about sighted individuals
joining and taking over our organization. However, at the local level this
sometimes becomes a problem when a small chapter starts inviting many
sighted people to be members. The constitution of the National Federation of
the Blind and every entity under the Federation requires a majority of the
membership be blind. By blind, we mean a functional definition of blindness
as Kenneth Jernigan so eloquently described it decades ago in his speech "A
Definition of Blindness." One major exception to this policy is our National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children-one of our national special
interest divisions-where a majority of the members in that specific division
need not be blind. In fact, that division includes the vast majority of the
Federation's sighted members, but it is not the exclusive place where
sighted people participate actively as members. I list this as a membership
qualifier because we are, first and foremost, an organization of blind
people, led by blind people, and directed by blind people. While we are on
the topic, you cannot be elected to our national board of directors unless
you are blind.

A final qualifier is that an individual must be prepared to uphold the
standards we expect from each other in this organization. The standards of
membership and for leaders of our organization are set by Federation members
themselves. They are articulated in our Code of Conduct
(https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/code-conduct).
Essentially, we come together through the common bond of blindness to serve
as a vehicle for collective action by the blind. We seek to treat each other
with dignity and respect, and we value an atmosphere free from
discrimination and harassment of any type. It is worth noting that those
seeking to be leaders of this organization have additional responsibilities
above those of everyday members. While all members of the organization are
asked to support the policies and programs of the Federation-see the
Federation pledge at the end of this article-leaders of the organization are
expected to implement the policies and programs. This means that leaders
need to take actions consistent with the organization's policies and that
leaders should not commit themselves to organizations that actively work
against the Federation.

In short, the membership of the National Federation of the Blind is the
class of individuals, a majority of whom are required to be blind, who pay
dues to the organization at the local, state, or national level (joining at
the local and/or state level gives you automatic membership in the national
organization).

The mechanics of qualifying to be a member of the National Federation of the
Blind are truly that easy. However, the process of understanding the power
of membership in this organization and coming to be an active participant in
the decision-making process of it often feels much more daunting to new
members. This is why we have recently initiated an onboarding process for
new members to welcome people into our organization and assist with
navigating the things that long-time members like me take for granted today.

This Week-Join the Twitter Chat Regarding the ADA:

Join us on Twitter on Wednesday, August 12, at 2:00 p.m. eastern for our
Twitter chat focused on the ADA. This will be a continuation of our panel
discussion, "Leveraging the ADA," that took place during the #NFB20
<https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/nfb20?__eep__=6&source=feed_text&epa=HASHT
AG&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB4pho-Y2i_XtQTrHScv7zesvtj39kiE5q_aE8npwQCIS0jNFFlFXD
OuB5eXBsi8SdJzR9Krj1pSWUNFkBED0_pfL9Q2yzV9HbKsmol4VHPU6Xm_cxgFmbSwZXeDY36Yn7
0wV6MxY1W3jleHi_qsL1upi7KMA7ervw0sStrJ_WECP-B0j1TPjGcmkh65QuRlYyfv8hWIc_jylj
LTGpdbhKHtyN6ZrnLr684a936weyif3qeaamr0eLXjSZPD1Fa2_RNl4SCv6KmEKgcQRgEF_MJM1A
j8H3OURtIWVI04_OkOTBiN4YVAIjk1OjhU2AkUZpPV6N9cWIF60d98g&__tn__=%2ANK-R>
National Convention. For more updates and information, follow us on Twitter
at @NFB_Voice. Access the Twitter chat questions
<https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/twitter-chats>  that will be discussed. 

August 21.

GoDaddy:

The NFB is investigating the accessibility of GoDaddy's website building,
hosting, and domain registration services. If you have used or tried to use
GoDaddy's services, the NFB needs to hear from you. Please contact Valerie
Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>  or 410-659-9314,
extension 2440.

New Blog Post-Tech Review: The Mantis Q40 Braille Display from APH:

The Mantis Q40 is a new forty-cell refreshable Braille display sold by the
American Printing House for the Blind. Learn about the general
specifications, assessment, and more on the
<https://www.nfb.org/blog/tech-review-mantis-q40-braille-display-aph> Voice
of the Nation's Blind Blog.

Free White Cane Program-Share with New Contacts:

The National Federation of the Blind believes that no blind person should be
without a white cane, regardless of their ability to pay for it. The Free
White Cane Program is available for any blind individual in the fifty
states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Also learn about choosing
a cane size and cane travel training. Share the Free White Cane Program
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program> .

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	September 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	September 13: Open-House Gathering call, 4:00 p.m. eastern
*	October 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	October: Meet the Blind Month
*	November 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	December 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	December 9: Open-House Gathering call, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In

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.

Steve Cook

District 2 State Board Member of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

1st Vice President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the
National Federation of the Blind of SC

Board member at large of the Columbia chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind of SC

The National Federation of the Blind of SC owns and operates Rocky Bottom
Retreat & Conference Center.  Below is a link to read more about Rocky
Bottom and to make a reservation for a mountain retreat!

 <http://rockybottomofsc.com/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center

Please join the National Federation of the Blind of SC on Face Book at any
of the below links!

 <https://m.facebook.com/NatFedofSouthCarolina/> National Federation of the
Blind of SC on Face Book

<https://m.facebook.com/Computer-Science-Technology-Division-of-the-NFB-of-S
C-343263089815304/> Computer Science & Technology Division of the National
Federation of the Blind of SC

 <https://m.facebook.com/RockyBottomofSC/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference
Center 

South Carolina Association of Blind Students

 <https://m.facebook.com/groups/375092969314880?_rdr> South Carolina Parents
of Blind Children

Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking 
 <http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org> www.carshelpingtheblind.org 
or call 855 659 9314

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