[NFBOH-Cleveland] Welcome To The 2019 New Member Orientation Teleconference Call

[Suzanne Turner]

Ohio,

 

As a new Member of the National Federation of Ohio, you are the cornerstone
of our organization's success. Therefore as the Co-Chairs of the NFB of
Ohio's Membership Committee, Dr Peters and I want you to know that we are
excited to have you in the organization. Also, you have joined a network of
thousands of blind people, advocating and changing what it means to be
blind. This call is for potential members, new members and others who have
been in the federation and want to learn more.

 

So, join us with a cup of tea, coffee or whatever beverage suits your taste
buds. We will keep the conference call within the time below. You can call
from anywhere in the United States. Our State of Ohio leaders will provide
you with information and the tools to enhance your experience as a member of
the largest organization of the blind.     

 

NFB OF Ohio's Membership Committee

Presents

 

New Member Orientation Teleconference Call

 

December 29, 2018

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (EST)

 

CALL: (712) 775-7031

Code: 240281423

 

Note! This call will be recorded for future listeners.

 

The Federation's positive belief system about Blindness.

 

Members of the Federation realized the simple truth, many years ago that
blind people are just people who cannot see-we are not broken sighted
people. Blind people are as different as sighted people are; that is, we are
a cross-section of the broader society and, therefore, are not all alike as
some assume. Blindness is a physical characteristic, but it is not the
characteristic that defines us or our future. It is low expectations and
misconceptions, not blindness itself, that stand between blind people and
our dreams.

Given proper training and opportunity, blind people can and do live the
lives we want. It is respectable to be blind, and, with the right tools and
techniques, blindness may be reduced to the level of a nuisance or
inconvenience. To combat the low expectations, misconceptions, and
stereotypes that are the true barriers to achieving our dreams, the blind
have organized for the same reasons other minorities have-to make positive
social change through collective action. The Federation philosophy provides
an overall framework for thinking about blindness, what it means, and what
it doesn't mean. However, it is not intended to be rigid or dogmatic. As we
just said, blind people are individuals, and we may disagree on any number
of things, including how to handle a given situation as blind people. What
our philosophy does do is give us a positive way of thinking about our
blindness, rather than the negative ways in which we have often been
conditioned to think about it by society. Rather than saying that we as
blind people can't do something, we try to find ways that we can, and to
challenge each other, in a loving way, to always push the envelope and
expand the limits of our independence. As you read further, you'll discover
that, to the extent we need to formulate specific positions about blindness
and the policies related to it, we use a democratic process to arrive at
these positions.

The National Federation of the Blind also provides encouragement and support
to families with blind children and to people who are losing vision or have
become blind later in life, by bringing them into a network of tens of
thousands of blind people who are living full lives and who can serve as
mentors and role models. Together, with love, hope, and determination, the
members of the National Federation of the Blind transform dreams into
reality.

 

Note:

This teleconference call is only for the State of Ohio!

 

Agenda

 

11:00 AM: Welcome 

 

11:05 AM: History of the National Federation of the Blind

 

11:15 AM: Membership and Philosophy  

 

11:25 AM: NFB Programs, Services and Advocacy at the National Level

 

11:35 AM: 2019 Washington and Columbus Seminars 

 

11:50 AM: Q and A

 

12:05 PM: 2019 Scholarships, Campaigns and Fundraisers at the State Level 

 

12:15 PM: The 2019 National Convention 

 

Adjournment

 

Suzanne Hartfield Turner and Dr. Carolyn Peters

NFB of Ohio Membership Committee

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