[nfbwatlk] Greater Seattle Chapter meeting summary and announcements

[Mike Mello]

It is my hope that with this response, you will further understand the intentions of this opportunity, and the reason for bringing 
chapter members to volunteer with The Blind Caf‚.

About a month ago, Rosh Rocheleau contacted me informing me of an event sponsored by the Blind Caf‚. This opportunity 
consists of a dinner, Q&A, and concert. These events occur in the dark. People from the community purchase tickets, and 
are guided by blind wait staff. Blind people also facilitate and provide answers during the Q&A. Although the menu and 
entertainment are prearranged, the event seemed to exert the intention of fostering community and open-mindedness. Rosh 
included this sentence in his email. We really care about this event being an empowering and respectful event for the blind 
community. His overall message was positive, but this sentence especially conveyed to me that this opportunity would be 
unlike previous dining in the dark experiences I had heard about.

I contacted some NFB leaders I know in Texas before committing to the experience. I learned that The Blind Caf‚ stopped 
in Austin, and that the local chapter and state affiliate found the experience positive and recommended that we endorse it as 
well. These contacts are well-known and longtime federationists, and their positivity combined with the eagerness and 
enthusiasm of Rosh and The Blind Caf‚ gave me comfort in committing to assist them in their event.

Four members of the Seattle chapter will assist at the event on the evenings of June 8 and 9, and all of these individuals 
have a strong NFB philosophy and live independent and fulfilling lives. Since it was made clear to me that we would guide 
the Q&A, I feel that this experience will assist in The Blind Caf‚s mission of bringing people together and exploring new 
ideas.

As with any idea we encounter, you can pick this experience apart and give advice. The Blind Caf‚ could certainly seek out 
blind chefs and performers, and we might suggest this to them. However, this organization is grassroots and the nature of it is 
to bring this experience to cities throughout the country. Even though this event has the potential of displaying more types of 
blindness skills, I chose to act on the previously indicated positivity. And I know that through the example of the blind 
volunteers of the chapter, this organization will only be empowered as their mission strives.

I understand that many disability awareness events make someone just aware enough of a disability to be scared to death 
and cause them to leave the experience with a negative and youre so amazing, but I could never do that attitude. I also 
understand that events sponsored by the Seattle local chapter, such as our annual chapter picnic in which many 
nonmembers are invited to, are entirely created and implemented by blind people. However, there are some events and 
fundraisers that the local chapter and state affiliate endorse that are not solely created and run by blind people. Many NFB 
chapters participate in the Macys Shop for a Cause sale. Macys is not a chain owned and operated by blind people, yet 
we choose to take advantage of a charitable opportunity. Although blind people are not solely responsible for this event, the 
Seattle local chapter is sure to staff the information table with blind members and positive literature. Even though these 
events are not synonymousThe Blind Caf‚ is designed to create community and to spread new ideas, and the Macys 
Shop for a Cause is a fundraiserthey are both opportunities to provide a positive example of blindness, and any 
opportunity to do this is priceless.

Given these circumstances, I feel that since we were offered an opportunity, and since it is evident both from conversations, 
with and about the forerunners of The Blind Caf‚, have conveyed positivity, we will continue to participate as planned.

I also understand that this event is a first for the Seattle chapter. And with this in mind, we will take note as to whether the 
overall message aligns enough with the NFB. I feel that each chapter must undertake new experiences to stay vibrant and 
active, and this is an example of a new event that the Seattle chapter is attempting. Like some fundraisers and membership 
activities, this may not serve as an adequate representation of the chapter, but it has radiated enough encouragement that I 
am confident to pursue it now and to evaluate its effectiveness afterword.

I would encourage you to view The Blind Caf‚s website, www.theblindcafe.com, to better understand their mission. I would 
especially like to point out that their mission encompasses much more than blindness or blind people. I know that most of 
the work of the NFB deals directly with blindness, but I more importantly think that it is innovative for a nonprofit to choose 
blindness as a tool of engaging communities. It is a new perspective for most, and a revolutionary concept that could afford 
us a positive influence on countless individuals.

Mike Mello




On Tue, 5 Jun 2012 21:57:37 -0700, Humberto Avila wrote:

>Really? Dining in the dark event, for this chapter's events? I was told on another NFB listserve, that blindness organizations 
should not organize or do Dining in the Dark events, especially an organization like the NFB, that promotes positive attitudes 
of blindness and positive philosophies of blindness. It has been claimed that, even though you are trying to make your 
diners have a positive experience, no matter how positive you are, the diners still get the notions that "oh, how does this 
blind person eat this?" or "how the heck can a blind person use a spoon or knife to cut and or put food in the mouth?" or "It 
must be so hard being blind; I just can't think of myself not being able to even eat because I can't see!" or "Blind people are 
so freekin' amazing! They have heightened senses! I am not sure if I could do that if I couldn't see!" 

>Before organizing these events, you need to consider those things I just mentioned. Dining in the Dark events do not show 
sighted communities that in fact, blind people can do everything and anything a sighted person can, and that they are 
normal beings, and simply, their eyesight does not work, causing them blindness, which is just a physical nuisance. Instead, 
they show the negative perceptions I just quoted above, and bring those outdated stereotypes that people always seem to 
have. If I were an experienced pilot or airline crew member, and was to make you get on the cockpit of a Boeing Jet plane, 
take the pilot seat and the controls, and tell you, "Fly to this destination." What would you do? What would you think? What 
would you say? How would you react? What attitudes may you have?

>Well, you might think, "how the h*ll can this pilot lift this thing into the air and fly?" and "this is impossible. I can't do this; I'm 
not a pilot." Why might you think this? Because you haven't had the training and crucial skills that pilots undergo in order to 
fulfill the task of flying an air craft. You don't know what it's like, because you don't have the experience of flying and driving 
an airplane into the air and knowing how to take off and land. Well, it is the same thing. A sighted person does not know that 
a blind person can do all this and that and go here and there with independence and skill, competently and confidently, and 
with freedom. Just like with the pilot Vs. Untrained person, the sighted need to realize that it takes us training, a lot of training 
indeed to fulfill the tasks that we do every day. They need to know that, since we are little and learning, we need to learn how 
to do everything nonvisually. They must know that we need to have instruction in the fields of Braille, Adaptive technology, 
and learn to say "yes I can" to every challenge. Blind people need to be skilled, since they are kids, to do everything a 
sighted person can do, self-sufficiently and with ease. Heck even I can insure you in the future that blind persons will be able 
to drive, given the proper skill and training they could get! (smile).

>Marci, I am not cancelling your event what so ever. I am just making sure that you can indeed understand and think about 
all I have told you about promoting blindness with Dining in the Dark events like the one you are going to put together as a 
chapter. Yes, I have learned a lot myself, even from reading the conversations and threads that were going around a couple 
of months ago when a Calif. newspaper covered a story about a foundation that's supposedly doing a dining in the Dark 
event to show how blind people could or could not eat, or more metaphorically, how they can or cannot do things. The facts, 
according to list member, started the thread. 

>If you really want to organize the event you are going to organize that day, please find interesting, more appealing, creative 
ways, and I mean Creative with a capital C, about this Dining in the Dark event, that fosters a positive view of blindness. 
Something you could do is: you can bring together some blind chefs that you know in your chapter, or blind people who 
have great experiences in cooking who are blind and are positive in their blindness themselves, who are willing to volunteer 
their time. They could cook and put together a very delicious meal for dinner at a nice, public facility and many sighted 
people can attend. They can support your local chapter by donating a few bucks for purchasing the meal cooked totally by 
blind people, and, more importantly, they can watch how the meal is being cooked if they want to, and how they serve, ETC. 
they could see for themselves that positive attitude of blindness the NFB is trying to promote. This could be quite the 
contrary to a Dining in the Darks Event. 
>Otherwise, if you don't come up with something so creative, a federation leader or someone experienced in the positive 
philosophies of Blindness of the NFB, will ticket the Dining in the Darks event and perhaps call it "quits". Isn't that right, Mike?

>Well, quick but quite lengthy reflection for you. My 5 dollars, for what is worth.

>Cheers,
>Humberto

>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of mjc59 at q.com
>Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 7:55 PM
>To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
>Subject: [nfbwatlk] Greater Seattle Chapter meeting summary and announcements




>He everyone, 

>  

>Well, we had another great chapter meeting in May. We will be participating in Dining In The Dark fundraisers this Friday 
and Saturday, June 8th and 9th. These dinners are being coordinated by A Federation member and will incorporate positive 
attitudes about blindness. They will take place at the Fremont Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m. each evening. Federation 
members will sit at the tables with the sighted diners. 

>  

>We finalized plans for our chapter picnic. Noel Nightingale and Jim Peterson will host the chapter picnic at their lovely 
home. The picnic will be held on Saturday, July 28th at 4 p.m. The chapter will provide hamburgers and hot dogs. Those 
attending are asked to bring a side dish or dessert. Address and transportation details will be included in the June meeting 
summary. Everyone is welcome to attend. The picnic is always a lot of fun! 

>  

>Our iPad 3 raffle tickets will be available at the June meeting. Tickets will be $5 each. The raffle drawing will occur during 
the NFBW State Convention in Everett in October. 

>  

>We passed a motion officially supporting our participation in the 2012 Shop  For A Cause at Macy's at the end of August. 
James Janney has secured a good location on the first floor for our table. For a suggested donation on $5 shoppers will 
receive a coupon for a discount on their Macy's purchases. 

>  

>A new member, Cindy Bennett, joined the chapter. Cindy is a recent graduate of BLIND, Inc. and has recently moved to 
Seattle. 

>  

>Our June meeting will be held on Saturday, June 16th at 10:30 a.m. at the Downtown Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Avenue; 
4th floor, room 2. Please join us there! 

>  

>Marci Carpenter 

>Secretary 

>Greater Seattle Chapter 

>NFB of Washington 
> 
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Michael J. Mello

mike at mello.com

(208) 301-0565