[Nfbwv-talk] Meet the national representative to the 2018 NFBWV State Convention.

Fri Aug 3 17:23:44 UTC 2018

Good afternoon all,

I've always wanted to check out a state convention, but it has never 
been possible. Cost, transportation and so on.

I am currently applying to jobs, since I found out that that I can do 
federal work study and it not effect my SSI. the money will be very much 
needed, so that adds another factor this year to my schedule.

I hope you all have a great time.

On 8/3/2018 1:16 PM, Karen McDonald via NFBWV-talk wrote:
> Darren, Ed and I are so glad that you're coming to the convention.
> Peace
> Karen
> On Aug 2, 2018 9:13 PM, Darren Burton via NFBWV-talk <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hey Dave, that is great news.  It looks like I too will beable to make it to
>> at least part of next month's convention.  I look forward to seeing you
>> after all these years.  I retired from Yahoo last month and moved from San
>> Jose Ca to Pawley's Island SC. I am spending a lot of time up in Morgantown
>> with family and friends, and I am planning on being in Morgantown for part
>> of that weekend.  Looking forward to seeing everyone Friday night and maybe
>> part of Saturday.
>>
>> Darren Burton
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFBWV-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dave
>> Allen via NFBWV-talk
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2018 6:22 PM
>> To: 'NFB of West Virginia Discussion List'
>> Cc: Dave Allen
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Meet the national representative to the 2018 NFBWV
>> State Convention.
>>
>> Hi all!
>>
>> Thanks for sharing the bio.
>>
>> I also hope to attend the state convention. When a trip to WV was suggested
>> to me, I was immediately excited, because I realised the time suggested
>> would likely coincide with the state convention, which I have missed
>> attending for many years. Happily, as things are turning out, the cards are
>> lining up in favour of that happening.
>>
>> In order to get there, my journey will include a stop in Houston, Texas,
>> which I chose because my previous trips have forced me to enter the country
>> in Los Angeles, an airport I've come to loath, though I have found that my
>> meagre high school Spanish was sufficient to allow me to navigate with
>> confidence when that was needed.
>>
>> It will be wonderful to be able to see so many good friends during my visit
>> in the handy venu.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Dave
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFBWV-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Smyth,
>> Charlene R via NFBWV-talk
>> Sent: Wednesday, 1 August 2018 2:35 a.m.
>> To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
>> Cc: Smyth, Charlene R
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Meet the national representative to the 2018 NFBWV
>> State Convention.
>>
>> I do too, Sheri.  I think they are inspiring.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFBWV-talk <nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sheri Koch via
>> NFBWV-talk
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2018 10:03 AM
>> To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Sheri Koch <slk8332015 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Meet the national representative to the 2018 NFBWV
>> State Convention.
>>
>> Thanks Charlene! I love reading the stories of our national reps!  It will
>> be great to meet her
>>
>> Sheri
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Jul 31, 2018, at 9:20 AM, Smyth, Charlene R via NFBWV-talk
>> <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Greetings Federation Family,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> It is with great pleasure to announce that Norma Crosby, president of the
>> Texas Affiliate and national board member, will be joining us at our state
>> convention at the Holiday Inn Express in Morgantown, WV the weekend of
>> September 13 - 16.  Sure do hope all of you can be there.  Below is more
>> information about Norma:
>>>
>>>
>>> Norma Crosby, Board Member
>>>
>>> NFB of Texas President
>>>
>>> Mother and Businesswoman
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Norma Beathard was born on January 25, 1956, in Conroe, Texas. She was the
>> first of five children born to Robbie and Joseph Beathard. Norma was born
>> legally blind because her mother contracted rubella during her pregnancy;
>> however, Norma's blindness remained undetected until she began walking. At
>> that time, her parents began to notice that she seemed to bump into things
>> that a sighted child should see, and they had her vision tested. A
>> determination was made that she was blind when she was two years old. Years
>> of surgery followed with no improvement.
>>>
>>>
>>> Norma was an active child. She joined her siblings in most of the games
>> they played, and her blindness was not a real obstacle when she was small.
>> But she couldn't read the blackboard when she started school, and she
>> experienced a number of problems related to her vision as she grew older.
>>>
>>>
>>> Norma always attended school in rural communities, a circumstance which
>> she describes as "both a blessing and a curse." Because no one in her life
>> knew anything about blindness skills, she wasn't able to learn Braille or
>> cane travel. She used large print books, which were bulky and heavy for a
>> tiny girl. Since her vision was extremely limited, she had to read with her
>> nose practically touching the pages of her books, even though the print was
>> enlarged.  Despite the lack of training in blindness skills, Norma feels
>> that she received a quality education because she had caring teachers who
>> always found ways of making it easier for her to learn. She was fortunate to
>> have the same teacher from her first-grade year through her third-grade
>> year, and that teacher was determined that Norma would be included in
>> everything the class did. Her name was Jean Todd, and she spent countless
>> hours offering Norma one-on-one instruction. Other teachers with similar
>> attitudes were a part of Norma's life throughout her K-12 experience.
>>>
>>>
>>> Professionals in the field of work with the blind were not as helpful.
>> When Norma asked for Braille training, she was told by a rehabilitation
>> professional that she was wasting his time, and she was made to feel guilty
>> because, according to him, she was depriving a "real" blind person of the
>> opportunity to learn by making this frivolous request. Eventually, she was
>> able to convince him that he should provide her with training, and he
>> traveled to her small town and spent two hours with her.  This was woefully
>> inadequate, but it did allow her to learn the alphabet, Braille numbers, and
>> some punctuation symbols. Her experience with inadequate Braille training
>> has made Norma a strong advocate for providing Braille education to children
>> with low vision.
>>>
>>>
>>> After completing her education, Norma found herself living in a small
>> community with no opportunities for a blind person. She knew she had to
>> leave her rural home if she was to become successful. Her father was opposed
>> to her leaving, but her mother understood that a different environment would
>> provide Norma with a better chance of living the life she wanted to live.
>> So, she took the unusual step of going against the wishes of Norma's father;
>> drove Norma to the bus station in Lufkin, Texas, and purchased a ticket to a
>> better life for her daughter. Norma traveled to Austin that day, and
>> although she had no idea what she would do to become successful, she was
>> confident that she would be able to make a life for herself.
>>>
>>>
>>> Norma began her working life as an employee at the Travis Association for
>> the Blind. That employment did not last long because Norma found that she
>> couldn't live on the $1.05 an hour that the sheltered workshop was paying
>> its trainees, and her questions about how to make a higher wage went
>> unanswered. In fact, it became clear that she was unlikely to be paid the
>> federal minimum wage anytime soon, so Norma began to look for other work.
>> She also married during this time and began a family. Her first son was born
>> on March 10, 1976, and her second son was born on March 10, 1978. Once her
>> children were out of diapers, Norma started work at the Texas School for the
>> Blind. She worked as a dorm parent at the school from 1979 to 1982.
>>>
>>>
>>> After a divorce, Norma found the National Federation of the Blind and
>> became an active member in 1983. By 1985 she was living in Houston, and she
>> was an important part of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas
>> leadership. She didn't hold elective office in the Federation, but she
>> worked hard to help the affiliate president and other leaders to carry out
>> the organization's mission. She became president of the Houston Chapter in
>> 1989, and she continued in that role for eight years.
>>>
>>>
>>> When Norma joined the Federation, she met Glenn Crosby. Glenn was serving
>> as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas, and as the
>> two worked closely together, a personal relationship developed. They were
>> married on April 15, 1989. Each of them had two children, and the two
>> families have blended into a harmonious group. Glenn and Norma are now the
>> proud grandparents of seven grandchildren, ranging in age from four to
>> twenty-one.
>>>
>>>
>>> Four years before they married, Glenn asked Norma to begin managing the
>> office for his food service business, and they became professional partners.
>> The Crosbys owned five food service locations during the late 1980s and
>> early 1990s, but they sold all but two of the locations and were operating
>> those two locations when they retired in 2013.
>>>
>>>
>>> Though both Norma and Glenn grew up in Texas, they decided they wanted a
>> change in 2001, and they spent about a year in South Dakota. Then they spent
>> several months in Ajijic, Mexico. Ajijic is near Guadalajara, and, while
>> they enjoyed their time there, they needed to be closer to home for business
>> reasons. So, in 2005, they moved to Ruston, Louisiana. Shortly after
>> arriving in Ruston, Norma was elected to serve as president of the North
>> Central Chapter of the NFB of Louisiana. She remained in that position until
>> January of 2009, when she and Glenn made the decision to move back to their
>> native Texas. They now live in Alvin, near Houston, on four acres of land
>> and have a few cows.
>>>
>>>
>>> In 2012, Norma was chosen to serve as the first president of the Lone Star
>> Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. Then, at the
>> affiliate's 2014 convention, she was elected to serve as the state
>> president.  While Norma believes strongly that it is not necessary to hold
>> an office in order to be an effective leader, she is honored to serve as
>> both the president of the NFB of Texas and, since her election at the 2015
>> National Convention, as a member of the organization's national board of
>> directors.
>>>
>>>
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-- 
Keri Svendsen

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