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

Tue Jul 31 22:22:26 UTC 2018

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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