[Oabs] What should we do next?

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

>From what I've gathered from the two responses that were given, it
sounds like there is just a general lack of communication going on,
and some assumptions that were made.  I am not trying to offend
anyone, but I do need to get to the bottom of the organizational
problems we're having, so I would appreciate if dialogue would
continue.  I'll address specific concerns so that by talking through
these issues, we might get to the bottom of this.

Elif, it seems like some questions just weren't asked, which could
have made everyone's experience including your's a little easier.
2012 was the first time I had gone to an NFB convention too, and I
think it was at least the first time in a long time that Emily and
Lillie had gone in a while if they had even gone before.  I was
totally new to the Federation; aside from the Pennington sisters who
I've grown up with because we live so close, and Barbara pierce who I
sort of knew because she did my scholarship interview, I didn't know
anyone.  I met Aleeha and Amber just the day before the seminar,
because we were sharing a hotel room.  That weekend, Aleeha and Amber
also met Emily and Lillie for the first time.  We were actually all
pretty new to the convention experience, and were not as familiar with
each other as I think you thought.  We had no idea you were confused,
or felt out of place because nothing was said to us.  I'm sure that
Aleeha, who was really the only steady member of OABS prior to the
seminar and president at the time, would have facilitated more group
interaction had she known what was going on.  Communication is so
important; especially since most of us do not have the sight to
identify when someone's face looks unhappy, or if someone is sitting
quietly apart from the group and doesn't know how best to join in,
we're not going to know that there is a problem unless something is
said to us.  I think I can speak for the board at large, including
those who were present that day, when I say that anyone would be happy
to answer questions or help with anything they can do to make OABS
better for individual members.  All we need is to know what the issue
is.  I hope that you do come to the student seminar this year, and
that you give OABS another shot with an open mind.  It's true that by
now all of us with the exception of any new members who might come
will be familiar with each other, but that's because we've worked
together for the past two years.  None of us are the type of person
who wouldn't be outgoing or inviting to new members, or to old ones
who came back, but we just need some verbal communication so that we
know where you stand, what you'd like to talk about, how you feel on
certain topics, what you do understand and what we could try to
explain better, etc; and that goes for all members---not just you
because you've got the added piece of being new to English.  Plus,
although I am not bilingual, I would imagine that that would be a
great way to practice second language skills.

I think this is a reminder for all of us to speak up when we see that
something is bothering us, or if we have ideas for how OABS can be
better.  I know that both Aleeha and I as presidents have striven to
be open and welcoming to questions, comments, and concerns, and have
made ourselves available in several ways (phone calls and texts,
email, and I believe both of us have said Skype is an option at the
very least).  Both of us have tried to be extremely inclusive and
available to explain things that weren't easily understood.  Some of
the seminars that were presented at membership calls had new
information for me to wrap my head around as well, because the point
of OABS is to be a learning resource and a way to find out new
information for everyone.  That's why it has been frustrating at
times, because although both of us have said multiple times throughout
our presidencies that we're here to talk to members, to handle
concerns that arise, etc, we mostly get silence until major problems
come out of nowhere.

         Amber, my understanding of your situation has not changed
since we last spoke on the topic.  I know you are not involved with
OABS for personal reasons; however, I want to clear something up in
response to your post, directed at the membership at large rather than
at you or any specific individual.  Any of us could detail our our
daily or weekly schedule.  As I said, we're all busy students, and
there are times when all of us, including myself, feel like we're
running around like chickens with their heads cut off even when we're
prepared.  I won't go into much detail about my own schedule, but I
will say that it's a treat on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I get to
sleep till 8:00, and there are days when I run from place to place for
upwards of 8 hours, and I grab a sandwich or something quick to eat on
the way from point A to point B for my lunch.  I'm sure that Aleeha
and Emily especially, since they're living the college life right
along with me, have done this too.  Again, I'm not calling you
specifically out for your schedule, but what I'm saying to everyone is
that we all said we wanted to be apart of OABS, that we all want it to
succeed, and that we feel that the organization has purpose.  Any
organization is like a team; and teams rely on all members to grow
better, stronger, faster, etc.

I've mentioned teamwork to the list before, and I can assure you all
that even if you find participating on a consistent basis difficult,
or can't take on a large scale task right now, the board would still
be happy to work with you.  E.G, a lot of what needs to be done for
both the fundraising and membership committee's projects is phone call
work.  It takes a very short amount of time to put a call in to an
agency and ask if they can help us produce bookmarks, or to find out
who our brochure should be sent to for further circulation.  It also
doesn't take much time to shoot either Aleeha or Emily an email/text
with the results of the phone call, and then the task is done.  It
comes back to communication, and jiust letting someone know you're
willing to do something but can't do a huge project.

I hope no one took anything I've written as offensive.  I think that
this emailing process has helped me to see what the problems are, and
I actually feel better about them now that I think I know what's going
on.  The question now is, how can we fix this?  What can the board do
to be even more receptive than we already are?  how can we be more
accessible in terms of doling out smaller and larger projects?  How
can those, who may not be necessarily available to call in to monthly
committee meetings remain involved?  In reference to the last question
I do think some of that responsibility falls to the individual with
the conflict to check in with the chair to see what they can do to
help, but what can the chairs do to be helpful in this regard?  Any
suggestions are appreciated.

On 10/11/14, Elif Emir via Oabs <oabs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi all,
> Kaiti, I understand your frustration. Yu are completely right.
> Everyone is busy with something, but this is not the case. Yes, it's
> true, I'm very busy too. I'm a grad student and I'm in internship. My
> actual reason is much more complicated. First of all I don't feel
> myself belong to this group mainly because of my first encounter with
> the group at the state convention in 2012. Most of you know each other
> for a long time. When I come to student division meeting I strongly
> felt this. I neither from Ohio nor USA. I speak a different language
> and I have a very different background. No one was rood to me, but no
> one showed any sincere interest as well. I was new in the states both
> as a person and as a student. I needed help to adjust myself, but I
> couldn't ask you. Even though there is a big age gap between me and
> most of the chapter members, I feel significantly more belong to
> Cincinnati chapter.
> Second reason is not being familiar with NFB. Maybe most of you are
> involved in NFB for several years, but I'm new. Most of the time I
> don't understand what you are doing or what kind of help do you need.
> My language skills are also not making it easier.
> I'm pretty dedicated for fighting rights; however, you and me have
> different priorities. States doesn't provide me anything, even a
> single mobility training for my campus. I've just learnt learning
> allies last month and bookshare in last six months. Naturally, I don't
> understand what you are talking about sometimes.
> I'm pretty aware that no one is responsible from my adjustment
> process. I frankly shared how I feel.
> Hopefully I'll be in convention this year again. I hope we can have a
> better communication.
> Thanks
>
>
> 2014-10-11 16:23 GMT-04:00, Amber H via Oabs <oabs at nfbnet.org>:
>> Good afternoon Kaiti,
>> Just a few short lines from me because I do believe that the division
>> deserves some explanation, at least so far as I am personally able to
>> give.
>>
>> Essentially, I care very much for this division and want to see it
>> grow, but right now am struggling to keep my own head above water in
>> my household.  I have, since the beginning of the summer, taken a
>> full-time job and begun training my own guide dog from scratch.  (Read
>> as, when I'm not at work, I'm still at work!  25 pounds of pure energy
>> does not want to lay quietly while I sit through phone meetings!)
>>
>> My days off are only Fridays and Sundays, which allow for laundry,
>> church, and maybe?  If I'm lucky, dinner with my husband twice a week!
>>
>> While that might sound like an exaggeration to you, what I mean is, my
>> schedule is 1:30 PM to 10:00 PM at night. And I only get a 30 minute
>> lunch break.
>>
>> So while I would love to be more involved, the fact of the matter is
>> that I just do not have enough hours in my day.  I wake up with my
>> husband in the mornings to get him ready for work, get some housework
>> done, maybe have lunch with a friend, and it's time for me to go to
>> work.  I start around 7 in the morning and don't finish usually until
>> after 10 at night.
>>
>> It's not a matter of not caring; for me at least, it's a matter of
>> literally, not having time for all that needs to be done for my own
>> family, much less adding to my schedule with meetings and so on for
>> others.
>>
>> This may come across as selfish, but if you think about it a moment,
>> you will see that I am actually trying to do the division a favor by
>> not commiting to give time that I do not have to give, or offering to
>> donate time and resources to make calls or become involved with
>> aspects of building the division that I just do not have time to
>> offer.
>>
>> If I am going to do something badly, I'd rather not try to do it at
>> all.  I feel, and believe that you do to, that offering to carry some
>> weight in a project means that you will actually carry that weight;
>> not phone at the last moment to say, sorry, time got away from me, and
>> I really haven't done my part.
>>
>> This does not mean I will never want to be involved with the division
>> again or that the division is at the bottom of my list.  Only that
>> right now, there are way to many things in my life demanding my time
>> and attention for me to offer any more of my time and attention to any
>> other projects.
>>
>> I want to see the division succeed, and I believe that it can.  I just
>> am not in a position at this particular time, to become heavily
>> involved in any of the projects being put forward.
>>
>> I hope this helps answer your questions, at least about me, and maybe
>> gives you some insight into why some others might be silent at times,
>> to.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Amber M
>>
>> On 10/11/14, Kaiti Shelton via Oabs <oabs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi, OABSters,
>>>
>>> Over the past few weeks, especially since August right before school
>>> picked back up for most of us, I've seen something that is troubling
>>> to me.  Attendance at regular calls has slipped, and we're back to
>>> having the same 3 or 4 members doing the majority of helping out when
>>> things need to get done.  Before I continue, I am not pointing fingers
>>> at individuals, this is just what I see.
>>>
>>> The membership committee has been in dire straights, and both Aleeha
>>> and I have sent out several emails asking for additional help with
>>> this.  We can beg and plead all we want, but it takes individual
>>> effort to call in to the conference lines.  This is just as much
>>> ***your*** division as it is mine, and I don't want to see ground lost
>>> when we've just gotten our heads above water.
>>>
>>> Another problem is that the same people seem to be stepping up to help
>>> when something needs to be figured out.  Earlier this week I asked to
>>> have two volunteers help me in testing the conference line which Ryan
>>> so graciously checked for us, so we could make sure all parts of the
>>> line were functioning properly at once.  Aleeha replied and said she
>>> could help over the list for all to see.  I then replied to her over
>>> the list, and said that her willingness to help was appreciated and
>>> other interested volunteers should contact me AS Soon As Possible.  At
>>> 5:30, hearing nothing more, I decided to call the test off since no
>>> one else responded.  Aleeha and I both had dinner plans, so we agreed
>>> it would be easier on both of us since, as far as we knew, no one else
>>> was willing to help.  Emily did email saying she could help about 25
>>> minutes later, but she is one of the other people who consistently
>>> steps up to help.  It shouldn't always be the job of specific people
>>> to do tasks that are essential to keeping the division running.  I
>>> wish that someone had not waited to see if someone else who usually
>>> helps out would do it, and would have just replied either to Aleeha's
>>> email or to my response as a willing volunteer.  IN this case, it
>>> would have taken 2 to 3 minutes of time for all involved.
>>>
>>> I know we're all busy students.  I know that at least Emily and I are
>>> taking at least 18 credits of courses; some of us are involved in
>>> other groups that meet weekly on our campuses, and some are exec board
>>> members for those organizations; some of us do other things outside of
>>> school with church, or are preparing for major tests or professional
>>> internships in our not-so-distant futures.  But, the reality is that
>>> we're all doing some combination of these things, and if we're all in
>>> OABS than the organization deserves to see fair levels of commitment
>>> from everyone.
>>>
>>> So, I'm interested in hearing suggestions.  What is so daunting about
>>> membership committee meetings that no one shows up?  What have we not
>>> done that anyone thinks we should be doing?  I have stated on multiple
>>> occasions that my inbox is always open for discussion of ideas or
>>> suggestions for the division, but hearing none and since the
>>> leadership needs to know what's going on behind the scenes, please
>>> take a few short minutes of your time to tell me what you think.  You
>>> can email on-list if you'd like to generate discussion with everyone,
>>> or if you'd like to email me privately that is perfectly fine too.
>>>
>>> I hope everyone is having a great weekend and is starting to get
>>> excited for convention.  I know I am, but we need to pull together to
>>> make this year great.
>>> --
>>> Kaiti Shelton
>>> University of Dayton 2016.
>>> Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
>>> President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
>>> Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Have a blessed day,
>>
>> Amber H
>>
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>
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-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton 2016.
Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma