[Ohio-talk] FW: [DIC] DIC End of Year Report

Tue Jan 3 21:02:54 UTC 2017

I am still wondering how blind copy is a negative stereotype.  All blind
means is the inability to see. Any connotations put on that word are
totally personal or societal. But, I am not big on being politically
correct.

On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 12:27 PM, Eric Duffy via Ohio-Talk <
ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Dr.
>
> All I can say is that, there is a great example of political correctness
> run-amauck.
>
> Eric
>
> On Jan 3, 2017 12:14 PM, "Smith, JW via Ohio-Talk" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> >
> > Dear NFBO Family, Friends and Colleagues:
> >
> > I would be interested in your feelings and thoughts about item 2 in the
> rather lengthy post below after my signature.
> >
> > Iwas not at this particular meeting so I don’t know if I could have
> impacted the discussion if I had been their, but many of you know how
> sighted people love to make determinations about us and things about us,
> with out us, right?
> >
> > I’d like too forward some appropriate comments on to this group from
> real blind people or you can do it yourself by following the instructions
> at the end of the post.
> >
> > I just saw this so let me know your reactions ok?
> >
> > Jw
> >
> > Dr. jw Smith
> > School of Communication Studies
> > Scripps College of Communication
> > Schoonover Center, Rm. 427
> > Athens, OH 45701
> > smithj at ohio.edu<mailto:smithj at ohio.edu>
> > T: 740-593-4838
> >
> >
> > From: Disabilities Issues Caucus [mailto:DIC at LISTS.NATCOM.ORG] On
> Behalf Of Jim Cherney
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2016 11:57 AM
> > To: DIC at LISTS.NATCOM.ORG
> > Subject: [DIC] DIC End of Year Report
> >
> > From Jim Cherney, DIC Chair
> >
> > I apologize for delaying this report about what happened at NCA; it’s
> been a long end of the semester! But since it’s so late, I’m going to take
> the opportunity to make it an “end of the year” report on DIC issues in
> general.
> >
> > It's a long post, so I divided it into subsections addressing the
> following:
> >
> > 1. Change to Language in Bylaws
> > 2. “Blind Review” and Ableist Terminology
> > 3. Task Force on Diversity and Inclusivity
> > 4. DIC Bylaws Amendment
> > 5. DIC Elections
> > 6. New Business?
> >
> > *********
> >
> > 1. Change to Language in Bylaws
> >
> > At the Legislative Assembly meeting in 2015, Joy Cypher and I realized
> that the most recent (at the time) proposed bylaws contained language that
> potentially discriminated on the basis of ability. Article III.7:
> “Executive Committee of the Board of Directors,” specified in part that:
> “The Executive Committee may hold meetings using telephone or electronic
> means that allow participants to hear and speak to each other” (italics
> added).
> >
> > I asked Nancy Kidd, then the NCA Executive Director, about the logic
> behind this language. Particularly for our organization, it seemed to me
> that a less discriminatory phrase that served the same purpose would read
> “allow participants to communicate with each other.”
> >
> > Nancy confessed that ze did not know when this language became part of
> the proposed document, as it appeared in earlier versions of the bylaws
> that had been in effect for some time. Ze completely understood the
> problem, and promised to contact the NCA attorney and develop more
> appropriate language. In May 2016, ze wrote me that based on hir advice the
> next version of the bylaws would use the phrase “allow participants to
> actively deliberate with each other.” (I believe that this resolves the
> potential problem, but if anyone sees an issue with this language, please
> let me know.)
> > *********
> >
> > 2. “Blind Review” and Ableist Terminology
> >
> > This next item was widely discussed and covered in CRTNET, and Phaedra
> Pezzullo (among others) posted on Facebook, so I’ll be brief.
> >
> > As I was our planner for the 2016 convention I had the opportunity to
> bring up an issue with those responsible for the guidelines for NCA
> submissions. Specifically, I wrote Michelle Randall, NCA’s Director of
> Conventions and Meetings who plays a key role in the process of assembling
> the convention, asking NCA to remove the language “blind review” and “blind
> copy” from its suggestions for how to word an appropriate call for
> proposals. Since the individual units are all responsible for the wording
> of their own calls, NCA does not control how those read, but these terms
> were being used on NCA’s website and in its directions to the planners.
> >
> > I suggested that NCA recognize the way that this use of “blind” relied
> upon and perpetuated the ableist stereotype that associates blindness with
> ignorance, and should use instead another term. I offered “anonymous
> review” and “anonymous copy” as alternatives. Michelle readily agreed that
> NCA should adopt less ableist terminology, and after speaking with other
> NCA administrators ze reported that they would use the phrases “peer
> review” and “unidentifiable copy” in place of the problematic terms in
> their own literature, and encourage the units to consider adopting similar
> terms in their calls.
> >
> > The change rippled through the units, and planners from several of them
> contacted me and reported that they were amending their calls. Others told
> me that they were raising the concern with other organizations to which
> they belonged, and I have heard that this produced some results. For
> example, I was contacted by David Mcmahan, President of the Central States
> Communication Association, expressing support for the effort and reporting
> that their executive committee planned to adopt new language in future CSCA
> calls.
> >
> > *********
> >
> > 3. Task Force on Diversity and Inclusivity
> >
> > One of Stephen Hartnett’s initiatives was creation of a task force to
> develop an NCA policy on Diversity and Inclusivity. I was invited by former
> NCA President Kathleen Turner to join the task force to represent concerns
> associated with access and ability. The task force’s work is discussed in
> detail in the March 2016 Spectra (although my name was inadvertently
> omitted from the list of members identified in the article). Throughout the
> year, the Task Force has worked via monthly conference calls to develop an
> appropriate policy and related programs to promote diversity and inclusion
> in NCA and its affiliated institutions.
> >
> > That work is still in development, and a report on its activities would
> be premature, but I do want to affirm that the Task Force has been very
> interested in making access a key part of the evolving policy and
> addressing issues of ability in its project. In particular, in several
> places we have added terms addressing access in the policy. For example, we
> now use the language “a more diverse, inclusive, and accessible
> environment” to describe one of our goals for the organization, and use the
> phrase “access, diversity, and inclusivity” to identify the focus of the
> task force.
> >
> > I will continue to work with the task force for the duration of its
> mandate.
> >
> > *********
> >
> > 4. DIC Bylaws Amendment
> >
> > Sandy Pensoneau-Conway proposed an amendment to the bylaws to make it
> possible for members not present at the business meeting to run for office
> in our elections, and to use alternative mechanisms to conduct elections
> outside of the meeting. The amendment was modified and adopted, and it
> appears in the version of the bylaws that Sandy distributed on our
> listserve in November 2016.
> >
> > Because of wording elsewhere in the bylaws, our current policy continues
> to limit those who vote in the election to the members present at the
> meeting. A few of the officers have begun a conversation about problems
> with (and the rationale behind) this practice, and will likely present an
> appropriate amendment at the 2017 meeting.
> >
> > *********
> >
> > 5. DIC Elections
> >
> > Results of the elections held at NCA and online after the conference:
> >
> > Vice Chair Elect: Keith Nainby
> > Student Representative: Kourtney Maison
> > LA Representative: Lindy Davidson
> > AAIC/Diversity Council Representative: Brian Grewe
> > Nominating Committee Representative: Jim Cherney
> >
> > These officers will join those currently installed:
> >
> > Chair: Jim Cherney
> > Vice Chair: Brian Grewe
> > Access Committee Chair: Davi Kallman
> > Secretary: Allison Brenneise
> >
> > For those who wish to plan ahead, in 2017 we will elect a new Vice Chair
> Elect, Student Representative, and Secretary.
> >
> > *********
> >
> > 6. New Business?
> >
> > Some have discussed the idea that we should make the Student
> Representative a 2-year term, and I would like to hear your thoughts on the
> idea. If I find sufficient interest, then I will include an amendment to
> that effect on our agenda in 2017.
> >
> > Please feel free to email me personally at jlcherney at gmail.com<mailto:
> jlcherney at gmail.com> or to send a post to the DIC list. To do the latter,
> send your post to Allison Brenneise (brenneise at siu.edu<mailto:bren
> neise at siu.edu>) so she can send it out to all the DIC members.
> >
> > *********
> >
> > Thank you to all who have contributed to these efforts, and my most
> sincere apologies to those whose accomplishments I neglected to mention. If
> you have anything you would like to add to our list of successes, please
> send it to me and I will send out an updated report.
> >
> > I hope that 2017 turns out as productive as 2016, and that you're all
> having a nice winter break!
> >
> > Later,
> > jim
> >
> >
> >
> > This is a listserve for members of the Disability Issues Caucus of NCA.
> >
> > The DIC Secretary moderates this list, so send your posts to Caucus
> Secretary Erin McAloon at em270413 at ohio.edu<mailto:em270413 at ohio.edu>
> >
> > The DIC asks that you:
> >
> > 1. Send replies to posts to the Secretary, as posts that "reply to" the
> list will bounce back.
> >
> > 2. When replying to a message please delete the message to which you are
> replying. This will help avoid clogging in-boxes.
> >
> > 3. Instead of posting articles, please send only a link or a citation
> with a brief summary of the article. This will respect copyright laws.
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
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> > _______________________________________________
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053