[Ohio-talk] All Blind Students, Faculty, Parents and Others!

Sun Apr 14 03:10:04 UTC 2019

Ohio:

I sent out the below email this week. If you know of a student or parent,
please share!

Suzanne,

From: Suzanne Turner <smturner.234 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2019 8:08 AM
To: nicole.m.bell19 at outlook.com; colwillre19 at lakecatholicapps.org;
jjstover at kent.edu; jessicajones0199 at gmail.com; padaemma1 at gmail.com;
mmolchan908 at gmail.com; Lcassi at kent.edu; Kinshuk.tella at gmail.com;
BigPapaZo at roadrunner.com; R.Lutner at csuohio.edu; Disability at case.edu;
remacd3 at gmail.com; Jessica.Baldwin at ClevelandMetroSchools.org;
Kestranekm at parmaCitySchools.org; L.Casalina at csuohio.edu;
Disability at case.edu; SAS at Kent.edu; Studentdisabilitysvs at utoledo.edu;
Access at UAkron.edu; Mitchell.Jones at uc.edu; Access at bgsu.edu; SAS at JCU.EDU;
CDixon at cpl.org; SDs34 at case.edu; SterlingGarrett at vgsjob.org;
PMiller at ossb.oh.gov; Sarah.j.kelly at ood.ohio.gov; GLMcgranaham at YSU.EDU;
Katy.Mason at ood.ohio.gov; Brandon.Wray at ood.ohio.gov; nveltri at dsc.org
Cc: smturner.234 at gmail.com; rchpay7 at gmail.com
Subject: Attention All Blind Students and Faculty! 

Dear Students, Parents and Others,

My name is Suzanne Turner and I am a member of the National Federation of
the Blind. We are the largest organization that advocates for equality and
the rights of blind Ohioans, from infancy to senior hood, as well as
elementary to doctrinarism. We are over 500k strong with members in every
state, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. 

Today I am reaching out to you, because you are our future. The world of
students is vital to the productivity of the blind not only in Ohio, but
throughout the world. 

I am so impressed and honored to meet you. As a former student, I understand
how education is primary in your life, and please do not waivor in running
toward that finish line. However, sometimes there are instances that you
need support or a listening ear. Also, situations arise that perhaps a new
perspective can be helpful. I do not have all of the answers, but I love
researching and will do my best to provide you with whatever will assist you
in your endeavors.

Did you know that Ohio is one of the seven founders of this organization?
Did you know that each year Ohio provides three scholarships to students
seeking a higher education? Did you know that we assist parents and their
blind children with an array of services and programs during the summer? Did
you know that this year, our National Convention that will have over 3
thousand members attending, including students represented in every state is
in Las Vegas? Did you know, that the Federation has a National Mentoring
Program that can be a guide and a match with your educational degree to
offer support and breakdown barriers? And, did you know that we have a
committee for parents with blind children? Well, we do!   

I would love meeting you to talk about the organization and why I am
committed to its mission and purpose. Also, I can provide more information
of why I am here to cheer you on as a student who is preparing to make a
difference in the world. If you are available, I would like to invite you to
a teleconference call. Would you be available on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at
4:00 PM? The call would be for an hour and I can guarantee it will be worth
the time. You could sit in your dorm room or be in travel. Below is the
information. 

Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read my email. And please
take a moment and read our philosophy below.

I hope to meet you on the call on Sunday at 4:00 PM. 

Teleconference info:

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2019

Time: 4:00 PM

Tel: 605-313-4834

Code: 246345

Listen to the prompts and enter the code.

Click on this video to learn more about the National Federation of the Blind
of Ohio.

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8

Suzanne

Suzanne Hartfield-Turner, 

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

C: (216) 990-6199

////

The Federation's positive belief system about Blindness.

Members of the Federation realized the simple truth many years ago that
blind people are just people who cannot see-we are not broken sighted
people. Blind people are as different as sighted people are; that is, we are
a cross-section of the broader society and, therefore, are not all alike as
some assume. Blindness is a physical characteristic, but it is not the
characteristic that defines us or our future. It is low expectations and
misconceptions, not blindness itself, that stand between blind people and
our dreams.

Given proper training and opportunity, blind people can and do live the
lives we want. It is respectable to be blind, and, with the right tools and
techniques, blindness may be reduced to the level of a nuisance or
inconvenience. To combat the low expectations, misconceptions, and
stereotypes that are the true barriers to achieving our dreams, the blind
have organized for the same reasons other minorities have-to make positive
social change through collective action. The Federation philosophy provides
an overall framework for thinking about blindness, what it means, and what
it doesn't mean. However, it is not intended to be rigid or dogmatic. As we
just said, blind people are individuals, and we may disagree on any number
of things, including how to handle a given situation as blind people. What
our philosophy does do is give us a positive way of thinking about our
blindness, rather than the negative ways in which we have often been
conditioned to think about it by society. Rather than saying that we as
blind people can't do something, we try to find ways that we can, and to
challenge each other, in a loving way, to always push the envelope and
expand the limits of our independence. As you read further, you'll discover
that, to the extent we need to formulate specific positions about blindness
and the policies related to it, we use a democratic process to arrive at
these positions.

The National Federation of the Blind also provides encouragement and support
to families with blind children and to people who are losing vision or have
become blind later in life, by bringing them into a network of tens of
thousands of blind people who are living full lives and who can serve as
mentors and role models. Together, with love, hope, and determination, the
members of the National Federation of the Blind transform dreams into
reality.