[Ohio-talk] From the Ohio Membership Committee, (Equality, Opportunity, and Security through Collective Action by Mark Riccobono)

[Suzanne Turner]

Membership in the National Federation of the Blind:

 

Equality, Opportunity, and Security through Collective Action

by Mark Riccobono

>From the Editor: Our elected President assumes responsibility for an
incredible number of tasks, one of them overseeing our program to recruit,
grow, and nourish our membership. It is obvious that President Riccobono
sees this as a major priority, and here is what he says about his coming to
the organization and what we must do to ensure that others keep coming:

One of the most important titles I have been able to put next to my name is
member, National Federation of the Blind. I first became a member in 1996,
and I cannot imagine a day in my life when I will decide to no longer be a
member of this great organization. As I travel the country talking to people
about the work of our movement, certain predictable questions come up
including but not limited to: what does it mean to be a member; how do I
join; and what are the benefits of membership? More often than not, I find
that people have not joined because of misconceptions about membership in
our organized blind movement. I also find that the idea of "membership" in
an organization takes on different meanings depending on your background and
perspective. In this article I will attempt to share with you what
membership in the National Federation of the Blind means to me and what I
believe we, collectively, hope it means for each of our present and future
members. If you are not yet a member, this article is an invitation to
explore joining us and an opportunity to create understanding about who we
are and why we need you to be in our family. If you are already a member, I
hope this article speaks to your experience in our movement and contributes
to your growth as a leader. If you are not sure whether you are or are not a
member, I hope this clears things up and encourages you to make your
membership status definitive.

What Do We Mean by Membership?

It is important to begin with some organizational basics related to
membership. Let us start by talking about what membership in our
organization is not. I grew up in the 1980s when the Members Only brand
emerged in the United States. It was a cool thing to have something that
sported the name "Members Only," and we sought opportunities to create
social circles for ourselves that we considered "members only" regardless of
whether you owned any of the merchandise. For example, in elementary school
my friends and I had a Ghostbusters Club (based on the 1984 movie) where we
could easily limit the participants since there just were not many
characters in the movie. We created our own rules and expectations for
participation-sometimes driven by the movie but often with our own
agreed-upon alterations-and we had a good time. However, the goal was not to
bring other people into our club. In fact, we liked that it was a closed
membership. We were already friends and our "members only" club strengthened
our bond. This notion of membership is much different from what I have found
in the National Federation of the Blind over the past twenty years. In our
organization we believe in an open membership policy where all are welcome
to be considered for membership and, with only a few exceptions, our
meetings are open to non-members to observe even if they cannot vote on
matters of importance-only Federation members can determine its policies and
elect its leaders. While only members of the Federation have certain rights
and privileges within the organization, we hope to have as many blind people
as possible join with us in our mission to improve the lives of all blind
people.

Open membership means that we do not put significant qualifiers on being a
member of our organization. It is worth talking about the handful of
qualifiers we do have for membership. 

To begin, you have to want to be a member, and you need to pay dues to a
chapter, division, affiliate, or the national organization. Our goal is not
simply to sign people up for the membership roll; we seek members who want
to actively participate. 

In general, another qualifier is that the majority of our members have to be
blind. On a nationwide basis better than 90 percent of our members are.
Thus, on a national basis, we do not need to worry about sighted individuals
joining and taking over our organization. However, at the local level this
sometimes becomes a problem when a small chapter starts inviting many
sighted people to be members. The constitution of the National Federation of
the Blind and every entity under the Federation requires a majority of the
membership be blind. By blind, we mean a functional definition of blindness
as Kenneth Jernigan so eloquently described it decades ago in his speech "A
Definition of Blindness." One major exception to this policy is our National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children-one of our national special
interest divisions-where a majority of the members in that specific division
need not be blind. In fact, that division includes the vast majority of the
Federation's sighted members, but it is not the exclusive place where
sighted people participate actively as members. I list this as a membership
qualifier because we are, first and foremost, an organization of blind
people, led by blind people, and directed by blind people. While we are on
the topic, you cannot be elected to our national board of directors unless
you are blind.

A final qualifier is that an individual must be prepared to uphold the
standards we expect from each other in this organization. The standards of
membership and for leaders of our organization are set by Federation members
themselves. They are articulated in our Code of Conduct
(https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/code-conduct).
Essentially, we come together through the common bond of blindness to serve
as a vehicle for collective action by the blind. We seek to treat each other
with dignity and respect, and we value an atmosphere free from
discrimination and harassment of any type. It is worth noting that those
seeking to be leaders of this organization have additional responsibilities
above those of everyday members. While all members of the organization are
asked to support the policies and programs of the Federation-see the
Federation pledge at the end of this article-leaders of the organization are
expected to implement the policies and programs. This means that leaders
need to take actions consistent with the organization's policies and that
leaders should not commit themselves to organizations that actively work
against the Federation. 

In short, the membership of the National Federation of the Blind is the
class of individuals, a majority of whom are required to be blind, who pay
dues to the organization at the local, state, or national level (joining at
the local and/or state level gives you automatic membership in the national
organization). 

The mechanics of qualifying to be a member of the National Federation of the
Blind are truly that easy. However, the process of understanding the power
of membership in this organization and coming to be an active participant in
the decision-making process of it often feels much more daunting to new
members. This is why we have recently initiated an onboarding process for
new members to welcome people into our organization and assist with
navigating the things that long-time members like me take for granted today.

How Do you Become a Member?

In order to become a member of the National Federation of the Blind, you
have to join one of the parts of our organization. While there is not one
path to membership, keep in mind that where you join makes a difference as
to when you can actively vote on Federation matters. Here is a simple
breakdown.

Our organization operates at three levels: local, state, and national.

Local: The local level of the Federation is typically represented by a
chapter-in my city I participate in the Greater Baltimore Chapter. Chapters
are typically geographically organized, and in larger communities there are
sometimes multiple chapters in order to facilitate local meetings more
effectively. Again, using Baltimore as an example, we have three local
chapters that meet in the Baltimore region comprising Baltimore City and
Baltimore County. Local chapters are generally not incorporated but serve as
a subordinate part of the state affiliate which is incorporated as a
501(c)(3) organization. Most chapters meet in person, but some state
affiliates have established at-large chapters which are meant to bring
together members who cannot, for one reason or another, meet in person
regularly. Additionally, state affiliates will frequently establish special
interest divisions which bring blind people together around a common topic.
These divisions are distinguished from chapters in a couple of ways.
Divisions bring people together around a topic area rather than organizing
geographically, and they typically have one major business meeting each year
as part of the affiliate convention-whereas most chapters meet every month.
Although it is not required, it works best when members of a division also
participate in a local chapter. Members of local chapters or divisions are
automatically made members of their state affiliate and the national
organization. Additionally, members of a state affiliate division are often
automatically made members of the corresponding national division. Local
division membership dues reflect inclusion of a small amount-generally
$2-for dues to the state affiliate and national organization. Local chapters
set their dues, and they are generally at $5 or $10 per year. The goal is to
ensure that economic status is not a barrier to membership, and the
Federation does not use dues as a fundraising activity.

State: There is one state affiliate in each of the fifty states, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Local chapters and divisions report
to their state affiliate which helps to coordinate the activities of the
organization. Each affiliate has an annual convention which serves as the
annual business meeting and determines the policy direction for the
affiliate. At the state level, the affiliate convention elects the board of
directors and establishes the local priorities. Through the charter of
affiliation with the national organization, the state affiliate work must be
consistent with the policies and programs of the national organization, but
otherwise there is significant discretion as to the implementation of
program activities. 

National: The state affiliates come together to form the national
organization. According to the constitution of the National Federation of
the Blind, the annual national convention is the supreme authority of the
organization. The convention sets policy and elects the board of directors.
The constitution sets forth the duties of the President of the Federation,
who serves as the chief executive, and the duties of the board to manage the
organization between conventions. Members who attend the national convention
are invited to vote on policy matters with the exception of roll call votes
where each affiliate gets one vote. Each affiliate selects a delegate to
represent the affiliate at the convention and cast votes when necessary. The
delegate frequently is the individual who serves on the organization's
nominating committee-the one committee in the Federation which is not
appointed by the President. There are some members who only join the
national level, but it is not the general membership path. Frequently people
join the Federation as members of one of our national divisions. That
membership only grants membership in the division and the national
organization as a whole-it does not give you any membership rights at the
local and state level. However, national divisions are a common way for
people to come to know our organization. Frequently, this is an avenue for
getting people connected with our local chapters and state affiliates where
the real engagement in the work of the organization can happen. Individuals
can also join as at-large members of the national organization. At-large
members are typically people who wish to show their support without plans to
be actively involved. However, this can also be an avenue for people to get
to know us before they join at the local level. At-large membership at the
national level is extremely small, and it is not a membership option we
actively promote because it is much more effective if people participate in
the organization through our local affiliates. What makes our organization
strong is a powerful local network of organized and engaged members.

What Does It Mean to Be a Member?

Membership in the National Federation of the Blind opens up opportunities
for service and for fellowship that I believe are unparalleled. Being a
member gives you a connection to thousands of other members all over the
country. In my experience, this means having thousands of people who are
prepared to support and assist you at every turn in your journey as a blind
person. That includes people who are newly blind and struggling to learn
what blindness means in their lives as well as people like me who start to
think we have it all figured out-until something new comes along or a blind
person breaks into a new area that we had not considered previously. I find
that every day I am learning something from the powerful network of the
Federation. 

Being a member also gives you the power of collective action when dealing
with issues facing the blind in all aspects of life. This includes at the
individual level where if I run into a problem-like someone wanting to take
my children away because of my blindness-I know I can call upon my friends
in the Federation for help. Membership also gives me access to the training
and experts who can help me be a stronger self-advocate. So often the
discrimination and artificial barriers we face can be dealt with when we are
equipped with the knowledge and resources to understand the law and the
expectations that should flow from it. On a broader scale, being a member
gives us the power of individual effort collectively focused. In our
organization, we select our direction together, and we push toward that end
together. It makes our outcomes more effective and more likely to succeed.
Similarly, we uphold the value of not dividing ourselves-when we pick a
position, we all agree to push in that direction without fighting among each
other. Together we are able to make significant progress that we could never
accomplish alone. 

This brings me to what membership is not. Membership is not giving up our
own individual perspectives and beliefs. Those who are not members of our
organization sometimes falsely say that we must be brainwashed. In fact, the
membership of the Federation is as diverse and opinionated as you can find,
and we continue to seek channels to strengthen our diversity. Debates happen
throughout the membership about policies to pursue, what our shared
philosophy about blindness means and how it applies today, and whether or
not a specific concern is within the area of interest to our
organization-blindness. Our diversity helps to make our decision-making
better. Once we agree by a vote to have a policy or elect a leader, we
support them until we vote in a different direction. To some degree, we are
constantly testing our policy positions, sometimes through actions in the
halls of power and sometimes on the streets of America where we face the low
expectations of society. Those who do not know us mistake unity for lack of
individuality. This is not the case. 

It is worth saying that membership means supporting the will of the
majority. This sometimes means that your idea wins, it sometimes means that
someone else's idea wins, but it most often means that a combined idea is
the one we select and pursue. The membership moments I enjoy the most are
when we get a room full of blind people discussing a topic, and in the end
whatever action is decided upon cannot easily be credited to any one
individual. It is important to recognize that being part of an organization
like ours means that you will not, and should not, always get your way. We
are a team, and that means members have an obligation to work together. From
my perspective, it is actually the joy of working together. In fact, that is
exactly why our membership medallions have the Braille contraction of the
word "together" embossed on them.

The original launch of the Members Only brand in the 1980s used the tagline
"When you put it on, something happens." This tagline applies equally to
membership in the National Federation of the Blind. I know that when I
started being a proud member of the Federation my confidence completely
changed. As a Federation member I walked more confidently because I learned
the techniques that blind people used to be successful, and also because I
knew that thousands of people had my back. Furthermore, I wore the pride of
knowing that I had their backs as well. Even more importantly, through my
active participation in the National Federation of the Blind I got to know
other members in a very personal way, and I came to think of them as part of
my Federation family. I now have family members all over the country and not
just family in name only. I know them, and I know I can count on them. This
is something you can really only understand by coming to be a member of our
organization and participating actively in it. When you start wearing your
membership in the National Federation of the Blind-understanding it in your
heart and your mind-things will happen to change your life for the better.
These are the benefits of membership that are too priceless to value and too
intangible to measure. If you make the commitment to participate actively in
our movement, you will begin to discover the reasons that I am a lifelong
member and wear this organization proudly in my daily life.

There are lots of other things that membership means and benefits that
membership provides to us. I think it is more meaningful if you come
discover them for yourself, and by becoming a member you get to help decide
how we use our resources and what our priorities will be in the future. Very
selfishly, I hope you become a member because it will enhance my own
membership experience. I will have another person to work with, another
friend to lean on, and another blind person to steal nifty tips and tricks
from. I know from my experience that we are stronger together and that your
diversity will enhance and improve our organization. Once you join, please
share your ideas about how we can do what we do even better, including
articulating the meaning of membership and the benefits of our collective
action. 

 

Suzanne Hartfield-Turner, President

NFBOH-Cleveland Chapter

C: (216) 990-6199

P: (641) 715-3900

Ex: 582705

A: PO Box 141077

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

E: President.NFB.ClevelandOhio at Gmail.com
<mailto:President.NFB.ClevelandOhio at Gmail.com> 

 

Please visit and take a moment to like our Facebook Page!

https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/ 

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

 

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