[nabs-l] Out of curiosity

[Patrick Johnson]

Group,

    It's a little absurd to compare the NFB with the Foundation Fighting 
Blindness.  The two have distinct missions and attract different 
memberships.  The FFB focuses on the medical and scientific aspects of 
blindness.  Take a look at their web site and the web site of their upcoming 
conference.

http://www.blindness.org/
http://www.blindness.org/visions/

    As for "Dining in the Dark", yes it is a fund raiser, but it is more 
than that.  The wait staff is completely blind and the food is served in the 
dark.  It is also an opportunity to educate the public.  The wait staff 
instructs the diners on how to orient themselves to their place setting, 
locate, and identify their food and drink.

    To me this is educational and promotes the the vision that the blind are 
capable of living independent and productive lives.

    It is wrong to make blanket comments about other blindness organizations 
such as the FFB.  The NFB, FFB, ACB, and dozens of other organizations whoo 
advocate for the blind are all striving to improve our lives.  Whether you 
or I disagree with a specific policy or goal of a blindness organization is 
completely understandable.  But by making a blanket statement about an 
entire organization makes the speaker  sound uninformed and could alienate 
the listener.

$0.02 worth from someone who is afiliated with both the NFB and FFB.

Patrick