[nabs-l] What is independence?

[Scott C. LaBarre]

On this topic, everyone should read Dr. Jernigan's speech, the Nature of
Independence.  You can read or listen to the actual audio.  It is under
publication and then speeches and reports on the nfb.org website.  In my
view, it is one of the most compelling speeches in our history.

Best,
Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Silveira
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:21 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] What is independence?

Hi all,

I agree with what has been said thus far; the word "independence" has
several connotative meanings.  For me, I believe that an independent person
has the ability to function without being fully reliant on others to manage
their lives.  Independence does not, however, necessarily mean that one must
never rely on others for assistance.  Whether one is blind, hearing
impaired, in a wheel chair, developmentally challenged or without any
diagnosed disability, one still needs to ask for assistance from time to
time.  If a person can think for themselves, take care of themselves, make
trivial and important decisions by and for themselves and manage life in
general (whether that be home life, school, a career or all of the above)
and do it mostly on their own, they are independent.  They should also,
however, know when to ask for help.  No one should have to go through life
alone.  Every person needs help in some way.  The greatest sign of
independence is the ability to manage life on one's own, while also knowing
where the limit is and when to ask for help.


Ryan L. Silveira 


On Feb 27, 2014, at 4:49 PM, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi,
> This is a very good topic for discussion.
> 
> For me, true independence is living your life without feeling burdened by
the things that you can't do. It is knowing that you have the skills
necessary to achieve whatever your goals and aspirations in life are.
> More importantly, it means knowing your limits. It means being able to
explore the depths of your soul freely and without guilt. This is necessary
because people who scream the loudest about their independence are often the
ones who spend the most time consciously emulating someone else's values and
beliefs. If one can think for themselves, and be inspired by, rather than
shamed into, knowing how they feel about themselves, their place in the
world, their morals, etc., that, to me, is the key ingredient to being truly
independent.
> 
> On 2/26/2014 5:08 PM, Darian Smith wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>>   It seems to me that a word  that  we use a lot  in the Federation is
independence.
>>   Obviously, we go about it differently which would suggest  differing
definitions for each individual. As you read this message, I wonder what the
word independence means to you?
>>   Best,
>>   Darian
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> 
> -- 
> Desiree
> 
> 
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