[NABS-L] Conversation Starter: How do you feel about the agency pledge resolution?

Sat Jul 18 01:56:41 UTC 2020

Well said Justin.

First,. as a leader of an organization designed to serve a specific population a that leader needs to have credibility in order to effectively serve their people. It is a large mountain to climb for a leader to gain that credibility if they already are not a member of that people group.

Second, it defies logic that so many organizations for the Blind do not have leaders, senior or otherwise who are Blind.

Case in point National Industries for the Blind is headed by Kevin Lynch who is not Blind and has lead organizations for the Blind his entire career. It is hard to believe that an organization with over 100 associated agencies does not have a Blind Chief Executive Officer. This is not a criticism of Kevin Lynch or specifically his leadership, but I have a tough time believing that there is not one Blind person with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead that organization or a statistically significant sample of the over 100 NIB associated agencies.

> On Jul 17, 2020, at 8:26 PM, Justin Salisbury via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I want people to remember that this is a resolution, and it's asking agencies to take a pledge. It's not legally binding, so it's more or less an opportunity for agencies to voluntarily identify themselves as cooperative with our initiative to ensure that the talents and lived experiences of blind people are not absent in the management and leadership of these private agencies serving the blind. 
> 
> This resolution is not forcing anything. It's not creating a rule or a law.
> 
> Since agreeing to this pledge is totally voluntary, I think it's likely that the agencies will listen to our input if they're confused about who to hire, promote, or appoint. Why would they take the pledge if they were not willing to listen to us about how to carry it out? What benefit would they get by taking the pledge and then refusing to listen to us about how to carry it out? If they don't like us or want to listen to us, wouldn't they just not take the pledge, anyway?
> 
> Keep the words flowing!
> 
> Justin
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Cricket Bidleman via NABS-L
> Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 8:31 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Cricket Bidleman <cricketbidleman at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Conversation Starter: How do you feel about the agency pledge resolution?
> 
> I think this depends on how you define qualified. In this case, with blind people, I would say that qualified means someone  who is blind, so they know about the problems we  face, and what accommodations and needs we have. Of course, they also have to meet the other qualifications in the job description, so agencies shouldn’t plop someone into a role just because they’re blind and the agency wants to fill a quota.
> 
> And here’s where the problem is. It’s almost certain that some agencies will hire blind people just to fill quotas without really caring about their other qualifications. This may be due to voluntary or involuntary ignorance of the fact that there are plenty of qualified blind people out there. I hope this doesn’t happen often.
> 
> As for minority quotas and a lack of qualifications some people are referencing, it depends on the scenario. In some cases, people definitely were not qualified by anything other than their minority. In other cases, people are probably just being grumpy. Obviously  I’m not able to give you statistics on that.
> 
> Best,
> CXB
> 
> —
> Cricket X. Bidleman (she/her/hers)
> Stanford University | Class of 2021
> BA Candidate | Communications
> Accessibility Consultant | Stanford University Computer Science Director of Communications | Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) President | California Association of Blind Students (CABS)
> 
>> On Jul 17, 2020, at 17:15, Robin via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> So "Those People are  No Different than  in the Sighted Community as 
>> it pertains to Their Beliefs when it comes to Affirmative Action , & 
>> Based on that, I  can presume a  Lot of Things about Them
>> 
>> At 04:57 PM 7/17/2020, you wrote:
>>> Yes, cricket I think it would be a situation where those who were 
>>> hired had relevant qualifications. I  know that I have been hearing a 
>>> bit about affirmative action from some people that I talk to in the 
>>> Federation, and they seem to automatically assume incompetence when 
>>> affirmative action is brought up. in other words, thereâ€™s always a 
>>> narrative about how so-and-so was put into a position without 
>>> appropriate qualifications and was incompetent but hired anyway. I 
>>> donâ€™t buy it, just sharing some experience from the last couple of 
>>> days when I listen to people talk about this resolution. Sent from my 
>>> iPhone > On Jul 17, 2020, at 6:44 PM, Cricket Bidleman via NABS-L 
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote: > > ï»¿Hi folks, > > Interesting 
>>> conversation. What defines qualified? This is pretty much  
>>> affirmative action. Whatâ€™s your response to affirmative action? And 
>>> for those who support one  but not the other, why? > > > Emily, as 
>>> far as I understand it, this resolution would provide for qualified 
>>> blind people to get in those organizations to make the appropriate 
>>> changes. Am I misinterpreting? > > > Best, > CXB > > — > Crickket X. 
>>> Bidleman (she/her/hers) > Stanford University | Class of 2021 > BA 
>>> Candidate | Communications > Accessibility Consultant | Stanford 
>>> University Computer Science > Director of Communications | Associated 
>>> Students of Stanford University (ASSU) > President | California 
>>> Association of Blind Students (CABS) > >> On Jul 17, 2020, at 16:31, 
>>> Emily Schlenker via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote: >> >> ï»¿I 
>>> think it is a rigid and reactionary way of thinking, Justin. fact is, 
>>> there are lots and lots of highly educated blind people who could do 
>>> jobs at these agencies, so the argument that we would be putting 
>>> people in who are not qualified is not reasonable. >> >> Sent from my 
>>> iPhone >> >>>> On Jul 17, 2020, at 5:54 PM, Justin Salisbury via 
>>> NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote: >>> >>> ï»¿I support it, as well. 
>>>>>>>>> What do you all say to the people who are universally opposed 
>>> to quotas designed to help minorities? >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone 
>>>>>>>>> Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury >>> >>> Mobile: 808.797.8606 
>>>>>> Email: 808salisbury at gmail.com<mailto:808salisbury at gmail.com>  >>> 
>>> ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury  
>>>>>> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury >>>  >>> 
>>>>>>>>>> On Jul 17, 2020, at 4:46 PM, Cory McMahon 
>>> <cory.j.mcmahon at gmail.com<mailto:cory.j.mcmahon at gmail.com>> wrote: 
>>>>>>>>> I support it. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: 
>>> NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org>> 
>>> On Behalf Of Justin Salisbury via >>> NABS-L >>> Sent: Friday, July 
>>> 17, 2020 3:33 PM >>> To: National Association of Blind Students 
>>> mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org<mailto:nabs-l at nfbnet.org>> >>>  Cc: 
>>> Justin Salisbury 
>>> <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu<mailto:PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>>  >>> 
>>> Subject: [NABS-L] Conversation Starter: How do you feel about the 
>>> agency >>> pledge resolution? >>> >>> Aloha Fellow Federationists, 
>>>>>>>>> I am enjoying the discussion surrounding one of this year's 
>>> resolutions. I >>> want to know how our NABS members feel about it, 
>>> so please share your >>> thoughts. Here is the resolution: >>> >>> 
>>> Resolution 2020-05: Regarding Blind Leadership at Private Agencies 
>>> for the >>> Blind WHEREAS, over 200 private agencies in the US have 
>>> been created to >>> serve the blind; and WHEREAS, an essential part 
>>> of the governing structure >>> of an agency for the blind is to 
>>> include the processes, policies, and >>> procedures that will ensure 
>>> that the agency for the blind administration is >>> responsive to the 
>>> interests, needs, and aspirations of its constituency; and >>> 
>>> WHEREAS, the most authentic representatives of the constituency of 
>>> agencies >>> that serve the blind are blind people who have the lived 
>>> experience of >>> blindness and have shown the commitment to engage 
>>> in self-organization and >>> who are willing to be partners, 
>>> directors, or managers of agencies for the >>> blind and advisors to 
>>> them: Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National >>> Federation 
>>> of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, >>> 
>>> 2020, that this organization call upon agencies for the blind to 
>>> adopt the >>> formal goal of committing to a governing structure with 
>>> numeric parity >>> between blind and sighted directors and managers, 
>>> which will ensure >>> partnership with the blind who have dedicated 
>>> their lives to improvement of >>> blindness services nationally; and 
>>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon >>> and invite all United 
>>> States blindness agencies to formally adopt the >>> following 
>>> Blindness Parity Pledge, to wit: >>> Our agency, the [NAME OF 
>>> ORGANIZATION], was created and exists to help blind >>> people. We 
>>> believe that those in whose name we serve should be represented >>> 
>>> in parity in the governing board of directors and agency management. 
>>> This >>> parity will result in blind people having a significant 
>>> contribution to help >>> guide the services our agency provides and 
>>> guiding the most effective ways >>> to give it. Therefore, we pledge 
>>> ourselves to the values and commitments >>> that follow: >>> We are 
>>> managed by executives who are compensated for their work, and those 
>>>>>> executives, in turn, are managed by a board of directors. We 
>>> believe that >>> blind people must be a part of any blind agency's 
>>> management team at both of >>> these levels. While setting any 
>>> particular percentage may appear to be >>> arbitrary, we know that, 
>>> without a number it is impossible to measure >>> whether we are 
>>> meeting our goal of significant involvement. We therefore >>> pledge 
>>> that this agency will measure, in five years or less, at least half 
>>>>>> of our management team be composed of people who are blind. We 
>>> further >>> pledge that within the same five-year period our 
>>> organization will commit to >>> a minimum of 50 percent of its 
>>> governing Board of Directors be composed of >>> people who are blind. 
>>>>>> To underscore the importance of parity representing those we 
>>> serve, we >>> pledge to amend our by-laws to ensure that the parity, 
>>> once achieved, will >>> continue as a hallmark and point of pride in 
>>> our agency in perpetuity. >>> >>> We believe there is no better way 
>>> to demonstrate our commitment to the >>> constituency we serve than 
>>> to have blind people contributing by being part >>> of our 
>>> management. Our agency's current operation and its goals for the >>> 
>>> future must be informed by those we serve, and we must, in appearance 
>>> and in >>> fact be guided by blind peoples' experience and 
>>> aspirations at every level. >>> The effect of blind parity and 
>>> inclusion will ultimately help our agency >>> address the 
>>> accessibility needs of those we serve. They will help ensure >>> that 
>>> every document we create will be accessible. With our full community 
>>>>>> engaged, we will strive to see that our presence on the World 
>>> Wide Web is >>> exemplary and serves to demonstrate that websites can 
>>> be both visually >>> attractive and completely usable with screen 
>>> reading technology. >>> Furthermore, our commitment to accessibility 
>>> will extend far beyond the >>> written word. When we produce charts, 
>>> graphs, and documents with pictures, >>> we will use state-of-the-art 
>>> technology to make these accessible for the >>> blind. >>> We value 
>>> the feedback and active participation of blind people in the >>> 
>>> development and implementation of the services we provide. In 
>>> addition to >>> reaching parity on our board and management team, we 
>>> pledge also to create a >>> working committee of the consumers we 
>>> serve to meet regularly throughout the >>> year and advise on best 
>>> practices in our programs and services. The members >>> of this 
>>> independent advisory committee and the chairperson of the committee 
>>>>>> will be chosen by the consumers themselves and meet at least 
>>> quarterly with >>> senior management to build an agency which will 
>>> continue to grow in >>> responsive, relevant and blind-positive ways. 
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >> NABS-L 
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