[nfb-talk] a search for solutions to all of these issues

[John Heim]

I've made this same point many, many times on this list. I feel the  
NFB has an obligation to represent all blind people, not just its  
members. This is because a lot of blind people aren't even capable of  
joining the NFB. Well, almost anybody could marginally be a member.  
But a lot of people aren't even going to know the NFB exists because  
they aren't part of any community of blind people. Others will live in  
situations that don't allow them to be members in anything but name  
only. When an issue comes up for a vote, they won't be there.


On Apr 24, 2010, at 4:35 PM, Amelia Dickerson wrote:

> What if we were to acknowledge that a sizeable population of blind
> people- perhaps a higher ratio than in the general population- are
> truly unable to function at a level comparable to the rest of the
> world. Living well and dealing with difficulties presented by
> blindness requires a certain level of intelligence, ingenuity, and
> character. Not everyone out there, including people who are blind,
> display those traits. Of course, we have all known people, both blind
> and sighted, who are generally incompetent in a wide variety of
> realms. However, I feel that any mistakes or failure to understand are
> attributed to my blindness, where in other people it is just one of
> those short-comings that we all have. I can't tell you  how many times
> I've been in situations where I clearly had a better handle on what
> was happening or was more competent or more confident than a sighted
> person who was there, but they were automatically deffered to as the
> authority in the situation. We have all had these experiences I am
> sure. But I guess that I would argue that these stereotypes are not
> entirely unfounded. I have been around blind people who have very
> little sense of social cues. I have been around blind people who
> cannot understand certain concepts. I have been around blind people
> who are unable to do basic things such as rent an apartment, and who
> do not naturally strive to attain those abilities. These weaknesses
> might be just as common in the general population, but I would argue
> that they hold you back further if you are blind. So, we speak in
> terms of "blind people" as though it were a more cohesive group than
> it really is. No one would expect the same future for a sighted kid
> with a high intelligence as from a sighted kid with a low
> intelligence, even if the kid with the lower intelligence is still
> within the normal range, so it seems inaccurate too expect any sort of
> approach to really work for everyone who is blind too. Someone might
> be developmentally delayed, but still able to work as a courtesy clerk
> at the grocery store. But, if you also throw blindness in there,
> employment might be too difficult to ever really achieve. Maybe
> problems we are talking about have more to do with the individuals
> within them, more so than with the actual sysstem. In other words, the
> system works for a certain group of people, but then we apply it to
> everyone. I will give just one example of this and be done. We speak
> about health care reform in a way that the system needs to be
> reformed. But, there is a lot of variation within the health care
> individuals using the health care system so that there really is no
> solution that fits even a majority of people- it's like having a cross
> bike, it's not good as a mountain bike or as a road bike. We have what
> is fortunately a rate that seems to be leveling off of people who are
> obese in the U.S. There are lifestyle changes that could greatly
> reduce medical expenses for them, but we still focus on the problems
> as existing in the system. Well, maybe some of the problems exist
> within us.
>
> -- 
> Amelia Dickerson
>
> What counts can't always be counted, and what can be counted doesn't
> always count.
> Albert Einstein
>
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