[Mt-blind] History Lesson

Wed Nov 14 16:37:54 CST 2007

Hi there,
I can't speak for the MAB since I have been here for three years.
I do feel that the ACB as far as the national does strive to get matters 
accomplished.
But as far as Denver,
I can speak for this chapter.
Even today they complain how the NFB does this and does that.
But they just meet monthly and talk about what needs to be done.
When I was in the chapter,
I was always told, let us know how all turns out.
It was the ACB that helped get the coffee cups in Braille at the Mick 
Donald's.
I helped my friend Pat at the time who is no longer living get this done.
Now there is Braille all of the time on the cups.
This they were proud of, and should be.
I pulled away from Denver's NFB, since at the time I was there,
if a problem came up, you did just this,  you sued.
Don't bother to talk anything over just Su.
I don't feel this way,
Unless there is something that is truly out of line.
If you can talk it over first then do so.
I just have a softer touch.
This is the reason why I joined MAB here.
to see my husband Jim so proud of the organization, makes you step back and 
think about what is happening.
this isn't what is being said, it is what is being done that makes me proud 
to look up to my husband.
To me what fighting was or wasn't done, isn't the issue here.
For me it is just getting out there, and sharing,  blind persons do have 
lives.
And if we can better our lives then do so.
Not just sit and talk about it.
Help others grow,
as well as yourself or myself writing this message.
I am not a history buff at all.
So for me to sit down and read all of this, will never happen.
If I did, it would just be a book to read, and I wouldn't remember facts 
anyway.
I have more positive happening in my life, then to worry about what happened 
with the two organizations.
Actually, it would be nice to work together, and there are things I have 
seen pull together.
But it also is nice to know there are two organizations out there,
One who believes in action,
and One who thinks about action.
This could get me into trouble,
that is ok.
I have been on both sides.
And feel that from the small world I have seen,
and what I explained, I am still trying to see further ahead than is 
happening.
I hope those who want to read all about this, is fine.
I still want to help out in any way I can,
and not worry about the past.
Work for what is happening now.
Or what we would like to do in the future.
This keeps my mind on more of a positive thinking manner.
I am glad the MAB is here for helping the blind, and those who are going 
blind.
As well as helping anyone that needs help.
Keep up the good work guys,
and don't forget me.
I am here to try to help out as much as I can.
Thanks for being you.

--Dar
www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/5779
Every Saint has a past
Every Sinner has a future

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Marks" <blind.grizzly at gmail.com>
To: "BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER" <bjb5757 at bresnan.net>; "Montana Association for 
the Blind List" <mt-blind at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] History Lesson

> The NFB and ACB histories are fairly well documented in the two books
> Jim Aldrich mentioned.  From reading these, I know that the NFB was
> formed in 1940.  The MAB was formed at a Lions camp in Avon, Montana
> in 1946.  In 1957, the MAB became an affiliate of the NFB.  In the
> early 1980s, that affiliation was cemented with a charter from
> national to the state.
>
> The NFB met with severe in fighting in the late 50s, and the ACB broke
> off from the NFB and formed its own separate organization around 1960.
> Interestingly enough, Lelia Proctor was quoted quite a bit in the ACB
> history book because she admonished the warring factions for fighting
> and not getting along.  Lelia did not advocate for picking sides; she
> merely wanted the squabbling to stop.  It did not though.
>
> The ACB went on to be a smaller organization with a philosophy that is
> different from that of the NFB's.  Essentially, the NFB philosophy is
> that the problem is not blindness.  Rather, it is the way we think
> about blindness that holds blind people down.  The NFB focuses on
> personal responsibility, a can-do spirit, and the application of the
> alternative techniques of the blind.  The ACB holds some of these
> philosophies as well, but with a major difference.  The ACB tends to
> behave as though blindness is the problem, and it asks that society
> take action on behalf of the blind rather than the blind taking action
> for themselves.  In addition, the ACB pretty much was co-opted by the
> service providers for the blind.  Agency people tend to dislike the
> NFB, calling it militant and disrespectful.  For its part, the NFB
> pretty much would say that agency attitudes are the same as the
> plantation overseer to the slaves.  The ACB is much smaller than the
> NFB, and, in recent years, it has been damaged by in fighting within
> its own ranks.  The NFB speaks with one voice, and operates more like
> a republic than an out-and-out democracy.  Some would say that the NFB
> is a top-down sort of organization while the ACB is more bottom-up.
> However, the recent infighting within the ACB certainly looks to be
> more top-down than bottom-up by a long stretch.  And I believe that
> the NFB listens to the voices of individuals as well as any
> organization can.
>
> My personal observation is that NFB members are, as a rule, more
> out-going and confident than are ACB people.  I am not one to brag
> about being neat and trim because I am neither, but one observation I
> have that doubles, as a joke is that you can get more NFB people on an
> elevator than you can ACB members.  ACB members tend to be a bit more
> overweight than NFB members, which may indicate that the ACB is more
> sedentary than the NFB.
>
> One last major difference I want to note is that the main role of the
> ACB is, insofar as I can tell, is to oppose NFB agendas.  The NFB has
> far more irons in the fire, and it's routine for the ACB to oppose our
> agenda and propose none of their own.  The reverse sometimes happens,
> though, such as the most recent ACB lawsuit over accessible money.
> The NFB opposes changing the money because, in part, it believes there
> are more important issues to work on and it believes the accessible
> money issue serves to distract people from those more important issues
> such as web accessibility or quality rehab programs.
>
> Anyhow, I will let others fill in some gaps on this history stuff.  I
> also have an article pending on one of the MAB charter members, Ruby
> Huckaba.  Ruby was a classmate of Lelia's, and she has some very
> interesting memories that shed light on what we are doing currently.
> For example, Ruby told me about the split between the blind kids and
> the high partials in the Montana School for the Blind and Feeble
> Minded back in the 1940s and 50s.  Ruby, a high partial, got more
> privileges than totally blind Lelia Proctor.  Yet Lelia had better
> skills and could actually handle more than Ruby, according to Ruby.
> We see this sort of issue all the time, and the blind-high partial
> split is something that speaks to the philosophy bit quite a bit.  And
> it is why we try to make it respectable to be blind.  Anyhow, I will
> share more later.
>
> Jim Marks
> blind.grizzly at gmail.com
>
>
>
> On 11/13/07, BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER <bjb5757 at bresnan.net> wrote:
>> Hi, list.
>>
>> When I have more time, perhaps this week end, I would like to research 
>> the
>> MAB's formal written documentation regarding the affiliation with the 
>> NFB.
>> Although I do think it is important for us to learn about the consumer
>> organizations and how they came to be what they are today, for purposes 
>> of
>> this current discussion, I would like to know how the MAB became an
>> affiliate of the NFB, and not necessarily just from someone's 
>> recollection,
>> although I would welcome that as well.  I think it is important to become
>> familiar with the facts and to pass that knowledge on to the next
>> generation.
>>
>> My computer which has been broken for years has the MAB Constitution and
>> Bylaws on it.  I think every member should read them for their own
>> information.  I am going to try to obtain another electronic copy of them
>> some way.
>>
>> Bruce and I once read a book that is totally unrelated to this current
>> discussion, but in a sense it was very much related since it was talking
>> about a group of people who are a minority and want to hold onto their
>> traditions and their identity and not get swallowed up by the majority. 
>> One
>> of the concepts I gleaned from that book which has stuck with me ever 
>> since
>> is to not let your enemies, real or imagined, define or redefine you. 
>> Nuff
>> said.
>>
>> Joy
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Mt-blind mailing list
>> Mt-blind at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/mt-blind
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Jim Marks
> blind.grizzly at gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> Mt-blind mailing list
> Mt-blind at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/mt-blind
>
>
>
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