[nfb-talk] progress or divisiveness

[Mike Freeman]

The bad feelings will not have been left behind; they've been there all 
along. And Cat is in error on one thing IMO: ACB and NFB *do* have differing 
philosophies because they have differing ideas as to what benefits the blind 
and, therefore, what they should be advocating in terms of services and 
devices for the blind. To say that ACB and NFB have the same goal is perhaps 
about as vacuous as saying that Democrats and Republicans have the same 
goals. Yes, they do -- the betterment of society. But they disagree 
fundamentally as to what betters society. Same goes for the blind and 
wishing that the blind could all agree is tantamount to wishing that the 
blind be more saintly than is the rest of species homo sapiens sapiens. 
(grin)

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "melissa R. Green" <graduate56 at juno.com>
To: <kamillhoff at gdoe.net>; "'NFB Talk Mailing List'" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 12:05 AM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] progress or divisiveness


Kat.
You made some really good points.
I for one hope that if something is going to be done that it gets done.
I hope that people don't just celebrate the ruling and then let it go.
If this happens then all of the hooplah and  hurt feelings will be for
nothing at all and a lot of bad feelings will be left behind.
Which will continue to split the blind community even more.
So there won't be any kind of progress at all.
Melissa R. Green
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost: that
is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."--Henry
David Thoreau
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Kathleen A. Millhoff
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 5:55 PM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
Subject: [nfb-talk] progress or divisiveness

hi,
i've been reading over the past few days comments on both nfb and acb
lists
about accessible bills, reactions to the relevant court ruling, and
reactions to reactions.
there seems to be a little current of thought that the two blindness
related
organizations should unite in efforts to do many things - presumably
achieve
success for blind people.  I, for one, appreciate the wishes for unity;
I'm
a very strong proponent of unity.  But I wonder that something, amongst
all
of the vitriol, acrimonious comments, jeers and cheers, gets overlooked.
It
seems to me that the two organizations are completely different, but not
necessarily in philosophy, as many would have it, but in goals and
approaches.  No, that's not philosophy.
Is NFB a civil rights group? Certainly.  I'm old enough to remember the
civil rights movement in the U.S. involving African Americans: sit-ins,
marches, clubs and tear gas.  There were different approaches there too
and
if there was discussion about SNYCC, SCLc, NAACP and all the rest
uniting, I
don't recall it.  Lots of vitriol, though, as groups jockeyed for
national
attention.
So, who cares, you might now be wondering, as you contemplate hitting
the
delete key on this message.  Well, it's not that someone needs to care,
it's
just this:  NFB has been at the forefront of change for decades.  Does
this
court ruling, or a few snide comments on an ACB list, or a national
debate
change all that?  As the president of this organization offered to those
who
would care to listen, we have a huge way to go in the civil rights  and
activism for blind people.  Kids still don't get their books on time
(yes,
someone derided the braille Santa letters in their frustration at
something
fun being done);  employers are still noticeably short-sighted in
perspective; I still get asked for extra ID, much as any minority group
member (I read earlier on this that people are involved in successful
money
transactions, but many who aren't can't speak up on this or any other
list;
many still live below poverty level with little access to any
opportunity
for change; many actually live in some kind of weird housing for blind
people.

I thought we'd always stood for blind people setting the tone and the
shape
and the scope of how things ought to be, based on what's good for us
all.
And, acb has its particular agenda, too, different, but not necessarily
at
odds - just different.  Let's see, i think i have it here:"strives to
increase independence, security, equality of opportunity, and improve
quality of life..."
I guess they say for all blind people in that statement; I guess that
means
me and all of us who read this; so, i wish them well in every rant, but
hope
we ourselves, on this and other NFB lists, can just continue to move on
to
the things we know still really matter.
I won't b satisfied until all the blind kids are equally educated, and
though it's getting better, there's still a long way to go.
best to all,
kat

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