[nfb-talk] [Blindtlk] HumanWare, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, here we go again

[Milissa Garside]

While I agree that money always is an issue in any organization, I find it 
disappointing that the NFB leadership throws its philosophy by the waste 
side in the name of money. While money is crucial to any organization, I do 
not believe that an organization should sacrifice its core principals and 
philosophy for money gain.

In terms of the Home Make over shows and their depiction of blind people, I 
think the NFB leadership should take a hard stance on the issue. After all, 
if money were not involved, we all know that the NFB leadership would have a 
whole lot to say.

I understand that many NFB members do not like how Home Make over has 
portrayed the blind. However, in an organization such as the NFB, things are 
accomplished through the leadership and if the leadership isn't willing to 
stick to its core philosophy and fight attitudinal barriers even when money 
is at stake, sadly the issue is not going anywhere.

Milissa

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King Jr.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sekhon, Harmeet" <Harmeet_Sekhon at cable.comcast.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:39 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [Blindtlk] HumanWare, Extreme Makeover Home 
Edition,here we go again


> Agreed.  Lets not deceive ourselves about how things like this work in
> any organization that receives major corporate funding.  We're not
> immune in the NFB from the politics of money.
>
> Harmeet
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Sherri
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 7:34 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [Blindtlk] HumanWare, Extreme Makeover Home
> Edition,here we go again
>
> Ryan, thank you for your refreshing and forthright point of view.
>
> Sherri
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "RyanO" <ryano218 at comcast.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [Blindtlk] HumanWare, Extreme Makeover Home
> Edition,here we go again
>
>
> Actually, Peter, the NFB was very selective in it's criticism of the
> Extreme
> Home Makeover project last time we brought a resolution on the matter.
> We
> criticized the show, but ignored Freedom Scientific's contributions to
> the
> program. I got up during the debate of the resolution and said that we
> needed to address the fact that FS (a major player in the blindness
> movement
> with whom we work closely) wasn't taken to task for their involvement. I
> was
> admonished by Dr. Maurer that we weren't going to address issues not
> dealt
> with in the resolution.
>
> Meanwhile, one must ask, why does a home need special adaptation for the
> blind in the first place? Even if Humanware only donates their own
> products,
> which are completely valid in their own right, they are still lending
> themselves to an effort that does more harm to the blind than good. The
> very
> concept runs contrary to our philosophy, yet we seem to look the other
> way
> when companies from whom we take donations get involved. It's a very
> thin
> and dangerous line we are now walking between watchdog organization and
> money machine.
>
> RyanO
>
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