[nfb-talk] The real reason for a chapter meeting

[T. Joseph Carter]

Terry,

To be fair, the ACB doesn't have the monopoly on local chapters who don't
really seem to accomplish much of anything.  It comes down to the interest
and imagination of the members of the chapter.  If one or the other is
lacking, the chapter seems to meet and discuss what was discussed at the
last meeting, and what will be discussed at the next meeting.  That stuff
is generally pretty dull, and people lose interest even more quickly.

I've suggested things that aren't business-meeting related or even perhaps
not necessarily blindness-related to help attract visibility to the
chapter.  My ideas, all of which focus on the practical, include:

 - An afternoon seminar for high school students and maybe college
   students focusing on transition issues they don't prepare you for in
   high school, be it college or job-hunting.
 - A panel discussion where blind people from a variety of fields help
   brainstorm on ideas for how a blind person can do ... whatever
   questions get asked.  If there are sighted people in the audience, so
   much the better.
 - A training session on a device like the Victor Reader Stream.  A LOT of
   blind people, particularly those who are older, haven't really gotten
   into this DAISY thing yet and still find it easier to carry a tape
   recorder that will play back NLS 4-track cassettes.  A workshop and
   walkthrough (not just a demonstration) would go a long way.
 - Organization.  From David Allen's Getting Things Done to the Slob
   Sisters to a host of others, people have found effective ways to get
   organized and see that things are accomplished.  Now you can read a
   book about it, or you can get some hands-on experience with applying
   some of these techniques.  Which is more likely to get results?

Why am I not including a discussion of Jernigan speeches or kernel books
or anything of the sort above?  I refer back to a discussion from some
months ago where we discussed that the younger generation seems to be less
interested in getting involved unless they can see tangible benefit.  I
know that makes my generation and younger sound awfully selfish, but I've
collected some informal data that suggests we may be less apathetic than
it appears.  Regardless, by making the benefits of involvement tangible
and immediately apparent, we move past those factors.  

Additionally, within the blindness community, I believe we have reached a
place where words aren't going to change any minds.   The same thing is
happening in the Democratic primary--the latest news isn't having any
effect on how the people voting feel about their candidate.  The ones
talking about how Obama's pastor is a militant racist weren't voting for
him anyway.  Likewise with those talking about Clinton's sniper-filled
imagination.  It's just the people who have made a decision using the news
to justify the position they already have.

The interesting thing about this state where the value of words has
dropped faster even than the dollar is that actions remain a valuable
commodity.  By doing things that people can see have a positive impact
directly on their lives (and not just on the life of some blind person
somewhere), we are showing them why our way of thinking is good, rather
than trying to tell them why.

I think that's important.  Anyone who has ever hear reactions to our press
releases like, "That's great for those people living in Baltimore" to news
of something cool our Jernigan Center is doing or, "That's cool if you've
got $2500" in response to our current generation KNFB reader probably can
already see why.  To people who make such comments, that we are "National"
seems to mean somewhere other than here, and "of the Blind" means of
certain kinds of blind people.  They need to know that "National" means
right here (wherever here is) and "of the Blind" includes them too.  But
they're going to have to see it for themselves first.

Just my thoughts.

Joseph

On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 07:52:04AM -0400, Powers, Terry (NIH/OD/DEAS) [E] wrote:
> Hi Mike;
> Thanks for telling me where those speaches are.  I also was an ACB
> member for a short while, during my time at AEB in rehab.  I did not
> know enough about either group and they were the only blind group
> around.  As a member, we got nothing accomplished, that I can remember.
> I sure am glad to be home and proud to be a true member of the NFB!
> 
> Terry Powers