Category: the Rant Board
hello, ok, i need to vent right now. i am so sick and tired of the damn federation of us blind people! I am sick of them telling me how i am going to live my life! i am sick and tired of how they worship some dead guy named Kennith Jernigan! In my opinion, the nfb does nothing but sit there and complain! pickette for no reason! i am glad i belong to acb, we are much more laid back, we don't complain, we are easyer to get along with etc.
Brice,
Hey Bryce, You can totally join NABS. I'm yoru ae and I'm a member, I'm actually the Junior Representative on the NABS board. I do agree with John though; even though I like ACB, I don't really care for all the NFB bashing. Let's just all be friends? Maybe? :D
its cookies and i am acb all the way. the NFB are so uptight and they think they can tell everyone what to do or everyone has to be perfect to join with them.
While I tend to side more with the ACB philosophy, I think it would be amiss to take into account all of the positive things they do to improve the lives of blind people. We're not going to agree with both organizations all the time. Just like a political party, I think you should support the organization that agrees with your view on a particular issue.
Sam, as the only NFB member that I know about on the Zone, thank you for your post. Although I've been an NFB-er most of my life, I don't agree with their views on audible crossing signals and guide dog users, especially young ones like me. I don't like being told what cane to use and I can't say I hold a high opinion of their training centers. However, you have to take the good with the bad in any organization, whichever you belong to. Remember, the NFB was the first group of organized blind people in the United States, founded years before the ACB. I don't see the ACB making much noise about important issues facing us blind people today, or doing much to educate the public about blindness, though to be fair I don't know much about that organization so correct me if I'm wrong. We don't worship our leaders, though it may seem that way if you read some of our literature. Dr. tenBroek, Dr. Jernigan, and our current President Dr. Maurer were/are importnat leaders in the fight of the blind people to gain acceptance and respect in society, and for the most part they've done a good job. And finally, I don't think we'll get anywhere if we all just argue among ourselves.
OK I totally botched that last post. The NFB is involved in a lot of programs and activities that does a lot of good for the blind. I might not agree with them opposing video description, accessible currency and audible pedestrian signals, but they have given hope to many people and they have done many things to improve the quality of life for many blind people. Maybe they shouldn't speak for all of us when they don't agree with the majority, but there are many ways in which we benefit from their efforts that we often don't realize.
Yay good points Rangoony and Kerri. Good job! i don't really know much about NFB but what I've heard sounds mixed. So yeah, it's not liek I hate them or anything, I just chose to work with ACB, for the time being. Who knows, I suppose it oculd change, though now with NABS I don't see that happening.
Bryce, my man, go to blindstudents.org as you aparently did, and just hit Join Us. You'll want to buy a Junior Membership, and then you'll wanna also fill out the membership Form. You don't really have to do anything, you're just along for the ride. You might consider joining a committee to help out. you can read about that on the site.
Have fun! And hope you join! It's a great organization.
Caitlin
I am a member of both and I think the NFB is too militant in a lot of things and I certain disagree in a lot...ok...all of their philosophies. Being a future Rehabilitation Teacher I cna see them making my profession hard.
I would encourage any of you who doesn't know much about both organizations, or has a negative view of one or both of them, to read their respective historical compendiums. The ACB history is called "People of Vision" and the NFB history is called "Walking Alone and Marching Together." Both books are available from NLS on both cassette and Braille (Web-Braille included) or from each respective organization for purchase. They both tell the same story, but they tell it very differently. I would encourage you to read *BOTH* accounts and make up your own mind as to with which account you agree. Both organizations are very involved in trying to improve equality and opportunity for blind citizens in the United States. They have different philosophies of how this should be done, and how their consumer groups should be run. All of them were offshoots of the original National Federation of the Blind. It is up to us, the future generation of the blind, to work together to achieve our common goals.
I'm not a member of any blind organization and do not ever want to be!!! I guess I just don't understand the point and it seems to me like another way to separate ourselves from the sited world. However, I do like the scholarships that they give out!!! hehehehehe
*sexy*
Past accomplishments of the nfb!
a parking garage at its national head quarters for who? it's blind employees.
no video description.
your not a first class citizen if you use a dog!
blind people don't need audible traffic lights.
braille is the only way to go!
anyone remember the movie Mister Magoo? it portrays a bad stereo type of us blind folks! yeah, right!
*applaudes Dawson* well said, very well said. lol
i agree, i did attend an nfb training center for about four months, to see what it was like compared to the center where I live at. I absolutely hated NFBs center, told how i felt, how i lived my life, was critisized if i disagreed, etc. I totally believe in ACB's bilaws and opinions. I just don't know why does NFB have to be so darn radical?
My issue with the NFB, of which I have been an involuntary member for twelve years, is the creed of arrogance, defensiveness, and imaturity its members promote. One will need help, many times in life, and blindness has extremely limiting properties. Let us not deceive ourselves. We will never be truly independent. Having a driver and using human readers is not independence, it is infantile neediness. And those who refuse to listen will never accomplish anything, opinionated people never win.
Well who really is totally independent? We all rely on people to one degree or another, unless we hunt our own food, make our own clothes and survive alone in the woods.
I do have to say that the NFB is superb at getting things done; setting goals and achieving them. Yes the NFB is known for being radical, but it takes radical people to bring about great change. That being said, I do take issue to the view of the use of guide dogs. As with anything, I don't think you can subscribe to any one organizations' philosophies and ways hook. line, and sinker. People have to ahve an original thought in their own mind.
If we were truly independent, we would ahve our own vehicles that we could pilot ourselves to get from place to place. We could go into any store and get things from any section of it because everything would be marked in a way usable for us. Just a couple of examples. Since that's not the case, we will ahve to be dependent on drivers, store clerks, and other people in general. There's no such thing as absolute independence.
Exactly my point. But the NFB advocates a form of radical independence with which I do not agree. People offer help, which should be accepted.
I wasn't really talking about the random helper thing as much as I was just saying that we're not completely on our own and need to hire people or ask people to help us do things we can't do with our limitted or nonexistent vision. There's a difference between asking for help you know you need and being randomly offered it from random strangers for whatever reason pops into their heads.
You should ideally be able to politely refuse help you do not need and ideally the helper person should see it as OK and not take it personally. However, this world is not ideal. LOL!
There is a smart group who's very topic is ACB vs NFB. If anyone is interested, I can provide the subscribers address.
I think that's one group I'll avoid. There are more important problems to worry about in the world. If anybody is interested in getting involved with NABS, I encourage you to join the NABS discussion list, where you can interact with other members and learn about ways to get involved. To join, send a blank message to nabs-subscribe@acb.org. If you have a Livejournal, NABS has a community which you can join by going to nabsblog.livejournal.com. It's not very active, but you will learn about announcments i.e. when the social calls happen.
This is an issue that probably began with the split between NFB and ACB, and will continue long after man o us are dead and gone. Having said that, I'm not a member of either organization. Speaking in very general terms, I find NFB too militant/radical for my tastes. ACB seems almost to passive. I won't say that ACB doesn't get things done, because they do indeed. They are also a positive force for change, although they aren't as "In your face" as NFB can sometimes be. I live in a state where there is a training facility that subscribes to the NFB philosophy (sleepshades, solid canes, etc.) I've seen it work really well for some people, and not at all for others. Short answer, is that I think there's a place for both groups, but as many have said, one should pick the group with which they can live comfortably if they want to join a group at all. I'm active in my blindness-professional organization. I would encourage anyone to work for their organization as they can. I find it a very good way to learn about how an organization works, and a great way to give back to the organization.
I'd have to agree with the ice queen.
While the Nfb may be radical, a lot has been done to improve the quality of life for those who are, or are not members.
I did, however, attend an ACB convention, and was none the less apalled.
Not only was I not allowed to walk to the bank by myself, I had to wait for my luggage to be found, and had a volunteer insist to pack and unpack my belongings.
also, at the general session, the key note speaker stated that the general audiance was not to eat at the casino as the buffet was to difficult for blind persons to navigate.
What a bunch of rubbish!!!!
Yes, the NFb may be a bunch of radical militants, but at least we allow blind persons there dignity, and pride!!!
nfb all the way!
Nfb has nabs its the national asociation of blind students and they do not support the national aliance of blind students I didnt even know there was an acb group for students when people say nabs I think of the nfb's group I am a member of the nfb due to the fact that I signed up for a mentor through them but have never payed dues. I do not agree with all they say but I talked to a member actually many members who do not agree with all of there philosophies but she told me you have to take the good with the bad. I went to a training center of the nfb was called a bitch by my councilor and some chick lived with me who couldnt even put on her own clothes and wore mine all the time. someone tell me why they didnt put her with people on her level.
ACB all the way. NFB needs to stop acting like a militant group and change there attitudes. NFB is like the Borg, asimilating people into there ranks. Give people freedom of choice man!
Regarding the last post, by having two organizations with different philosophies, we do, in fact, have the freedom of choice of which you speak. As I said earlier, I have issues with both groups. I think the way these posts have been going (No name-calling, organization-bashing, etc.) speaks well for all of us as blind people, and our ability to get along, and respect others' points of view. You will find, as someone said earlier, that the people who are older, and probablyhave memories of the split between NFB an ACB are the ones perpetuating the devisiveness among us. I think the longer one is involved in an organization and works for that organization, the more one buys into the organization's pollitical and philosophical views.
Lou
As soon as I saw this topic, I knew it was going to get heated. The two organizations are like siblings. They sprang from the same blood, but now can't get along worth crap. I think the rivalry will always exist, in some form or another. Mostly it's the old guard in both organizations who maintain it, but we as the young people in both carry it on as well.
I am NFB all the way, and proud of it. Does this mean I agree with every single policy, press release, or statement made by the Federation leadership? No. In fact, I used to call them the National Federation of the Borg myself. In truth, sometimes we do deserve the name. Many Federationists are drones indeed. that's why I grew up hating NFB. However, I finally got to know some Federationists who were not drones. They have their own minds, but believe enough in the NFB's philosophy and programs that they are a part of it. that is where I fall. I am no drone. I worship Jesus Christ, not Kenneth Jernigan. Though I do think Jernigan is certainly deserving of respect. When I disagree with the leadership, I go to a leader I can talk to and discuss it with them, and others in and outside the organization. However, I do think our "radical militism," is sometimes needed. It has to be noted that the NFB is generally a more proactive organization, whereas ACB is generally more reactive. The currency thing is a whole other issue, in which ACB has finally gotten proactive. At any rate, I do firmly believe in Braille, and many of the other policies and programs of the Federation. I have participated as a counselor in their science camps at the Jernigan Institute, and much more that I'm not going to go into here.
My point is, don't judge either organization too fast. Learn about it. Talk to a good mix of its leaders, and average, every day members in your communities. Then make your call, which ever you prefer, NFB, ACB, or the GDI. That last one, as one of my friends called it, stands for the God Damn Independents.