One of the most daunting tasks facing many blind people is the job search. Obtaining guidance, encouragement, and often direct contact assistance are parts of the service provided by a job mentor. This is a two part article showing various aspects of the job mentoring process. The first article, written by Jonathan Lyens, describes his experience using a mentor. Jonathan is a member of the San Francisco Chapter. The second piece, in a question and answer format, is by Bryan Bashin, who is also a member of the San Francisco Chapter and is the mentor who worked with Jonathan Lyens.

Bryan currently works as a management consultant and is the founder of Id Pro Quo Job Services, a northern California firm which provides career coaching and job placement services for jobseekers who are blind. He most recently served as Assistant Regional Commissioner for the US Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, where he supervised rehabilitation programs in seven states and territories. Central to this position was the ongoing regulation and analysis of federally-funded programs leading to employment of individuals with disabilities.

As a young professional fresh out of graduate school, I had my first experience with a mentor a few months ago.  The possibility was presented by my employer, The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired of San Francisco (The Light House); however I initially didn’t appreciate the suggestion as an opportunity of any sort. I was a successful graduate student and a fine employee. After 6 years of university education, I was sure I had nothing more to learn. I began using a professional job mentor in March of 2007, and he would have just as much to do with preparing me for the world as my formal schooling. I can now say it was an experience that was both enjoyable and life changing.

  I am 25 years old, and am totally blind. I hold a Graduate Certificate in National Security Studies and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from East Carolina University. In addition, I have recently completed all of my requirements for a Masters degree in Public Administration. I began working at The LightHouse in January of 2007. Though I have a significant amount of education, prior to working at The LightHouse, my work experience was almost non-existent. I came into my position with a great deal of knowledge, but with few practical skills in how to make use of that knowledge in my job. When my supervisor approached me about the possibility of working with a mentor, I was initially disappointed and insulted. I didn’t see how this person could help me. As an individual with a disability, I have encountered a series of challenges in life. I was confident that the sheer fact that I had overcome these adversities gave me a skill set that was unique, and that would carry me to the top of the professional ladder.

  After further thought, I swallowed my pride and realized I was going to have to open myself up to the process in order to get through it. During my first meeting with my mentor, I quickly realized this wasn’t enough of an effort; I had been granted a great opportunity to learn from an experienced mentor, someone who believed in me and possessed the power to teach me how to get where I wanted to go. I needed to do less talking and more listening. I needed to check my ego at the door and fully commit to the process. This was an opportunity that was going to benefit me, not only at The LightHouse, but for the rest of my professional life.

  Working together, my mentor and I focused our time around three core areas: effective communication with my supervisor, project management skills, and strategies for getting recognized throughout the agency. We identified opportunities where I could exercise initiative; drastically increasing my ability to work independently and with little direction. In relation to project management skills, we discussed areas where it would be appropriate for me to exercise judgment. He helped me realize that I had the knowledge base, and simply needed to apply the skills I already possessed. In addition, we discussed ways I could get noticed and rewarded for my abilities and efforts.

  In general, being mentored helped me to become a more confident and productive employee. My performance has improved and I have been recognized for the knowledge and skills I bring to my work. This recognition has resulted in The LightHouse offering me the chance to be a part of several exciting projects and I have transitioned from part-time to full-time employment. I am grateful The LightHouse extended this rare opportunity for professional development. While this mentorship experience has already benefited me in the short term, I have no doubt that it will positively affect the rest of my professional life.

  EQUITY feature October 2007 with Bryan Bashin Access to Assets sat down with Bryan Bashin, management consultant and mentor, to discuss the crucial role of mentoring for the professional development of people with disabilities.

    Q: Why mentoring?
A: Well, why mentoring? People with disabilities and people in general go through life now perhaps a bit less connected to their ultimate work trajectory than they did in the past.

Often we see that people with disabilities, people who are blind or visually impaired, have higher levels of education than the general population.  They read more books; perhaps have greater academic accomplishments.  We see people with Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and even Doctorates come on to the market place without much exposure to either the world of work or the culture of work.

  Often the new employee is unclear on the question “am I here to satisfy my own needs?” or “am I here to satisfy my bosses needs.”  That second question is at the heart of mentoring for many people new to the work force.

  Companies hire people not because of some charitable intent, or a social obligation but they hire people because they believe that the worker will produce more in dollars than they will consume in salary and benefits.  Part of mentorship is to get that point clear!  This is way beyond disability; this is how the world works.  I wish someone had set me down and told me this when I was just starting out, Bashin says.

  Q: What are some of the disability-specific issues you encounter as a mentor?
A: It can be quite disparate, but there are a few themes.  Some people have huge motivational issues, it can be hard for some people to simply pick up the phone and make a call.  Often these folks have been shuttled along by a rehabilitation industry and they have a very poor outlook on themselves, their disability, and the idea of work.

  However, once we have been working together for a while, and they have been completing assignments for me, things begin to change.  I give a lot of positive reinforcement, and soon, rather than trying to make me happy, they start to do things for themselves.  It’s like a reinforcing circle of positivity.  Once you know that you’re not the precious unique person and just a person who needs to make the best decision possible, you’ll start making better decisions for yourself.

  Sometimes I encounter the entrenched issue of getting the mentee to understand that their job is to fulfill the needs of the employer.  This goes back to Carnegie.  The employee’s goal is to serve the other person, be of value to the organization, to be upbeat and a positive person around others with whom you work! 

  This can be a challenge for some people with disabilities who have grown up as the center of the universe, fussed over, given special privileges.  If you live in that cocoon of swaddling care, it is hard to adjust to being the new employee with the least seniority.

  The mentee has to learn what it is that you do to meet the needs of your boss; don’t just return a phone call for your boss, follow up until you get the answer.  Think about others!  That interesting article that came across the e-mail, send it to an interested co-worker.  Go to events outside the work hours, take a chance, don’t be afraid to fail.  It sounds trite, but how do you become the shining star, go that extra mile, produce more than you consume.  Somewhere in that mix is how you address a disability.

  Q: So how do you address the disability?
A: Often when I first meet with a new mentee, and I often take three or four sessions to get to know the person, I am just astonished that people going into a profession have not taken the time to research and learn about those who have walked the path before them.  The disability community is different from other groups.  If you are Latino, odds are that your parents are Latino, your neighbors are Latino and you know people in the community who are successful and can serve as professional role models. Often in the disability and blind community, an individual can think they are alone.  Often they are the only person in the family with a disability, the only person in the community with a disability.  When they go to school, they may meet someone else with a disability and they may not.  Even at the university level, they may connect with other disabled students or they may not.  Now, they have graduated, and they are entering the work force.  Because of this isolation, they sometimes have a hard time understanding what a successful person with a similar disability looks like.  Part of my job as a mentor is to make those connections but perhaps even more importantly, to act as a catalyst so that the client begins to initiate those relationships themselves.

  I can not stress this enough: it is crucial that a person with a disability develop a circle of people who have been there before and have been successful. This circle will help them understand the skepticism when they walk into a new place of employment, and they will understand the doubts and discrimination that we all encounter.  This network of support can also help when we question our self.  Let’s face it; it is part of the human condition to experience self doubt, self loathing, and the questioning of our own abilities.  All this needs to be worked on so that you can become the star at work you are capable of becoming.  There is a very basic need, for all people, to understand themselves deeply and to connect with people you want to be like, who are successful!  You have to carry in your head that image of someone who has been successful.

  I also strongly encourage people to read the biographies and autobiographies of people who came before them.  There is someone with your disability who has done what you want to do.  Often, these people have truly amazing biographies.  Universally, I find people who read deeply in the field have a more positive outlook and positive view of where things are going.

  Q- You have talked about putting the needs of your boss first, developing a circle of successful role models, and the importance of reading deeply in the field.  What is the impact of accessible technology in the workplace?
A: Sometimes the disability community makes an almost disproportioned amount of fuss around accessible technology.  I know far more unemployed people with fabulous technology than I know employed people with technology deficits.  That being said, I have had my own struggles around technology, Bashin says.

  I was a science writer for many years when I had some usable vision.  I used to sit scrunched up two inches from a magnified screen, straining my eyes, neck and back.  My site was getting worse and I just could not produce the quantity of work to which I had committed.  I had to take a kill fee for three pieces.  I had to go and find other blind writers and find out how they were able to do their job.  Eventually, I discovered the talking software, took some time to learn it and went back to work. 

  Is that a story about technology? Only partly. I sought out blind people who were doing it, I found out how they did it, and I gave myself the time to learn it.  I learned about the self respect that comes when, as a person with a disability, you can do your job quickly and efficiently.

  This is not something you learn at the University of California, this is something you learn in the University of the Rest of Your Life! 

  Q: I have heard that mentoring is a two way street, what have you learned by working with mentees?
A: I have learned that there is a huge demand for mentoring services in the disability community.  The Department of Rehabilitation could provide these services, and I think the impact of mentoring is at least as powerful as a pile of adaptive technology.  The Department of Rehabilitation is very good at buying technology, tuition, or anything else readily purchasable.  The real challenge today is to make mentor services as easily purchasable as tuition or a computer.  Counselors should realize that they can be a catalyst and leverage the network of existing success for their clients.  I think the combination of mentoring, technology, and training is unstoppable, and each magnifies the other.

How the NFB Sponsors National Legislation – The Washington Seminar
By Juliet Cody and Peter Mansell

Most bills deal with: education, technology, and social security. Frequently our members have arranged for legislators to sponsor our bills. At other times we support or oppose legislation in progress. Whatever the case may be with the current issues at the time, the National Federation of the Blind plays an effective role at the Capitol each year.

Everything begins at our state convention. The Washington Seminar Coordinator announces the up-coming Washington Seminar and encourages members to apply. Responsibilities are described, as well as all requirements necessary for the sixteen seminar participants to receive their stipend. The process is open to any Federationist who is interested.

The procedure for selection is the following: the Coordinator and State President try to select participants from various regions around the state. The goal is that a member of congress from California receive a delegation from their own area or at least near by. Also, the selected group should be mixed, meaning some new members and some with previous experience at the Washington Seminar.

The NFBC feels that it is very important for the blind to build a personal relationship with our local congressional representatives. We are encouraged to make appointments with them throughout the year in order to educate them about blindness and what our needs are.

Once a member has been selected, there are requirements to follow and responsibilities to fulfill. Normally, each team member is assigned three representatives from the area in which they live. As mentioned above, it is highly recommended that each selected member from the chosen team of delegates visit the rep to whom they have been assigned. Participants are required to make advance appointments with all congressional representatives. By scheduling well in advance we hope to see the elected official in person, rather than one of their assistants. As appointments are scheduled, information is relayed to the Washington Seminar Coordinator, currently Tiffany Manosh.

If everyone has done the work required and has scheduled their Washington appointments, the Coordinator will be able to have a schedule ready for everyone ahead of time. Creating this schedule is not an easy task. It takes patience and skill. The Coordinator puts a lot of time and effort into organizing the schedules to meet the many demands. The goal of the affiliate is to get an appointment for every California representative. When that is accomplished, the next thing is to coordinate groups of three delegates for each appointment. The group of three should contain the person who made the appointment, a mentor, and a first-timer.

In preparation for calling on Congress, several orientation events occur. For example, role-playing is done to show first-timers typical patterns of interactions in congressional offices. There is also what has come to be called the Great Gathering In meeting, where as many as five hundred Federationists from all over the United States are briefed on the current legislative items of interest to the NFB. There is always a California Caucus to discuss our effort and evaluate our organizational planning. There is a general debriefing meeting on the evening before the Seminar ends, which is typically Thursday afternoon. Members selected to participate in the Seminar must be aware that this is physically demanding work – from early in the morning until late in the evening and it involves much walking. Members must be able to communicate effectively in groups of three and be appropriately dressed in business attire. Back at home each member is expected to make a follow-up courtesy contact with the representatives he or she visited.

When the time finally comes and we begin to arrive sporadically and fill the Capitol with the sound of tapping canes and the jingles of the guide dogs, it is a sensation with many definitions. One can feel the excitement due to all of the preparation. There is also the feeling of warmth and love because you are constantly running into old friends, and we cannot minimize the thrill of meeting new ones. There is excitement in the air and the feeling of invincibility. There is a sense of unity amongst the blind working together across the country, advancing the interest of the blind with a positive voice and outlook. Every time a barrier falls it reconfirms the importance of being active in the National Federation of the Blind.

Meet the Blind Month
By Gail Paulson, President Channel Islands Chapter

Every year chapters and individuals are encouraged to find ways to help the general public better understand blindness and our organization. The following article describes the recent effort of the Channel Islands Chapter. Gail Paulson is the President and with other chapter members organized this outstanding chapter event.

On October 14th, 2007 the Channel Islands Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of California hosted its very first “Meet the Blind Month” event at the Masonic Lodge in Oxnard, California. Approximately 175 guests were in attendance and participated in a wide variety of interactive exhibits and demonstrations, including a Juno experience with Keith Tomlinson (Guide Dogs For The Blind), meeting and talking to Ventura County puppy raisers with Laurie Saldino (Guide Dogs For The Blind), a hands on Braille demonstration with Rick Mahlke (Ventura County Braille Transcribers), cane travel with Annee Hartzell (NFBC), an assistive technology exhibit with Steve Turner (Ventura College) and Nicole Haymes (Infogrip), Lynn Schwanauer (Braille Institute, Santa Barbara-Outreach Program), and viewed art by local blind artists. In addition, door prizes and raffle items, with a total value in excess of $800, were generously donated by local businesses and families.

The program began with a flag ceremony conducted by Cub Scout Pack #3251, Channel Islands District. Then the Master of Ceremonies, Nicolás Crisosto (Vice President, Channel Islands Chapter and Treasurer, NFBC), introduced Robert Stigile (President, NFBC), who delivered the keynote address, and his wife Joy Stigile (President, Diabetes Action Network), who gave a brief talk about DAN’s work.

The event flyer promised a BBQ, raffle, door prizes, fun, music and laughter, and the chapter delivered. The event was charged with excitement and enthusiasm. The guest list boasted a cross section of the community, including educators, veterinarians, doctors, Lion’s Club members, Masons, Para transit representatives, and members of the community who showed their support. Old friends got together and new friendships were formed. The Channel Islands Chapter is already planning for next year and will strive to make it even bigger and better.

Jana Littrell Receives 2007 Jacobus tenBroek Award: Profile of an Outstanding Federationist
By Jim Willows

Jana was born Jana Trout in Bakersfield, California. In early infancy she was declared to be blind due to blood clots in her eyes. Her parents still live in Bakersfield.

Jana learned Braille and some blindness skills during her schooling in Bakersfield. She went on to West High School and graduated at midterm so she could attend the California Orientation Center for the Blind (OCB) located in Albany, California before starting her college work. Jana is an excellent traveler with her long white cane. This is not only due to her training at OCB, but also to her determination to go where she wants when she wants to go.

Jana attended California State University, Bakersfield where she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. While in college, Jana married Mike Littrell, a friend from high school. Mike was also visually impaired. Mike and Jana were married for four years, before realizing they were just not meant for each other. They parted as friends.

Upon graduation from CSU, Bakersfield, Jana worked with mentally retarded adults for a private agency in Bakersfield. While in college Jana discovered the NFB. She joined the Bakersfield Chapter of the NFB of California. The chapter President was Rick Lewis, who moved on to a very successful radio broadcasting career in Oregon and later in Arizona. Within a year Jana became the Bakersfield Chapter president. I first met Jana at a Chapter Presidents Leadership Seminar during this time. She served as the Bakersfield Chapter president for two years.

Jana moved to Oakland, where she soon joined the Bay Area Chapter, NFB of California, which was then meeting at Pinky Johnson’s home in Piedmont. Jana enrolled in the Computer Training and Programming class for the disabled at Vista College in Berkeley. As so many multi-disability programs have done, they claimed to serve the blind. However, the program had practically no equipment accessible to the blind. I asked Curtis Chong to come to California to go with me to talk to the Vista people about what they needed to really serve blind students. I found out later that they completely ignored what Curtis and I told them.

Soon, Jana and other blind students had to leave the program. At this time, IRS was hiring blind people as telephone consultants and in other positions. Jana joined this program and worked for IRS for five years. Realizing that this was a dead-end job, she decided to return to college to do graduate work at San Francisco State in teaching the visually impaired and in rehabilitation teaching. She earned her M.A. in Special Education and a Teaching Certificate in Rehabilitation Teaching. She also obtained an Adult Education Credential.

Jana interned at OCB while at San Francisco State. Later she served as a substitute Braille teacher at OCB. She was hired as a Braille teacher at the Center in 1994. She has held this position until the present time. Meanwhile let us go back to Jana’s NFB career. I have said that she joined the NFB of the Bay Area upon moving to Oakland. It was during this time that she developed an interest in the philosophy and history of the NFB. In 1987 Jana was elected as President of our Bay Area chapter. She held this position until 2005. During these 18 years, I worked with Jana on many local and state seminars on NFB history and philosophy. Both of us say that these seminars were some of the most enjoyable things we have done in NFB.

Under Jana’s administration the Bay Area became one of the most active chapters in the NFB of California. Jana also became very active at the state and national levels of NFB. She served several terms on our State Board including three terms as secretary of the NFBC. Jana served several terms as president of the California Association to Promote the Use of Braille (CAPUB) as well as many terms as secretary of our OCB Alumni Association. She also chaired our Library Committee for many years.

Jana attended many state and national conventions. She has asked President Stigile to let her lead more history and philosophy seminars. Jana’s NFB career was highlighted at our 2007 state convention when she was awarded the California Jacobus tenBroek award for long and outstanding service to the NFB of California and, indeed, to the blind of California. Jana says that the Federation has been a big part of her life, largely because of the many good friends she has made within the NFB and NFBC. These are the kind of friends you know and love forever.

California Participates in the First NFB Youth Slam
By Nicolás M. Crisosto
Nicolás M. Crisosto is Treasurer of the NFB of California and is coordinator of the Youth Slam program for California

On July 30, 200 blind high school students arrived at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland to learn about Science Technology Math and Engineering while working for a week with blind mentors from the National Federation of the Blind. They built models of bridges, weather balloons, fired rockets, dissected sharks, and learned about the NFB philosophy. Students had the chance to learn about opportunities for blind people to participate in careers in science and math and had a lot of fun.

The Jernigan Institute hosted the 2007 NFB Youth Slam along with partners such as the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). While staying at Johns Hopkins University, blind youth were mentored by blind role models during fun and challenging activities meant to build confidence and increase science literacy. Participants also had the opportunity to attend various social events as well as workshops on topics such as leadership, career preparation, and blindness. The NFB Youth Slam culminated in an inspiring rally at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and a celebration at the center of innovation in the field of blindness—the NFB Jernigan Institute.

We had five students, six mentors, and one instructor join the Youth Slam from California. Our students were active participants in all the events during Youth Slam and our mentors were enthusiastic, positive blind role models. The students did not need to have a strong interest in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in order to participate, enjoy, and benefit from this academy because it was designed to engage and inspire the next generation of blind youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the blind. Hopefully after the Youth Slam they will consider taking more science and math courses now that they know there are ways for blind students to learn and excel in any of these fields.

In addition to learning about math and science, the Youth Slam exposed all participants to the NFB philosophy and organization. To follow up, the NFB is organizing the NFB Youth Leadership Academies. California Youth Slam participants will be invited to join the Youth Leadership Academy taking place in May of 2008. For more information, please contact Nicolás M. Crisosto at nlibre@gmail.com or by calling (805) 822-3719.

Why Use the Word "Blind"?
by James H. Omvig

Most of us in the Federation know Jim Omvig. He worked first as a lawyer and later with Dr. Kenneth Jernigan at the Iowa Commission For The Blind. He also headed the Blindness Rehabilitation Program for the state of Alaska. He has written many articles for the Braille Monitor and published three books in the last five years. I had the pleasure of working with Jim on our most recent book – Education and Rehabilitation For Empowerment.

People who cannot see are blind, and the word "blind" is perfectly acceptable--in fact, it is absolutely essential--when one is referring to the lack of eyesight. In my opinion (I got this opinion from Dr. Kenneth Jernigan), a person is blind--and should learn to refer to himself or herself as blind--when vision has deteriorated to the point that, to function capably and efficiently, the individual uses alternative (nonvisual) techniques to accomplish the majority of life's daily activities. This is true even though there is some residual vision which may well be quite useful for certain limited and specific purposes.

There are some misuses of the term, of course, which are not desirable at all and which perpetuate negative impressions about blindness. These include such commonly accepted dictionary definitions as: "unable or unwilling to perceive or understand"; "not based on reason or evidence"; or "lacking reason or purpose" as in, "he ran blindly off the cliff."

Until around the middle of the twentieth century, it was common among educators, rehabilitators, sheltered shop workers, or others involved in work with the blind to use the word "blind" routinely when referring to people with very limited or no vision, since that is what we are. Then, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a new phenomenon gradually evolved: A group of masters-degreed workers--eventually referred to as "blindness professionals”--entered the picture. It was not long until they, the "experts," began to take extraordinary measures to get blind people to deny their blindness and to use the slightest amount of residual vision so they could appear to be "normal"--to be sighted and avoid blindness altogether. “Avoid and deny blindness at any cost” became the mantra. And the cost for many blind people was heavy.

First came the large print movement--just produce very large and dark print so that blind people with a little vision could read a few words a minute in the "normal" way and not "have" to learn Braille. Then, before long, "vision stimulation" was introduced--it was argued that if blind people would just try harder to use their very limited vision, they could actually improve sight and again, be able to function "normally." Of course, this was a disaster and psychologically damaging for many blind people! Then, when tape recorders and computers came along, it was argued all over again that blind people could avoid Braille and the stigma of blindness and thus appear in yet another way to be "normal” if they would just jump on the technology bandwagon and give up literacy.

Along with these new professionals (and their new practices), a new kind of vocabulary was also introduced. The word blind went out of vogue. Blind students who could read a little using very large print became "sight-saving" students. Others (with either limited or no vision at all) soon became "visually impaired," "visually limited," "visually challenged," "unsighted," "sightless," "sight-impaired," "low vision," or "hard-of-seeing," etc. Before long, teachers of blind children became "vision" teachers, and, most recently, some among the professionals have become so disconnected with the real world and with blind people that they have come to call work with the blind "vision rehabilitation therapy."

"How in the world," you may ask, "could such a distortion of reality have taken place among the very people who purport to help the blind?" Clearly, the reason behind it all has been an effort to try to avoid use of the ugly and dirty word, "blind."

Through all of these machinations, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has argued that "blind" is best, since that's what we are, but many of our own members have not been able to articulate valid reasons for our position. Here's the short answer for why we do what we do.

In the first place, we of the Federation have long since recognized that to understand blindness correctly and also to know how properly to educate or rehabilitate blind people, one must be aware of the fact that the blind as a class are a "minority" in every negative sense of that term. It is the erroneous and negative "public attitude" about blindness that is the real problem with which we must deal. From the time of infancy, we have been taught that to be blind is to be helpless, to be incompetent, and to be "inferior." Members of the general public have believed it, and most of us have come to believe it, too. And, in time, the blindness professionals also bought into the erroneous stereotyping along with the low expectations which accompany feelings of inferiority.

We must change those erroneous public attitudes--the myths, misconceptions, and superstitions--first, of course, in ourselves, and then in the broader society. And we also understand fully that it is these very negative and mistaken attitudes about the inferiority of the blind which have found their way into the educational and vocational rehabilitation systems. It is these very mistaken beliefs about blindness which drive the professionals' effort to get their customers to deny their blindness at any price. And it is these mistaken beliefs that must be eliminated as a key component of any high-quality education or rehabilitation program for the blind.

Finally, we of the Federation have come to know the fundamental truth that blind people are nothing more than normal people who cannot see and that, if we receive "proper training" (including appropriate attitudinal adjustment), we can participate fully in society and compete on terms of absolute equality with our sighted colleagues. And we have learned that, for any blind person truly to become empowered and free, a process of what is commonly called "adjustment to blindness" is essential. Simply learning to use the word "blind" with ease and comfort and accepting blindness as a normal fact of life is a significant ingredient in the process. For it is commonly understood that you cannot change what you are not willing to acknowledge!

To summarize briefly, there are five major ingredients in this healing adjustment to blindness process. One, the blind individual must come to know and feel emotionally, not just intellectually, that he or she is a normal person who can be just as independent and self-sufficient as sighted people are. Two, he or she must become competent in the skills (the alternative techniques) of blindness. Three, he or she must learn to cope calmly and rationally with the strange or unusual things other people will do or say because of their complete misunderstanding and lack of accurate information about blindness. Four, the blind person must learn to "blend in" to the broader society and to be acceptable to those around him or her. Behaviors such as being punctual, neat and appropriate in appearance, reliable, courteous, and free from "blindisms," etc. are important to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes. And, five, the successful and truly whole blind person will know the importance of "giving back." This means contributing to society in general and assisting in the organized blind movement.

Using the word blind with ease and comfort comes under the first of these empowering ingredients--coming emotionally, not just intellectually, to know that he or she can be equal with others in our society. It is also as a part of this first adjustment ingredient that the blind person comes to know that he or she is normal, and that it is perfectly respectable to be blind.

For an exact analogy on the issues of denial and terminology, consider the struggle by African Americans to achieve equality and freedom. In the 1940's and 50's, and even on into the 60's, some black Americans actually tried to solve their problems by pretending that they weren't black at all, but that they were white--this practice was denial at its worst and came to be referred to as trying to "pass." Some people tried to straighten their naturally curly hair or lighten the color of their skin. Needless to say, this approach to conquering symptoms of inferiority didn't work!

Then, enlightened and gifted leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came upon the scene. He and others realized that pretending you are something other than who you really are is fruitless and that the only meaningful way black Americans could ever achieve real freedom, equality, and self-respect was to accept their blackness and then to work together to make it respectable to be black. Dr. King knew that, ultimately, you must learn to love yourself as you are, and for whom you are, to attain true freedom, dignity, and self-respect.

And so it is with the blind. If you are blind but pretend that you are sighted--that is, if you engage in what some call "the great masquerade," agony and frustration will be the result. In my own case, I pretended (I tried to pass and deny my blindness) for fourteen years--from age twelve to twenty-six--before I encountered the National Federation of the Blind and became empowered. I have often marveled at the fact that I didn't develop an extreme case of ulcers during this painful time of my life. Since I believed that "blindness meant inferiority," the fear that someone would learn just how blind I really was, was very nearly unbearable.

This brings us back to the ultimate truth. If you are blind, you are blind! Accept it! Admit it! The very first step in this process is to learn to be able to say, with neither shame nor embarrassment, "I am blind!" We, like other minorities, have a job to do--we must learn to accept our blindness and then work with concerted action to make it respectable to be blind.

The same is true for professionals in the field of work with the blind. We have no business helping our blind customers (whether they be totally or partially blind) deny what and who they are and to try to pass or engage in the great masquerade. Rather, we, too, must learn that it is respectable to be blind. Only then can we truly help to empower and bring freedom to our customers by helping them accept their blindness.

One final point needs to be made, although if it is not properly understood, it may muddy up everything I have said to this point in this article. When I am talking about using the word "blind," I am talking generally about what should be happening regularly in the Federation, university programs, schools with blind students, or orientation and adjustment centers--in other words, in situations where people are actually involved in some type of positive experience. When a newly blinded individual is first met, however, and where that initial effort is to get the person interested at all in the Federation, or in some kind of beneficial program, there are times when either we (or school or agency specialists) need to be willing to tread lightly and even use some meaningless euphemisms.

I learned this lesson the hard way. When I left my job at the National Labor Relations Board in New York City to return to Iowa to work for Kenneth Jernigan at the Iowa Commission for the Blind, I first did some traveling with other, more experienced staff members to become familiar with each of the Commission's jobs. In traveling with one particularly talented VR counselor, I simply observed her for a few days and scarcely made a comment. Toward the end of the week, I decided that perhaps the time had come for me to participate. To get started simply, I asked a man whom we were visiting, "How long have you been blind?" Blind was not the word I should have used.

"I'm not blind!" he screamed out at me with obvious distress. As a novice, and perhaps as too much of a purist, I had failed to take into account that the people who have not yet accepted their blindness enough even to get to the point of taking needed training may need to be dealt with differently from those who have made the decision to get on with their lives. From that day forward, my approach changed completely when dealing with newly blinded people who had not yet agreed to get into a training program. "How long have you had poor eyesight," or some meaningless or useless variant thereof, became a routine part of my conversation. I did not want to make that same mistake again and, perhaps, even undo what had already been done to begin to persuade that potential new customer to get involved in proper training.

Having understood this last point, we who are blind must become comfortable with who we are as people. As with black Americans, we who are blind must learn to love ourselves as we are, and for whom we are, to attain true freedom, dignity, and self-respect.

Once we have come to know intellectually and to feel emotionally that we are normal people, and that it is respectable to be blind, then I believe that we of the Federation have a duty to pass it on so that others may experience the freedom and empowerment which flow from an internalization of the truth about blindness. So, by all means, use the word "blind" in your daily life and in helping those around you to get rid of the prejudice and low expectations which flow from a belief that the blind are inferior, but be sparing in its use when you are meeting newly blinded people or members of their families. If you approach the newly blinded in this way, it will not be long until their attitudes begin to shift. Eventually, of course, we of the Federation intend to introduce the truth and to teach the whole world that it is respectable to be blind. We can make all of this come true if we stick doggedly to the principle spelled out by some wise philosopher who said that "Life is action, not a spectator sport."

2007 Resolutions

The following resolutions were passed during the 2007 convention of the NFB of California. The Resolutions Committee was chaired by Jim Willows. The convention was held in Sacramento, October 25 – 28.

Resolution 07-01
Business Enterprise Program

WHEREAS, the Federal Randolph-Sheppard Act gives priority to blind vendors to operate vending facilities in public buildings, and

WHEREAS, The act requires that a State Licensing Agency (SLA) be selected to implement the program in each state, the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), has been chosen as the SLA for California, and

WHEREAS, NFBC representatives on the DOR Advisory Committee on Services for Blind and Visually Impaired clients (BAC) have been told at several meetings by vendors and Department personnel of the very poor performance by the Department in operating the California Business enterprise Program (BEP), and

WHEREAS, examples of this poor performance include:

1. The number of vending facilities currently in operation is less than half of the peak number of facilities in the past;
2. Regulations implementing BEP are just now being rewritten only after requests to do so by the vendors dating back several years;
3. Poor accounting or laxity in fee payment enforcement have resulted in some 25% of vendors being delinquent in fee payments, thus causing a hardship on paying vendors;
4. Some vending facility managers have been allowed to move out of California or to take full-time jobs with no action by DOR.,and

Resolution 07-02
Orientation Center

WHEREAS, the California Orientation Center for the Blind (OCB) has a capacity of 36 students with about 30 students being ideal for the current teaching staff, and

WHEREAS, in recent years the student population has rarely exceeded 20 students with just over ten students being not unknown, and

WHEREAS, several committees and informal groups within the Department and in the blind consumer community have discussed the lack of referrals to OCB by Department counselors with little unanimity of opinion other than that the teaching staff does well and is not the problem, and

WHEREAS, one of the prime strengths of categorical services as established by SB 105 is to facilitate communication of the OCB Administrator and OCB-RCB with counselors within Blind Field Services and with generalist counselors with blind case loads, and

WHEREAS, we do not believe that the OCB Administrator and OCB-RCB have taken full advantage of these lines of communication; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that this organization call upon the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation to investigate the low attendance at OCB and to take action to utilize OCB fully.

Resolution 07-03
SSP COLA

WHEREAS, since the start of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program of the Social Security Administration (SSA), California has supplemented the SSI payment with a statuary State Supplement Program (SSP), and

WHEREAS, this SSI/SSP payment has kept thousands of aged, blind and disabled persons out of homeless and helpless living conditions, and

WHEREAS, the State Legislature and Governor's office appear to often use the SSP Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) as a "budget fix" in fiscally poor years, and

WHEREAS, in the 2007 fiscal crisis these bodies actually passed legislation delaying the COLA by several months, and

WHEREAS, we believe it is time the Legislature and the Governor stop solving its fiscal problems by eliminating or cutting the SSP/COLA received by the blind and disabled citizens of California; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, That this organization call upon the Governor and State Legislature to solve California’s fiscal crises in a manner other than upon the backs of our aged, blind and disabled citizens by not disrupting their SSP COLA payments.

Resolution 07-04
CSB

WHEREAS, the California School for the Blind (CSB) was founded in 1860 in the City of San Francisco to provide a broad spectrum of academic and blindness skills courses for blind students in California, and

WHEREAS, CSB quickly established a high standard of teaching excellence for blind students, a standard maintained through subsequent moves of the school to Berkeley and then to Fremont, and

WHEREAS, we of the blindness community continue to recognize the need for residential schools for the blind because mainstreaming or full inclusion of students in their home school districts allows for far too many of our blind youth to fail to obtain the education they need for success in life, and

WHEREAS, some states are considering combining their residential schools for the blind with other facilities, and

WHEREAS, we believe that this option would be a catastrophic blow to our blind students if attempted in California; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that this organization urge officials of the California Department of Education to work to expand and improve facilities at the California School for the Blind in order to show their knowledge and recognition of the needs of California's blind students.

Resolution 07-05
Kelleher and Brawley

WHEREAS, Dr. Dennis Kelleher is retiring as the consultant for blind students in the State Department of Education, and

WHEREAS, Mr. Rod Brawley is retiring as Manager of the Clearing House for Specialized Materials and Technology for blind students in the State Department of Education, and

WHEREAS, both of these men have done stellar jobs in their work within and outside the Department, and

WHEREAS, The Department has recognized the importance of these jobs by filling the vacancies without delay; now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that this organization commend Dennis Kelleher and Rod Brawley for their fine work for blind children and that we further commend officials of the Department of Education for continuing to recognize the importance of these jobs for blind students and their families.