National Federation of the Blind
Nebraska Affiliate
NEWS
FROM
BLIND
NEBRASKANS
2001 -- Issue 2
NFBN PRESIDENT
Carlos Servan
1033 O Street, Ste. 24B
Lincoln NE 68508
(402) 477-7711
e-mail to nfbn@inebraska.com
Cheryl Livingston
1026 S. 35 St.
Lincoln NE 68510
(402) 488-2509
e-mail to ckitty@inebraska.com
Evelyn Haines
1929 S Cotner Blvd.
Lincoln, NE 68506
(402) 483-2938
e-mail to hainesem@juno.com
To be added to our mailing list, contact Evelyn for the print version, or Cheryl for the tape version. A donation of $5.00 annually is requested to defray the cost of the NFBN Newsletter. Make checks payable to NFBN, and send to Cheryl Livingston, NFBN Treasurer, 1026 South 35th, Lincoln, NE 68510.
The board of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska consists of:
President - Carlos Servan
1st Vice President - Michael Floyd
2nd Vice President - Shane Buresh
Secretary - Ryan Osentowski
Treasurer - Cheryl Livingston
Board Member - Bonnie Lund
Board Member - Nancy Oltman
Board Member - Della Johnston
Board Member - Colleen Chandler
Board Member - Bob Burns
Chapters and divisions within the Nebraska Affiliate are:
Buffalo Bill Chapter
Contact Colleen Chandler
(308) 532-5723
Grand Island Chapter-
Contact Ardyce Earl at
(308) 382-1673
Kearney Chapter-
Contact Jerry Schram at
(308) 236-8268
Lincoln Chapter-
Contact Ryan Osentowski at
(402) 476-8582
Northeast Chapter-
Contact Clarence Widhelm at
(402) 379-0185
Omaha Chapter-
Contact Craig Groff at
(402) 393-3117
Panhandle Chapter-
Contact Howard Backous at
(308) 632-2506
Parents of Blind Children Division-
Contact Kim Becker at
(712) 374-6031
Student Division-
Contact Ryan Strunk at
(402) 721-5914
Table of Contents
- Presidential Report by Carlos Servan
- Report from the NCBVI Board Of Commissioners by Barbara Walker
- 2001 Resolutions
- A New Day Dawning: The NFB Breaks Ground for the National Research and Training Institute for the Blind by Barbara Pierce
- Open Letter to a Blind Person: Choices That Can Change Your Life by Mike Bullis
Return to: State Page | Blind Nebraskan
PRESIDENTIAL REPORT 2001
BY CARLOS SERVAN
From the Editor: On Saturday morning, October 6, 2001, NFBN President Servan delivered an informative and inspirational Presidential Report to the NFBN convention. Here it is:
As we come together in this convention, we celebrate our triumphs, renew our commitments and recognize that the organized blind movement has never been stronger, more active and more unified. The influence of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska in matters dealing with blind people continues to increase. The problems for the blind are many, but we have the determination, the dedication, and the talent to solve them!
It has been said that when people are very thirsty, and there is no water around, they eat the sand. People eat the sand because they don’t know the difference and that there is water somewhere. We, the blind, have known that there is a difference between water and sand, and that water was somewhere, and have been looking for it for many years. When we organized in 1940, with our founder, Dr. Tenbroek, we began to develop the means to find it. Then Dr. Jernigan built the organization and we were able to have water-wells in each state. Today Dr. Maurer continues to develop programs and we have tasted water, we have tasted freedom and we will not let anybody take it away from us!
When we think of the work of the Federation, we talk about planning meetings with public officials to persuade them to follow a certain course. As the members of the public come to understand blindness and become aware of our hopes, dreams and capabilities, we continue to be the blind speaking and acting for ourselves-- blind people working on different careers, Blind college students, parents of blind children, blind seniors and others--those blind people who are unemployed, those who have recently become blind, those who are clients of the Commission for the blind, those who are in training and all others who believe in the capacity and normality of the blind. We are the people of the organized blind movement.
A change in direction in the affairs of the blind often takes place not because the governing institutions have had a change of heart, but because of the pressure brought by the organized blind to make it happen. We live in an economy driven substantially by information. In order for the blind to be competitive in this society we need to have access to such information. According to statistics, the world gets two times more information each year. With Newsline, the blind can have first hand access to national and local news. We are now able to read the newspapers at any time and on any day.
One of the reasons why there is a high unemployment rate among working age blind is because we don’t have access to print job ads. All the information existing in America’s Job Bank is now available via Jobline and we, the blind in Nebraska, can access it by phone, at no charge. The NFBN was able to partner with the Commission for the Blind to get Newsline, and to partner with DHHS and DOL to get Jobline.
Close to 50 percent of blind Americans are over 55 years old. We received a grant from the Commission for the Blind to enable seniors to have computer training, giving them access to this new era of information. We are able to operate Computer Options, where our fine member, Barbara Walker, teaches blind seniors computer skills in speech synthesizers, Internet, e-mail, word processing, Braille printing, scanning, and of course, confidence and the right attitudes toward their blindness.
The grant is also helping blind seniors to enhance their leader- ship skills. In January of this year, Blind seniors from Nebraska took the initiative to start a leadership seminar with Doctor Maurer, at the National Center in Baltimore. Seven blind Nebraskans went to this successful seminar. In addition, Roy Hobley, President of the Senior Division of Nebraska, along with another 25 seniors organized a Senior get-together and went across the state 450 miles from east to west. Furthermore, yesterday, the Senior Division put together a leadership seminar and addressed issues regarding the elderly blind. This is one more clear example of having energy and commitment from the members of the Federation. The blind seniors in Nebraska are definitely in action and I am sure that many of them are in this room today.
Age-related vision loss is the second leading cause of disability among our country's senior population. Yet only two percent of seniors are served by current programs. Our members from across the state wrote letters to persuade our congressmen and senators to support the MEDICARE COVERAGE EQUITY FOR OLDER BLIND PERSONS. This Bill will make possible an increase in the level of funding to state agencies to provide more and better services for our blind seniors.
At this year’s National Convention, Nebraska had a scholarship winner, Wesley Majerus. We were also recognized for being in the top five states in the nation which recruited Associate members. Furthermore, on an individual basis, we had top recruiters, Jane Elder was third, with 96 associates and Amy Eidenmiller was 8th with 65 associates.
Throughout the National Convention Nebraska was among the most energetic states and all present at the ballroom knew where we were. We showed energy and enthusiasm throughout the week. We were loud, like real Cornhusker fans.
We took several new members to our national convention, running the gamut from experienced blind persons to the new and afraid. We put together a mentor group headed by our motivated members from across the state and provided orientation to our newcomers, making them feel comfortable and welcome. To those without experience and understanding, blindness can be mysterious and fearful. However, our mentors started to eliminate the mystery and dread. We not only do this during our National and state Conventions, but throughout the year in our local chapters and divisions. We in the Federation are a family who care for and support each other!
Our Student Division is considered one of the more active in the nation. They helped to organize a seminar for blind college students this past August in which issues concerning this population were discussed. Peggy Elliot was the keynote speaker and laid the groundwork for the session. In addition, the students were very active in their efforts to raise money and are giving a scholarship award tonight at the banquet.
We had a couple of Social Security cases this year. Kathryn Freetman, from Lincoln, contacted our state office in October of 2000, concerning her application for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Despite the fact that she was making less than the current exempt earnings amount for blind individuals, she was told that she would not qualify. We immediately initiated an appeal, citing the regulations pertaining to blind recipients. In March of 2001, Kathryn Freetman received a check in the amount of $21,700 in back benefits, and her monthly checks have begun to arrive.
Melanie Woolen, from Hastings, was referred to us by the Commission for the Blind last February. She also applied for SSDI benefits in May of 2000 and was told that she did not qualify because she was not blind. We assisted her on her appeal process sending all the documentation required and by April of this year, Melanie got $10,400 in back benefits and her monthly payments also started to arrive.
Our office received about 1200 calls through out the year. These calls were concerned with a variety of needs: parents wanting information about public schools and services, family members who are desperate for information and comfort, teachers of blind children asking for evaluations, and many others asking for literature, technology information and what to do next in different circumstances.
The NFBN Web page is up and running and was accessed 4,874 times. Our site has all the information and links to other entities which have to do with blindness issues.
Nebraska has shown leadership throughout the years and continues to do so. Barbara Walker was invited to address the general assembly of the World Blind Union meeting in Melbourne, Australia. Her speech was one of the most motivating of this international event. With this presentation, the blind of the world had the opportunity to learn about the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.
Fatos Floyd was one of two persons who had the idea to form the National Association of Rehab Workers, which was chartered last year. Fatos Floyd, Jane Lansaw and I, are members of the board of directors of the NARW. Within other divisions of the federation, Jane Elder is the first vice president of the actors division and Bob Deaton is a board member of the Deaf-blind division.
To continue preparing our future leaders, this year, Ryan Osentowski, secretary of our affiliate, and Ryan Strunk, president of the student division, participated last August in a leadership seminar at our headquarters in Baltimore, where Dr. Maurer provided the training.
In Nebraska we understand that rehabilitation is not something that is done to us and for us, but rather, that rehabilitation, as it should be, is a partnership between the state agency and the organized blind. After several years, we were able to create a separate and free-standing agency for the blind in Nebraska. As a result, the first action was to have a business office with two full time staff dedicated just to Commission affairs. We did this last year with the kind of concerted action the Federation has engaged in for its entire history. We went to the legislature and made the case. We fought a very hard battle. Our collective challenge is to reshape attitudes by collectively building on an assumption that blind people can live full, normal, productive lives, and acting as we believe in it.
However, this energy and momentum would not be possible without a previous force. As we know, the laws of physics state that in order to create momentum, a force must already be present. The leadership in Nebraska, which built the notion of becoming a commission, occurred several years before it became a reality. I want to recognize such leadership, which made it possible to achieve the goal of establishing a Commission. Chris and Doug Boone, who helped to draft the Bill and started to talk to legislators. Michael Floyd, who spent several legislative sessions going office to office and meeting person to person with Senators, and all of those who contacted their legislators in one way or another. Thanks to this exemplary leadership, we are moving forward. .
We have a long history of supporting separate agencies for the blind, and, when we speak of support, we are speaking of political support, and, of course, blind people are no strangers to political action. Political support is absolutely essential for agencies for the blind to withstand all manner of challenges: threats to funding, threats to staffing levels, and threats to the separate identity of the agency. But, how is political support gained and maintained? How do agencies for the blind win the confidence and trust, and, most important, the loyalty of blind people in the state? In our view, the answer is quite straightforward, it is by believing in blind people and by recognizing that the blind of the state must have a real voice in shaping the programs and services of the agency--a partnership resulting in good jobs with good wages and with good upward mobility potential--good jobs, not simply the most readily available jobs.
Strong programs for the blind cannot exist without strong organizations of the blind. Political support is born of trust and mutual respect. The commission needs the support, yes, the political support, of well-organized, committed, blind people in this state. The support of the National Federation of the Blind. Our role as blind consumers is to shape our future and determine our own destiny. In order to do this, we must be focused, organized and willing to take the responsibility in leading the way!
After the creation of the new Commission for the Blind, its existence was threatened in January, when a senator introduced a bill to eliminate the new free-standing agency. As soon as we learned about this threat, we communicated with each other across the state and put ourselves into action. We wrote letters, sent e-mails, made phone calls, and asked our family members and friends to do the same. We also met with each of the members of the HHS sub committee and each of the senators who co-sponsored this Bill to educate them about the situation. Then, in order to come and testify in front of the Committee, we requested leaves without pay, hired drivers, rented cars, and hired baby sitters. Our members came from all the corners of Nebraska to be present and have our voice heard!
The room where our members testified was full. By the end of the testimonies, the chair of the HHS sub committee asked the audience in the room who was in favor of killing the bill and everybody stood up. On March 5th, the committee voted down the bill and we were able to kill LB788 before it even got to the floor.
Also during this past legislative session, the unicameral discussed the Commission biannual budget and we learned that the agency budget would suffer if we did not do something about it. Once again, we contacted senators, this time those of the Appropriations Committee, and we were able to persuade them to appropriate more cash for the Commission, instead of soft money as the agency had been getting from HHS. This is only the beginning of what a true partnership between the Commission and the organized blind can do. On January 18th and 19th of 2001, the Millennium Symposium on improving services for the blind was convened at the National Center for the Blind. Rehabilitation directors and administrators from more than a dozen states participated, along with leaders of the organized blind from those states. As part of our collaboration and partnership with the state agency for the blind, Dr. Van Zandt, the Executive Director of the Commission for the Blind, Barbara Walker, Chair of the Commission Board, and I, President of our state affiliate, were invited to participate in this symposium.
The Commission for the blind needs a true partnership with blind people and blind people need a true partnership with the Commission for the blind. The future for a separate agency for the blind in Nebraska lies in a strong and well-organized constituency; in the National Federation of the Blind. Likewise, the opportunity for blind people to receive good training and good jobs lies in strong programs for the blind. Our futures are inseparably intertwined. The future for blind people and the future for the Commission for the Blind lies in our ability to have a real and true partnership.
The work of the National Federation of the Blind continues to be recognized for outstanding leadership. Those who preceded us in the Federation understood this; they sacrificed to give us opportunities that they never knew. We, in our turn, must build for tomorrow and make the sacrifices for ourselves, and those who come after us. Our history as a movement contains many triumphs, and if we keep faith with our heritage, there will be many more. However, there have also been sorrows. We must learn from these and gain strength from them.
At this convention we will record the things we have done, and we will dream of the things we plan to accomplish. The Federation offers a new way of life. We are not satisfied with conditions as they are, we will not become complacent, we are prepared to put our energy and our resources and our imaginative efforts toward achieving our goal. We are the movement which dreams of a day which has never before been imagined--the movement which takes the risks to give that day form and shape. We are the movement which believes that we can do whatever we imagine, we can build our own destiny. We are the movement which will never quit until we have found a way to give every blind person a chance for freedom. My colleagues, the future belongs to us, and we go to meet it with joy! This is the National Federation of the Blind, and this is my report for 2001.
REPORT FROM THE NCBVI BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BY BARBARA WALKER"Look not back in anger," he says. What do we see if we disregard that? I don’t know about you, but I recall countless collective hours convincing legislators to pass our first Commission bill, LB341, only to have then Governor Nelson veto it based on misinformation. I hear Senator Gene Tyson saying, about our second bill, LB352, "A vote for this bill is a vote against the blind." And I find myself in Senator Thompson’s office talking about eliminating the Commission through LB788 and Fiscal Analyst Sandy Sostad’s office hearing that it was too late for any misappropriated money through LB352A to be transferred from the Health and Human Services System (HHSS). It’s not hard, even now, to feel the anger rise when I revisit these scenes.
"Look not forward in fear." Again, let’s see where the opposite takes us. We are, in this country, in the midst of turbulent times. Not only have we experienced massive destruction and loss of life in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania—all of which will affect Federal decisions and appropriations--but Nebraska has also issued a call to across-the-board budget cuts which, as the following memorandum states, will be the subject of a special session of the Legislature. Here it is:
MEMO
TO: Nebraska State Agencies Boards and Commissions
FROM: Michael Calvert
Legislative Fiscal Analyst
RE: October Special Session
DATE: September 19, 2001
As the Governor announced September 13, the evidence has mounted sufficiently to conclude a special session on the state budget is necessary. On the following day, the Appropriations Committee met to begin discussing preparations for a special session. One can now reasonably expect on or about October 25 a special session will begin.
To prepare for the special session, Legislative Fiscal Analyst staff will be contacting their assigned agencies to gather information to assist the Appropriations Committee in their deliberations prior to the special session. In order to close up to a $160 million budget imbalance for the biennium, it may be necessary for examination of up to 5% in reductions to current and ensuing fiscal year appropriations.
Thank you for your assistance.
In addition to the budget situation, two Commission Board appointments expire this year, causing potential disruption of continuity. One of our current members, Maya Samms, has recently moved to the Washington, D.C. area to begin a job as Attorney Advisor Finance for the Office of Equal Employment securities & Exchange Commission. We will miss her, but applaud the promotion both for her individually and for the blind collectively. Since her position on the Board expires at the end of the year, it will not be necessary to seek an interim appointment, but the vacancy needs to be filled. Dorothy Westin-Yockey’s position also expires this December. She has submitted an application for reappointment and needs our support. Budget cuts, Board in flux—sounds kind of scary to me.
But wait a minute. I’m not really giving this directive its due. Let’s look both backward and forward without anger and fear--to take stock and to dream.
Governor Nelson’s veto didn’t stop us. It inspired us to plan ahead. By the time the next Governor got his chance, we had enough Senators lined up to override a veto should one occur. When Senator Tyson made his pronouncement, there wasn’t one blind person in this state who came forward in agreement. We created our Commission with a strong and united front. And although the discussions in Senator Thompson’s and Analyst Sostad’s offices didn’t change their minds, the negative publicity generated by LB788 and the confusion surrounding the HHSS transfer of funds netted our Commission appropriations which might otherwise not have been forthcoming.
As for the future, when approached without fear, we see that, since it has not yet occurred, we still have the power to shape it. The potential budget cuts may, just as is happening in our national disaster sites, spark broader participation from consumers. They may lead to more creative use of the resources at hand. They may inspire us to seek out and nurture each other’s strengths as we pull together and grow. We can, if we choose to, apply similar humane strategies toward influencing future Commission Board appointments here as well.
We can, in other words, if we look beyond the anger and the fear, heed the final phrase of Mr. Hersey’s message: "Look around you in awareness." But when I do that, from my perspective as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, it feels incomplete just to look around, however cognizantly I might do it. Awareness without action feels empty, or even dangerous, to me. As Og Mandino says, in his book THE GREATEST SUCCESS IN THE WORLD, "Act or you will be acted upon." Most of us here are intimately acquainted with both sides of that coin. I'd like for us to look at a few examples here from the proactive side:
We have had, since its inception, a five-member Board, all of whom are blind. There are those who may see this as a lucky break. It isn’t. It is the result of nurtured relationships, well-placed influence, and constant vigilance. But I don’t really need to tell you this. Most of you were there, making it happen. What I feel compelled to say to you now is, please don’t forget it. It is as important to keep the Board vibrant and responsive as it was to secure those first appointments. Each of us has the opportunity either to apply for a position or to support others who are doing so. Will you?
Since July of 2000, the Commission Board has held six in-person meetings in Nebraska City, Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney. At first, quite a few blind folks attended our meetings. Lately, just over a year into our existence, almost no one comes. Please don’t allow so few such power. The Commission belongs to us-the blind. Come and help us keep it alive and alert.
One of our first responsibilities was to hire an Executive Director. As you know, we chose unanimously to retain Dr. Pearl Van Zandt in that position. In our letter of appointment, we lifted up five qualities which have become both criteria for evaluation of the Executive Director and keys to the goals we consumers share with those who provide the services which enable us to reach them. The initial letters of the five phrases spell the word blind, bringing focus to our mission. Here they are: believing that it is respectable to be blind; listening and responding to concerns from staff and consumers alike; identifying priorities and seeing them through; negotiating creatively to hire quality staff and fund exemplary service delivery; and dreaming progressive steps toward true equality for the blind. If this partnership for which we have worked so hard is to continue, we must all believe, listen, identify, negotiate and dream. Please don't leave it to someone else.
Sometimes when we talk about partnership between agencies and consumers, we think it’s a new idea. When we look around in awareness, we realize it’s not. Through the June, 2001 Braille Monitor, we have the privilege of revisiting an article by our founder, Dr. Jacobus Tenbroek, entitled A Tribute to Kenneth Jernigan. Dr. Tenbroek was addressing those gathered to celebrate Kenneth Jernigan’s moving from California to Iowa to direct an agency for the blind known for its poor service delivery. The year was 1958 and here, in part, is what he said: "The basic truth is that the blind are citizens, that they are not wards, that they are capable of speaking for themselves, that they should and must be integrated into the governmental processes which evolve structure and administer programs bearing upon their welfare. The truth is that the agencies administering these programs, committed to the democratic view of clients as human beings and citizens and joining with them in the full expression of their capabilities, have a vital and a significant role to play.
"There is thus no necessary matter of choosing between two masters moving in different directions. The common object can best be achieved through a close cooperation between the blind and the agencies serving them. The object cannot be achieved without that collaboration. Separate sources of authority, organizational patterns, and particular responsibilities do not necessarily and in this case do not properly entail conflicting commitments."
Steven M. Case said, in the September 2001 Reader's Digest: "A vision without the ability to execute is probably a hallucination." The National Federation of the Blind has the ability to execute visions and Dr. Tenbroek wasn’t hallucinating. Dr. Jernigan built, literally from the ground up, the most successful service delivery system for the blind in the world. Our National Representative, Ramona Walhof, was a student of that program, as were other current leaders of the blind—Rehabilitation Services Administration Commissioner, Joanne Wilson; National Federation of the Blind President, Marc Maurer; and the keynote presenter at our recent student seminar in Kearney, Iowa attorney and NFB Second Vice President Peggy Elliott, to name but a few. Many agencies, including ours, have both benefited from and patterned after that program. I visited it myself in 1974, when I was trying to figure out what to do as a fledgling worker in the field of blindness. That’s where I first met both Mrs. Walhof and Dr. Jernigan. It was there I first saw an effective partnership between consumers and agency staff, and I’ve been working ever since to help it happen here.
Another function of the Commission Board is that of policy-setting. Toward that end, we have asked personnel to educate us concerning various aspects of the agency's current programs and procedures. So far, we have explored the Orientation Center, Business Enterprises, Transition and Field Operations. At our next meeting, we plan to hear about Technology Services. These overviews not only provide those of us on the Board with background and insight, but they can also be a good way for all who attend our public meetings to become more informed and to interact with Commission staff. Please join us in Omaha on November 17 at 9:00 AM for our next adventure.
The Commission Board is also charged with the responsibility of overseeing the agency’s budget and general operations. We are fortunate here to have a competent staff and positive programs. Since our Board is mindful of seeking the balance between benign neglect and micromanagement when it comes to these and other issues, we have, for the most part, reviewed relevant information and encouraged Dr. Van Zandt and her administrative staff to make decisions they deem appropriate.
There is one budget situation in which we have participated-a reduction of the Commission’s grant to Radio Talking Book Services, Inc. (RTB). As those of you who have attended our meetings know, we did not make the decision lightly. The issue was brought to us by the State Rehabilitation Council in May and our decision was finalized in August. We asked for a survey to be conducted to determine listenership. If you received one, I hope you participated. We also requested information and a presentation from RTB’s Executive Director, John Fullerton. He and others provided this at our July 28 meeting. On August 24, we sent the following letter to Mr. Fullerton, with copies to Governor Johanns and Dr. Van Zandt:
I am writing on behalf of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NCBVI) Board of Commissioners to inform you of our decision to discontinue the annual sub grant of $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars) from Vocational Rehabilitation/Basic Support monies to Radio Talking Book (RTB) as of October 1, 2001. We realize that this will initially be difficult. However, given both your presentation at our July 28 meeting in Lincoln and the subsequent materials you sent us, it is clear that you, the staff and the Board of Directors have brought RTB into a period of financial stability. We commend you for this and have every confidence that you will successfully meet the financial challenge that our decision brings.
Our current plan is that NCBVI will continue both to sub grant $30,000 (thirty thousand dollars) to RTB and to provide outreach services such as informing clients about RTB, processing applications, delivering and instructing people in the use of receivers, distributing brochures to the public, etc. Although neither the staff time nor the cost savings to RTB has been quantified, we believe that everyone concerned both understands and appreciates the value of this investment.
I am enclosing, for your information, a communication from Governor Johanns which influenced our deliberations. It reminds us of our need to make tough economic calls. We hope that all of us will find creative ways to continue to move forward within such constraints.
Thank you for interacting with us about RTB's finances and programming. It was helpful to us in determining what to do.
The enclosed memo and news release from the Governor's Office, dated July 13, stated in pertinent part:
I am asking all State agencies, boards, and commissions, along with their elected and appointed members and directors, to exercise enhanced restraint with regards to the obligation or expenditure of State financial resources authorized for use within your areas of responsibility. Please exercise great caution and take any necessary actions to restrain discretionary spending.
At our July 28 meeting, having received word that a five percent across-the-board budget cut was imminent, we neither looked back in anger nor forward in fear. Aware of our unique position in State Government, we sent the following letter to Governor Johanns, with a copy to Dr. Van Zandt:
I am writing on behalf of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired NCBVI Board of Commissioners concerning your call to all State Government agencies about preparing for a potential five per cent (5%) budget cut. While NCBVI is certainly willing to do its share of fiscal belt tightening, it is essential that your office recognize that a 5% cut in NCBVI's State appropriation means a net loss of revenue to Nebraska.
Since, unlike most State agencies, for every state dollar appropriated to NCBVI, Nebraska receives four dollars or more, such a cut doesn't make sense. NCBVI's State Appropriation for 2002 is currently set at $537,282. A 5% cut would be $26,864.10. At the ratio of 78.7% Federal to 21.3% State funds (some money is matched at a 90% to 10% ratio, causing an even bigger disparity), the State of Nebraska would lose $99258.43 in Federal dollars, bringing the total cut to NCBVI's budget to $126,122.53. This money helps NCBVI provide services which make it possible both for working-age blind Nebraskans to find employment, thus reducing the 70% unemployment rate; and for blind senior citizens to remain independent.
We urge you to consider NCBVI's unique position in State Government and not deprive Nebraska of much-needed Federal Funds by cutting its State Appropriation. We look forward to your response.
That is what we said and what we all may soon need to write and/or say in other forms to Governor Johanns and other officials. You know the stakes are high. What will you do to preserve them?
Other matters, of course, have come before us--staff salaries, signage on and inside the Commission building, the feasibility of putting Braille on all vending machines throughout the state, the possibility of having promotional messages rather than music for those waiting on the phone to be served, financial participation by consumers in their rehabilitation programs, etc. In every instance, we have done and will continue to do our best to respond appropriately.
So with respect to Mr. Hersey’s admonition, I believe, as I previously stated, that it provides a good first step. But without action, it does little else. Unless we act upon what we see when we look around in awareness, no one will benefit. So let’s not stop there. We need to take action. I’ve already made some suggestions with respect to our Commission—participate in Board appointments, engage in the budget process, come to our meetings, voice your problems with and/or praises for the services you receive. But you needn’t stop there. Bring someone else to the meetings with you. Give of your time, talents, and resources to build friendships and business connections. Encourage those you know, both blind and sighted, to join with us to improve the lives of the blind. In other words, "Look not back in anger nor forward in fear, but around you in awareness" and then do something!
Table of Contents
2001 RESOLUTIONS
From the Editor: Two resolutions were passed at the 2001 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska. The first deals with the playing of Presidential releases. The second addresses the question of whether the State Rehab Council is needed. Here are the resolutions.
Resolution 01-01
Re: Playing Presidential Releases
WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest organization of the blind in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Federation has affiliates, chapters and divisions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; and
WHEREAS, each affiliate, chapter and division has the common purpose of promoting the welfare of the blind; and
WHEREAS, each Federation affiliate, chapter and division has as its mission the social, political and economic integration of the blind into society as equal partners; and
WHEREAS, the intent of the Federation, as expressed through its various constitutions-national, state and local-is to work, through the collective action of a unified and united movement, for the advancement of the blind; and
WHEREAS, in order to promote self-advocacy and enhance the empowerment of all blind persons, the National Federation of the Blind has created the Presidential Release; and
WHEREAS, the Presidential Release is designed to facilitate the communication of vital information and boost the morale of the entire organization; and
WHEREAS, THE presidential Release has been adopted as a valuable agenda item in meetings of Federation affiliates across the United States since November, 1972; and
WHEREAS, this communication vehicle is the best and most regular source for conveying such necessary material and Federation spirit in a brief, concise and timely fashion; and
WHEREAS, this monthly supplement to other Federation communications, such as THE BRAILLE MONITOR, is presented in the recorded voice of our National President, Dr. Marc Maurer, which makes it a unique opportunity for all Federationists to connect in the most direct way possible with our national
leadership:
Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska in Convention assembled this seventh day of October, 2001, in the city of North Platte, Nebraska, that the tradition of playing the official monthly National Federation of the Blind Presidential Release at all local chapter meetings and other similar Federation gatherings throughout the state of Nebraska henceforth be adopted as formal standing policy of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska.
RESOLUTION 01-02
Re: State Rehabilitation Council
WHEREAS, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, required that each State rehabilitation agency, general and blind, establish a State
Rehabilitation Advisory Council (SRAC), later called State Rehabilitation Council (SRC); AND
Whereas, EACH state Rehabilitation Council was required to have representation from several categories of programs, organizations and
individuals; and
WHEREAS, the majority of the members were to be representatives of professional rather than consumer interests-for example, Client Assistance Program, Vocational Rehabilitation, community rehabilitation programs, business, industry and labor; and
WHEREAS, the Act contains an exception to the requirement of a
Rehabilitation Council when an agency is operated by a consumer-controlled board; and
WHEREAS, THE Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired is such an agency; and
WHEREAS, at its meeting on August 4, 2001, the State Rehabilitation Council voted to seek changes in State Law that would permit the dissolution of the Council:
Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska, in Convention assembled this seventh day of October, 2001, in the city of North Platte, Nebraska, that this organization promote and support any and all legislative efforts to dissolve the State Rehabilitation Council for the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
A NEW DAY DAWNING: THE NFB BREAKS GROUND FOR THE NATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE
FOR THE BLIND
BY BARBARA PIERCE
From the Editor: The following is reprinted from the November 2001 issue of the Braille Monitor, the monthly publication of the National Federation of the Blind.
White Cane Safety Day, October 15, 1998, was beautifully sunny with a deep blue autumnal sky and gentle breezes lifting the hair of the mourners as we walked from St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church to Dr. Jernigan’s grave site. That day we promised him and each other that somehow we would find the strength and creativity to build the National Research and Training Institute for the Blind (NRTIB), which had been his final and most ambitious dream for the organized blind movement. Almost exactly three years have passed since that day when we said good-bye to our beloved friend and leader, and they have been three busy years of planning and working. Neither the work nor the plans are finished; in fact we will probably look back and recognize that in many ways they are just beginning.
Yet many of those gathered at the National Center for the Blind on October 19, 2001, strongly felt Dr. Jernigan’s presence with us and his influence on us as we stood again in the bright October sunshine and took part in the ground-breaking ceremonies for the NRTIB. An audience of some three hundred stood along Wells Street, at the south boundary of our property. Part of the floor of the dismantled building had been preserved to serve as the stage for the various presentations. Print and Braille programs were, of course, available, and at 10:30 a.m. precisely President Maurer opened the program. A number of dignitaries and contributors spoke briefly, and Dr. Maurer presented each with a gold shovel with which to take part in the actual ground breaking. …
Indeed every speaker who addressed the audience during the ceremonies spoke to the point of what this ground breaking meant and seemed to grasp the significance of this new endeavor. One of the most moving speakers was Barbara Walker, President of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. This is what she said:
Life brings us many opportunities when memories and dreams intersect. Today is one of those, and it reminds me of several others I have witnessed in my lifetime. On October 12 of 1998 I received word that Dr. Jernigan, my mentor, colleague, friend, had died. As the grief washed over me, I thought about the events of that day in my life. One that kept recurring was that that morning, the very morning that he was dying, I began to work with a nine-year-old blind child. I had met him ten days previous to that, but that morning we sat in a library, and I began to mentor this boy in the use of Braille. One of the techniques we have used is that, when I have read aloud to him—he earns that once in a while by reading aloud a specific amount himself—I have asked him to place his hands on top of mine so that he can learn the motion, the touch of efficient Braille reading.
A couple of weeks ago, as he was reading part of Black Beauty, he stopped in mid-sentence to say to me, "Something feels different. My hands are gliding across the page; I’m not getting every word, but it almost feels as if your hands are under mine. But they’re really not; my own are doing it." It felt like a kind of ground breaking for him.
The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults wants to make this kind of ground breaking possible for children throughout the country. We know, as Dr. Maurer pointed out, that it will take many hands, many minds, many people working together to make this a reality. But when I think of this day and Dr. Jernigan’s dreams and our work currently going on and how much more efficiently we can do it with the Research and Training Institute, I am very pleased to be a part of this day, this event, and what it means for our future. We truly will be able to change what it means to be blind for all blind people and for our society. Thank you.
Listening to Barbara speak, we were all caught up in the sense that Dr. Jernigan’s hands were somehow supporting ours as we moved forward into this new adventure and challenge.
From the Editor: The following letter was forwarded via email to Fatos Floyd, Director of the Orientation Center for NCBVI. Mike Bullis is a blind man living in Portland, Oregon, who has some definite thoughts on obtaining orientation training. Here is what he has to say:
OPEN LETTER TO A BLIND PERSON
CHOICES THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
BY MIKE BULLIS
Dear Friend:
This is a letter intended for blind people in order to help you think through the many decisions you will have to make about training, education and skills. Even though you may have some usable vision and describe yourself as "visually impaired," for ease of writing I will refer to you as blind.
Thanks to federal rehabilitation law, there are many free services available to you at your local state rehabilitation agency, including lessons in Braille, cane travel, and many other skills. If you are to make informed choices about those services there is much to learn. The decisions you make about training you do or do not get -- and what type you choose - will affect everything: your ability to work, your marriage and relationships with friends, your personal beliefs about yourself, and indeed, whether you view life as a wonderful opportunity or a frustrating and not very fulfilling prison sentence. The information in this letter has helped me and thousands of blind people move from dependence to freedom. It's not simply my thinking, but represents the wisdom of thousands of successful blind people from throughout the nation.
What I'm about to say to you is very blunt talk. Before I say it, let me give you a way out. That is, I'd like you to know that none of it necessarily applies to you. The nice thing about life is that there are exceptions to every rule. As important as an education is in today's world, there are people who do very well without going to high school or college. As important as it is to research a business thoroughly before starting it, there are those who start without research who become highly successful. And similarly, as important as it is for blind persons to get training in skills such as Braille and cane travel, there are some blind people who have been successful in life without them. So having said that, if you think that something in this letter doesn't apply to you, it doesn't! My only advice to you, as someone who has broken a lot of rules in life, is that every time you break a rule that most people have found helpful, you increase your chance of failure. So be very honest with yourself about whether your rule breaking is a dishonest desire to avoid hard work, an avoidance of a truth you refuse to face, or truly necessary for you in your circumstances and with your personality type.
I have some good news and bad news about blindness The good news is that if a blind person concentrates on learning the skills of blindness for from nine months to a year, he or she will in all likelihood become a competent functioning blind person. For that person, issues of blindness will be secondary for the rest of their life. Reading at 200 words per minute, just as most literate sighted people read; typing at 80 to 100 words per minute; entering a room with confidence; walking wherever you please and doing it when you please; throwing a burger on the barbecue with the same ease as your neighbor: all of this is possible. Life for the person who takes this time and concentrates on really becoming excellent at the skills of blindness will be, for the most part, full of the ordinary cares of the world like dating, getting married, raising kids, paying the bills or complaining about the boss. Blindness will be, for the most part, on the back burner. No, you won't be able to see, but the alternative skills you have learned will reduce that fact to a minor issue in your life.
The bad news in our "good news, bad news" scenario is that most blind people never do what I have described. Most of us who need skills try to avoid taking the concentrated time and effort to get them. They learn a little Braille-thirty words per minute and maybe not even that. They are, for all practical purposes, functionally illiterate. They don't think of it this way, but if they were sighted that's the way it would be described. They get some basic cane travel. No, they can't go into new environments comfortably. They walk slowly and cautiously. They avoid really busy streets. When moving to a new neighborhood they will often call up an agency to be "oriented." The thought of travel to a new city is frightening and often complex, to say the least. And, what's perhaps worse, or at least saddest, is that the joy of a simple walk doesn't exist for them. Feeling the breeze, the warmth of a sunny day while walking through the park and not noticing one's cane technique, just getting out for the joy of it, is lost to this person. Cane travel is not automatic; it's a chore.
This person is a mediocre cook. There is no thought of flipping a burger and answering the phone like normal people. Cooking is a concentrated effort. Cooking means microwave foods, not by choice but by necessity. No backyard barbecues. No neighborhood picnics where the blind person contributes as an equal. No simple filling of a glass or cup.
There are other prices this person pays that are cultural. These are the prices of second class social status. I do not mean that this person is discriminated against as a legal matter and should sue somebody. That may or may not be true and needs to be evaluated on its own merits. I refer to a second class social status that this person brings upon himself because of his ineptness. Because they cannot walk with ease, look people in the eye, carry themselves like others do, use hand gestures, and engage in the normal give and take of social interchange, they are treated differently. They don't take their son for a relaxing walk or run to the local Starbucks to buy coffee for the office. They are different not because they are blind but because they cannot compete in society on terms of equality when and where it counts. They don't get hired and don't know why. They don't have dates and think it's because they're blind, not realizing that many blind people date normally.
These people often end up in marriages based on caretaking rather than equity. They often have jobs that are carefully defined while the rest of their co-workers do work that requires flexibility. When something is needed from the other room colleagues are quick to "get it for them" because the blind person doesn't put people at ease when he or she travels. Nobody ever looks to them to "take charge" of a situation. When they enter a room people stare out of curiosity as they will tend to do with blind people. But this blind person cannot help those staring people relax. They can only leave the people uncomfortable and wishing they could help in some way.
Their neighbors may help them read the mail but they never know the pleasure of helping their neighbor with a household or yard project.
Yes, that is the good news and the bad news about blindness. You can either get the skills and get it over with, or, you can continue to struggle and be frustrated -- blaming it on blindness instead of yourself and the choices you have made. You can either take that year and once and for all put blindness on the back burner or you can continue to be frustrated year after year.
Many people will object to taking a whole year of their life to learn these skills. They say, "Well, I can't take a year off, I have kids to raise." Not realizing that their children need a dad or mom who can confidently parent them, not a dad or mom who needs taking care of. They say, "I need to get back to work." Not realizing that without the skills of blindness, they will most likely not receive promotions that others get and they will find changing jobs a constant frustration. They will be heard to say, "I wish people at work treated me like I was normal." Not realizing that they don't look or act normal and don't really pull their own weight on the job -doing everything everyone else does in a natural and relaxed manner. They say, "I'm not comfortable around sighted people," not realizing that there are two halves to this equation. Part of it is that when sighted people first meet blind people, they're uncomfortable and need to be educated. But beyond that first educational step, most people will relax about your blindness to the extent that you do and to the extent that you make them feel you are normal and capable.
Another objection is: "I could learn good blindness skills if I had been born blind but I became blind later in life." There are thousands of blind people with good skills, including both those who have been born blind and those who were blinded later in life. There is currently no data that says either circumstance is an advantage or disadvantage. Another person says, "I'm too old to learn the skills of blindness." You may or may not be too old to learn. I can't answer that, only you can. Much of it has to do with how active you have kept your mind and how active you want to keep it. Many people continue to learn as they grow older, challenging their minds to ever greater comprehension -- feeling that age is an opportunity to amass the wisdom of a lifetime to meet new and different problems. Others stop learning and challenging themselves --and their minds do indeed slow down and learn new things with difficulty or not at all. Remember, though, blindness isn't to blame here. Finally: "I have other disabilities besides blindness. That's why I can't learn good skills." Well, I cannot comment in this letter about the myriad of possibilities you may face. What I can say is that you owe it to yourself to try before you decide what's possible. Too many people quit before they start--finding an excuse for failure and accepting it to be true without ever taking the step of trying. I don't know what you can achieve but neither do you until you take that step.
The difference between those who get full-fledged training and those who don't is what I shall call "the great divide." After you take that year and "get it over with" you will be in a different world. Some of your blind friends will say, "Yes, but you're special." Some rehabilitation professionals will say the same, but all the time you will know the simple truth. You will know that you're only special in the sense that you decided to work hard, pay a price now for a much easier life later and to therefore make blindness a small part of your life instead of a big one.
In the next letter I'll begin talking about what you should do with that year of training. What teachers and programs should you choose and how? Future letters will focus on Braille and who should learn it; cane travel and how to learn; note taking and other academic skills; and the art of cooking. It's all coming up, but first you need to decide to take that year and get those skills. We'll talk about the rest after you've made the most important decision of your life.
Sincerely,
Mike Bullis
Portland Oregon
2001
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