Re: What is wrong with the NFB?
Hi:
I just finished reading this thread ... parts of it were downright hilarious (Jade, how old was the lad or lass who jumped on your cane?) ... Does a cane up to one's nose really sound practical? For anyone? I'm about five ft. eleven, and a cane long enough to reach my nose sounds like a safety hazard even for regular use, especially where I live, where crowds are more common than not.
As for the NFB, I'm afraid their reach doesn't extend to The Bahamas in any meaningful way, so the only thing I can do is compare them to our own local organization, THe Bahamas Alliance for the Blind, which is a rather young organization. While the NFB may pursue its goals aggressively, it does seem to get the job done, one way or another. Now I'll grant that our organization is young, but the peaceful way of doing things doesn't always work, especially when you're fighting cultural stigma as well. The Equal Opportunity Bill of RIghts, which is pretty much what its name suggests, was passed in 2011, and yet blind people are still treated with either cloying pity in a lot of case, or overbearing concern. Disdain isn't quite so prevalent, but it does happen. Even in government offices one runs into the "he's blind, let him sign an X" stereotype, or the more hilarious "who bathes you and dresses you?" An organization that works aggressively to squash those kinds of stereotypes isn't a bad thing in my book. That being said, force is best used judiciously; you don't use a sledgehammer to do a screwdriver's job, and it sounds like in a few cases the NFB has favored the sledge over the screwdriver. What was the problem between Apple and the NFB? Both have been active on the accessibility front, as I understand it. If someone has an informed answer, I'm curious to know.
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