National Federation of the Blind
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization representing blind people in the United States. It is probably the largest organization of blind people in the United States and is notable for its willingness to take controversial positions on many issues. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland.
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[edit] History
The National Federation of the Blind was founded in 1940 by Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, a young blind lawyer who would later also distinguish himself as a constitutional scholar. He led a meeting of representatives from seven states at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at which a resolution was adopted to start an organization for blind people to organize against the discrimination that they were experiencing and to help blind people realize that they could do much more than much of society expected of them. During the 1940s and 1950s, the organization's goals were to prevent able-bodied blind people from living as poor and unemployed people, many of whom were living in institutions or as beggars. By the 1960s, however, the organization also began fighting to improve the working conditions of blind people and to improve education for blind people, which meant improving services for blind children in primary and secondary schools and finding ways for more intelligent blind people to attend universities. The NFB grew rapidly and by 1960, most states had affiliates. In 1961, however, there was a serious internal division within the organization, largely resulting from conflicts over the leadership styles of tenBroek and other important people in the organization, in which some state affiliates, particularly from western states, walked out of the convention and helped form the American Council of the Blind. Jacobus tenBroek, who had served as president of the NfB for 20 years, resigned due to these problems, and was succeeded by John Taylor, but tenBroek became president again in 1966. His comeback did not last long, however, as he died in 1968. His successor was Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, who was known as a very inspiring speaker and writer who did much to expand the federation and it was soon more powerful than it had been during the 1961 split. In 1986 he retired and was replaced by his young protege, Dr. Marc Maurer. Until his death in 1998, Jernigan remained a very powerful figure in the organization. As of 2006, Maurer is still the president.
[edit] Membership, governing structure and subsidiary organizations
The NFB is estimated to have about 50,000 active members and thousands more sympathisers. Membership is open to both blind and sighted. All officers of the organization and its affiliates must be blind, except for the leaders of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.
The NFB currently has affiliates in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and these affiliates are divided into local chapters. Affiliates and chapters pledge to remain loyal to the federal organizations, but also carry on many independent activities in support of it. The affiliates, chapters and the federal organization periodically have elections for officers. The positions are president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary, treasurer and several board members. The NFB also has dozens of groups for people with special interests, such as the National Association of Blind Students, the National Association of Blind Lawyers , The National Association of Blind Merchants and the National Association of the blind in Communities of Faith, to name some of the larger groups. Some of these groups also have state affiliates.
Since 1945, the NFB has held a convention every year in a major American city, usually early in the month of July. As of 2005, it is estimated that between 2000 and 3000 people attend these conventions. In 2002, 2003 and 2005 the convention was held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky but it is highly unusual for the conventions to be held so often in a particular city. The 2006 convention was held in Dallas, Texas. Each state also has its own affiliate convention sometime during the year. At the convention, which lasts a week, there are many speakers who speak about the struggles and triumphs of blind people, and more recently, the availability of technology for blind people has been a common topic. The various special interests groups also have meetings and elect their officers, and the president gives his presidential report and a speech at the banquet, in which he reports the progress of blind people in general that year and what successes and failures the organization has had.
[edit] Beliefs and activities
The NFB believes in a doctrine which it terms the "positive philosophy of blindness" which is that blindness in itself does not prevent people from doing many of the things that most of society, including people who are supposed to be helping blind people, believe that they cannot do. They feel that if blind people believe that they can do more than what is expected of them and receive support from other blind people to change the attitudes of society towards blindness, they can do almost anything they want and have just as much chance of success as anyone. They believe that by coming together as a Federation of the blind speaking for themselves they can collectively solve many of the problems of blindness. The NFB has a legal team which files lawsuits against people who are believed to have discriminated against blind people, either by firing them because they are blind or refusing to give them an opportunity to perform a job using adaptive technology. The NFB's belief is that blind people are normal people who, given proper training and opportunity, can do the average job in the average place of business and do it as well as their sighted neighbors. Dr. Jernigan was fond of saying, "We who are blind are pretty much like you. We have our share of both geniuses and jerks, but most of us are somewhere between, ordinary people living ordinary lives." Through its meetings and publications such as the monthly magazine "Braille Monitor" and children's magazine "Future Reflections" the organization tries to change people's attitudes towards blindness. The organization also has training centers in Littleton, Colorado, Ruston, Louisiana, and Minneapolis, Minnesota which offer skills training programs for blind teenagers and adults. the organization has lobbying teams in state and federal governments to support and oppose laws related to the rights of blind people. Since 1991 it has published dozens of books of stories called Kernel books, which are written by blind people about their lives, which are meant to be read by sighted and blind people, to give a realistic account of blindness. In the NFB, it is said that "the real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist."
One of the NFB's most controversial beliefs is that people who have a small amount of vision should be considered to be blind, and they discourage the use of terms such as "low vision", "visually challenged" or "visually impaired". In education, the NFB has tried to help blind students to be motivated to be just as responsible as sighted students and for teachers to treat blind people fairly. It also strongly advocates the teaching of braille for both totally blind and legally blind children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, there are currently 93,600 legally blind school age children. Of these children, only about 5,500 are being taught Braille.
[edit] Controversy and criticism
The NFB has critics both within the organized blind movement (particularly the American Council of the Blind) and among government agencies working with blind people such as vision teachers and vocational rehab departments, as well as blind people who are skeptical of blindness organizations in general. Though most critics acknowledge that the NFB's lobbying, litigation and public relations activities have aided in the advancements that have taken place for the blind in the twentieth century, such as more career and educational opportunities, they feel that its "radicalism and militancy" can also cause problems for blind people. One of the most controversial lawsuits by the NFB was against several airlines and the federal government during the 1980s when airlines refused to let blind people sit in exit rows of airplanes. The NFB believed that this was discrimination, while others had concerns that blind people might not be able to handle an emergency as well as sighted people. Another initiative taken by the NFB was the introduction of a new style of cane in the 1970s which does not fold up like most other canes for blind people. The NFB believes that this cane does a better job at giving blind travelers information about their environment, but others are concerned that the cane gets in the way when it needs to be put away. The NFB also believes that a non-folding cane is an important tool for the blind individual to become comfortable with their blindness. By carrying a cane which cannot be hidden away, they are telling the world "I am blind". The NFB strongly believes that it is respectable to be blind, and they believe that use of the long white cane helps individuals to become comfortable with the fact of their blindness. There is also concern about whether the NFB expects blind people to do things that blind people are not generally expected to know how to do, which leads the NFB to encourage blind people to decline many forms of assistance.
Another concern is the ongoing dispute with the American Council of the Blind. It is speculated that this problem has driven some blind people away from both groups. Finally, it is speculated that the NFB sometimes appears to be almost like a cult because of the great enthusiasm shown at convention and the dominance of Maurer, who has never been seriously challenged for reelection, over the organizations, as well as the perception that the NFB's late ex-presidents tenBroek and Jernigan are overly revered almost like divine figures.
Despite these criticisms, the NFB remains noted for its ability to inspire blind people and make a tough opposition against anyone who is against its key principles, and it is said to be continuously growing.
