From: "Christine M. Faltz" 
Subject: Re: MR. MAGOO CONCERNS
When a friend of mine joined a chapter of a disability rights
organization, (not NFB) they spent their time fund-raising and using the
money to purchase drugs.  Just because one chapter in a olarge
organization is irresponsible doesn't stain the entire organization, in
the same way that one individual's sins shouldn't mark his or her entire
family, community, school, etc.
While I don't agree with the statement that you "negative and full of
hate" you *are* being particularly ad hominem toward the NFB and you
*have* made statements which show that:
a. your angst is based on personal experience and limited experience at
that; and
b. that you are unaware of the things the NfFB is doing with respect to
the concerns you feel should be addressed.
Newsline is extremely important, and I for one am waiting for the day when
New York's network will be set up.  Being news-savvy is extremely importnt
for students, job-seekers, and in general.  
In an earlier post, you derided the NFB for going after Disney and
suggested it shouold go after MicroSoft.  In fact, a resolution of the
NFB's passed, I believe, in 1992, did just that, and if you have access to
MicroSoft's home page, you might still be able to find several papers
which discuss MS's initiatives to make its products more user-friendly to
visually impaired people.  
A friend of mine who worked at MS headquartrs several years ago said the
company had many faults, but insensitivity to blind people in the face of
changing coputer environments and technology was not one of them.
Christine
On Mon, 7 Jul 1997, shawn keen wrote:
> 
> 
> disagree a member of your group says i am full of negative thoughts and 
hate.
> so i am accused of name calling.
> hmmm.
> i know a bit about the nfb, i know that when i was in the austin chapter
> they would rather talk about how much money we had and how meny users we
> had, instead of actually doing anything.
> i guess now that we have newsline they have more or something to bost 
bout.
> /s
> At 07:45 PM 7/7/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >
> >
> >Hmmm, do I smell flame-bait or what? (grin).
> >Civil rights organizations have broad agendas, and the rights and
> >first-class citizenship of marginalized individuals are more than
> >opportunity and accessibility (education, jobs, training, technology) --
> >in fact, all of these are rendered more easily attainable by changed
> >perceptions and attitudes.  I don't think anyone believes we're going to
> >stop Disney from making this m ovie, but the idea that powerful, wealthy
> >corporations and/or individuals can do whatever they wish and should be
> >unopposed because it would be futile is simply defeatist and wrong.
> >Recent case in oint: tobacco industryl.  Not so recent: automakers -- does
> >the name Ralph Nader ring a bell?  
> >
> >Provoking thought and ebate about Mr. Magoo and the reinforcing of
> >stereotypes about the blind is far better than saying and doing nothing.
> >And of course it's very easy to use this issue to make blanket statements
> >about an organization of which you clearly are ill-informed.  The
> >convention agenda had plenty of job and technology items on it; and I had
> >numerous opportunities to discuss these issues at length at the
> >convention.  It's all connected, part of the same bundle.  The NAACp, the
> >Jewish Anti-Defamation League -- and similar groups have and still do
> >oppose media which portray stereotypes of their members.  We all can't be
> >happy all the time with the prioities a large organization makes, but to
> >become ad hominem and spew blanket generalizations because you disagree
> >with a particular policy is not going to resolve anything.  How about some
> >suggestions rather than name-calling and baiting?
> >Christine
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> --
> Shawn Keen
> orange@texas.net
> --http://www.eden.com/~orange
> 
> 
> --
> 
> 
> 
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