From: Peter Donahue 
Subject: Oregon Convention
Hello Kelly,  Jamal, and listers,       
        hey if you think that we neede to do a better job of putting our
deeds where our talk is than get your  rear end in to the affiliate and work
with us to ensure that all we do, including the operation of our state
conventions is reflective of what we espouze rather than just sitting on the
side lines throwing stones.  It is no easy task putting on a state
convention, or a meeting of any kind without there being something that is
not quite right.  What matters is that we make the best effort possible to
improve the quality of our gatherings, and that those who want to see things
get better work with us and help to make it so.
        My wife Mary is a  NLS Certified Braille Proofreadr, and like you
she despizes bad braille, but having some kind of information in Braille is
tetter than none at all.  No I am not excusing the bad Braille you had to
deal with at the NFB of Oregon Convention, but rather than rake them over
the coals why don't you offer to help them produce Braille materials of the
quallity you  believe we should distribute at our state and national
gatherings.  I am sure that the Oregon Affiliate would appreciate it very
much, and you will have made one more contribution to the drive to make
materials accessible to the blind.  Now go and do it!  Get on your feet!
Get up and take some action!  All of us stand to benefit from it with your 
help.
        Just one more thing about bad Braille.  As I said mary too is a
stickler for perfection.  About for years ago we held our State convention
in Odessa Texas.  WE ordered from the resturaunt menus which were in
Braille.  And they were far rrom perfect.  Mary began to call down members
of the Permian Basin Chapter for the poor quallity of the Braille.  However
Norma Crosby came to their defence, and explained that one of their members
Brailled all of those menus by hand, and gave it the best he could  do.  Now
if someone like yourself were there to help him we would have had better
quallity Braille menus for that state convention.  No it is not right to
produce poor quallity Braille, but it is equally wrong to simply chastize,
and critisize and be unwilling to help.
                You might be interested to know that when we went to Dallas
several weekends ago we stayed at the Dallas Adams Mark Hotel.  This is a
major hotel chain in the U.S.  And guess what?  There were no room numbers
on the doors either.  Naturallly we were horrified, and made an issue of it
with the hotel staff encourageing them to get signage put up that conforms
to the ADA.  While it shouldn't happen we can still encounter these things,
and we mus find ways of coping with the immeediate situation at hand while
advocating for complyance under the ADA.  Despite this minor inconveenience
we had a blast at this Dream Weekend.
                Now here again you could make a contribution to corecting
this situation.  How about offering to help Braille the room doors if the
hotel has not all ready done so.  We do this routeenly at our National
conventions, and some of our State Affiliates have done it in prepairation
for their State Conventions.  Lend a hand rather than throw stones.
        And perhaps you could offer to help the state affiliate orient hotel
staff as to how to best direct blind persons, and otherwise prepare them for
what will take place during the state convention, and teach them what kind
of help is appropriate, and which is not.
        I hope you will take these suggestions to heart, and act in a
positive manner towards situations like this in the future.  Take care, and
don't let anyone steal your dream.
here
					Never underestimate the power of a dream.
Peter donahue
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