ACB or NFB
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Spiritual Angel
Gotcha. I personally feel that some people with degrees of teaching, only git into that field for money. They don't go into teaching fields for the kids! They go to collect paychecks. Please know it's not all people doing this! What happened at one of the centers that you went too? I'm curious?
Moonwalker
The comment where the Nfb fails at paying attention to the fact some blind people who have disabilittties that impact the brain I agree with. With the experiences I have endured at the rehab centers for the blind here in Arizona, that's where I was the most misunderstood by the trainers and faculty and staff.
Spiritual Angel
Here where I'm at, we have Missouri Counsel Of The Blind And we also have Rehab Services For The Blind. My friend Cari from SpringField Missouri actually started partaking in MCB. MCB, is Missouri Counsel For The Blind. From what I was told, MCB is a lot more active.
Spiritual Angel
People that do often join ACB, git to partake in the ACB Community Calls.
Spiritual Angel
As I said before, people feel welcome within the ACB. But I deffinitly agree that a lot of people do ACB all the way.
Spiritual Angel
My friend Sheila Styron is apart of the ACB. And she loves it a lot.
Spiritual Angel
Personally if it comes to different learning aspects with people, a lot of people within NFB have to look at others around them. There are people that have learning disabilities involving the brain. And typically, when people within the organization of NFB git other people with learning or multiple physical disabilities they have to think about the Americans With Disability Act being established in the year of 1990. Specifically, they have to think about title 2 of the ADA law. I honestly hear a lot of stories within the NFB braille monitor about people gitting discremenated, and treated like cremenals via police officers in case legal action has to be filed due to rights being completely violated. Mainly, others have to studdy title2 of the ADA especially if it pertains to others going to college.
Spiritual Angel
I mean I had a vision teacher that would try to say that I was using my blindness as an excuse when really I wasn't doing that.
Spiritual Angel
I personally feel that some people, joining NFB take full complete advantage of those that need more practice.
Spiritual Angel
I mean the only thing I've heard of is, people being denied access to have their guidedog with them inside the buildings.
Spiritual Angel
I mean personally it's crazy and strange.
Spiritual Angel
Yeah. Oh wow! I didn't know that people can git sick from the blindfold. And I agree, for a person to have great O And M skills they should have the right to use their guidedogs. I've never heard of people not being aloud to use a guidedog during the daytime.
Jenna
Robby Spangler
I don’t see a problem with that as long as the person is not seeking help so often that it’s getting in the way of their learning how to travel on their own. I think that’s the concern; a lot of times people who are learning might be intimidated by it and therefore might avoid practicing independent travel. That could have the possibility of holding them back. But if it’s an instance where maybe you need to get somewhere quickly, so it’s more of the exception than the rule, then I don’t see a problem with it.
Spiritual Angel
So, what I mean here about my mobility instructor being nosy is, Sarah Weeks was the type of person that would fish for information. Basicly to make a long story short, she would be that type of teacher that would love, keyword here is love. She'd love to ask as to why I'd always be in the bedroom that I'd have downstairs at my biological dad's house. And with this type of teacher she'd deny things when being confronted. I mean my thing is this. When it comes to the training centers the thing I've personally never understood here is this. If a person with light perception such as myself offers to help/ assist people that are totally blind, my honest question that comes to my mind is this. If a person goes to a training center to learn how to live independently while being completely blind, and say that they walk with their friends to the cafiteria for lunch, if that person needs or wants to walk with their friends via sighted guide, why do believers within NFB, such as the one size fits all believers git arrigant if an innocent bystander with light perception offers to guide the person or people with no vision to the cafiteria? My personal motto is if you need help/ guidance that person attending the program should be aloud to offer guided support as much as possible anytime they often struggle.
Spiritual Angel
Hello @MoonWalker. It's nice to meet you. It's great to see you here in our conversation. Wow! Very interesting that you have multiple disabilities. And I've deffinitly met a lot of people with blindness and CP, known as CerebralPalsy. Well this goes a lot further too. I've had an experience with a mobility instructor named Sarah Weeks! She was kinda a one size fits all person. And yes my name is Spiritual Angel. My real name is Savannah but you can either call me Spiritual or Angel. I don't mind. Wow. It's interesting how you've had a lot of chalenges. When I said that Sarah Weeks was kinda a one size fits all person she was basicly the type of person that believed in things being tought from an overbearing perspective. In semple terms she was that type where she wanted to have you do things with a fine tooth comb and if it didn't meet her standards, she was all butt hurt. And it's crazy how people believe in the one size fits all perspective. Sarah, the instructor was what you can and could call a selfcentered teacher where she believed in vanilla blind people learning things her way and nobody elses way. The way she tought things, was half gentle fullblown overboard teaching. And this teacher Sarah Weeks was only nice when she wanted to be. Things between her and myself eskilated further to where she was being extremely nosy about my personal life at home along with her being nosy, my special education teacher Miss Andrea Hughes, was also that type of person that fit in Mrs. Week's catigory style. I'll explain further in an audio or typed out comment. One thing about me is this. I was born fullterm. I have an eye condition called Optic Nerve Hypo Plasia. And whats very fortunate, is that I don't have multiple disabilities. However due to the condition, I'm intilexually delayed. That basicly means that I have the mental capassity in the mix of a 10 to 12yearold mentality. And it's due to reading comprehention struggles. Please be on the lookout for a Ramblio recorded Ramble, where I talk about my eye condition and how I cope in everyday life as an adult within my early 20s.
Robby Spangler
Moonwalker
Robby Spangler
Spiritual Angel
HEY There. Oh Yes! I'm Absolutely familiar with the one in Menisota. Well personally, I will tell you this Michael KoPec a great friend of mine and I had this conversation a longtime ago. Typically, when People join the ACB organization often at times they feel more excepted/ welcome! Even he recommends ACB. I mean National Federation Of The Blind honestly, isn't a bad organization. It personally depends on the type of people that are in the leadership department of the organization. I mean I'm not here to sugar coat anything. Some people that join the NFB, sometimes take advantage of some of us having the visual acuity of Light Perception respectively known as LP. I've had several conversations with my friend Haley Tyrrill about the NFB, and actually Haley's mom is a duel certified teacher within Braille and O And M. Her mom doesn't believe in the one size fits all thing. Her mom is a lot like me, we're both tailorers if it comes to people have great stable vision. And I've honestly been that type of person to always allow people to use what they have when it came to their vision. And some people may not like me, because I choose to be that tailorer type of person. what I personally think about the whole blindfold thing is that again, while it's good to practice what it's like for people to be completely blind I personally do not like the statement that people always say to others to the effect of, "What if you lose your vision as you become older? What are you going to do?" I feel like some people within the NFB and others even outside the organization like to throw terrible scares into people like myself and many others that have stable usable vision. Basicly, in semple terms I'm a tailorer type of person that directly helps people in private one on one settings. I even have a friend named Michelle Jinkens that went to World Services For The Blind directly located out of Little Rock Arkansa. World Services For The Blind was formerly known as Lions World. Actually, I believe it or not had a TVI that got her O And M training/ certification through World Services For The Blind. And often you don't find that happening very often with people. I've had several vision teachers git duel certified in Braille and O And M through MSU. MSU, is known as Missouri State University, MSU is located out of SpringField Missouri. And often at times I'll just come out and say this. You personally don't find very many people that are duel certified in braille and o and m. I know your probably wondering as to who told me that I should be a great TVi. My biological grandmother on biological dad's side told me that being a TVI would actually be a great thing given the fact that know braille and have known it sense I was really young. If you don't mind, I'm gonna encourage people to follow you and partake in this topic here in the comments section of this ramble.
Robby Spangler
Spiritual Angel
Robby Spangler
Spiritual Angel
Hey Robby! This post was great. I deffinitly agree that this conversation wholeheartedly. This topic should be had with others in the blind community. People with blindness/ intilexual physical and multiple disabilities often do git mistreated poorly/ unfairly. Here's where I personally stand with this directly! I personally believe that NFB can do a lot better with how they seriously often view people! I mean personally I've heard that a lot of staff within the organization and it's leadership, can be way too strict/ harsh way too much and police those with partial blindness and have usable vision to where people that are completely blind/ totally blind git from Point A Place to Point B Place safely and independently as much as possible. I mean you'll hear this comment directly coming from somebody that actually experienced the strictness first hand. I went to a program called AlphaPointe Association For The Blind, located in Kansas City Missouri! The people that often displayed the strictness was the Rehab Manager/ Supervisor of the program along with the O And M Teacher And Activities Of Daily Living Instructor. On occasion the braille teacher was rude the majority of the time, I actually take that back. She was always rude 90% of the time. AND really the only instructor that was nice was the Computers instructor. And a lot of the people that were workers/ clients were completely blind, partially blind, and legally blind. My personal background is this, I directly physically grewup in an erra where I was told to help and assist people that needs assistance. And honestly here are my personal thoughts of the NFB chastizing those that can see a little bit. I personally am a type of person that believes in people trying things out whether it's involving independent techniques that either directly pertain to, A: ADL, known as Activities Of Daily Living B: Home Management/ Home Maintanance and O And M known as Orientation And Mobility Instruction. If a person tries out the tecniques and still is struggling, then I would then offer a tactile support of hand over hand instruction. Basicly in semple terms I'm not a one size fits all type of person. And personally, this statement comes from somebody such as myself that had actually wanted to be a TVi, known as a teacher of the visually impaired. I personally grewup with a fulltime TVI within public school. And honestly, a lot of people actually have came/ come forward about the abuse in the training centers within the NFB particularly, Louisiana Center For The Blind known as LCB. Not only have I directly heard that LCB has been corrupt but, I've also heard that Colerado Center For The Blind known as CCB had faced a lot of people faced aligations of sexual abuse within the NFB's centers. In total The NFB Survivor Task Force, recieved a total of 69 reports within the committees within the organization. And honestly I will tell you this! My chapter is great here in Columbia Missouri. I've personally had a lot of great friendly people that have helped me out. And honestly A lot of people are switching from NFB to ACB. Me personally I can deffinitly speak on a lot of perspectives from the O And M Perspectives! I myself as a legally blind persom prefer to use a folding cane. I don't fully agree with the NFB Philosophy of using the straight canes. And honestly as I said before, I'm not a one size fits all person. I have a personal motto because I personally believe in people having a personal right/ choice. In closing I am good in the inside aspects of O And M, especially because it's directly involving in door travel/ navigation. Please feel free to reply to this comment. I love to disguss this further! Have a great time at your convention. And If you wanna talk further, privately about this please feel free to private message me on here or IMessage. And I believe we're friends on Facebook. I deffinitly would love to connect you with a great friend of mine named Haley Tyrrill. She is a very nice person and can deffinitly participate with you in this disgussion.
Robby Spangler
Spiritual Angel
Spiritual Angel
Oh wow! Thats awesome that you guys have hosted convention.
Spiritual Angel
I deffinitly love this indept group discussion.
Jenna
No, Toledo does not have a chapter. So glad Dayton does now though! Toledo Doesn't have anything for any organization as far as I know. 
Jenna
Robby Spangler
Jessica Dail
ACB, all the way! :)
Michael
I feel the American council of the blind is Pharma, proactive in advocating for audio description, but I think that the national Federation of the blind has far more numbers and is better organized to quickly mobilize around political things. Having said that, the American council of the blind has recently Bought into a system that lets you easily send pre-written letters to your representatives, and I think that will better position that organization for advocacy work. 
Kinnick
I am a part of both organizations for different purposes. I am a part of the Federation because I do more things with students and they have different programs and things I am part of the American council of the blind on the national level more than I am on my state level Because our affiliate isn’t really active near where I live 
Kylie
i was apart of nfb for a little bit.