[Nfbc-sj] NOTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING

[Brian Buhrow]

	hello fellow NFB of San Jose/Silicon Valley Chapter members.  Here are some notes from our
last chapter meeting, held on Saturday October 19, 2024 via Zoom.

	I'll start with the logistics and end with a followup to the discussion we wer having in
the wake of the Ride Share Rally the National Federation held in San Francisco on October 15,
2024.

1.  We are looking forward to holding our holiday party/meeting this year.  We expect to hold
it after our november meeting, which will be Saturday November 16, 2024.  Consequently, we
expect our November meeting to be held via Zoom as well.

To better accommodate our East bay members, we'd like to pick a location which is well served
by the East Bay BART line, meaning it should be near one of the southern BART stations: Warm
Springs or Fremont.  Traditionally, we've been meeting at Santana Row because of its open space
and because it has a variety of restaurants for members to choose from when they come to the
meeting.  If anyone knows of a similar space in Milpitas or surrounding areas, send out a
message to this list so we can discuss. 


2.  We had a lively discussion in the wake of the Ride Share Rally held on the 15th of October,
about the specifics of the discrimination inflicted on blind travelers by Lyft and Uber, as
well as some of the philosophical issues the act of protesting bring up.

	One of the points I made during this didscussion is the idea that we, as blind people, need
to come to terms with our own notions about blindness and whether we, as individuals, truly
believe we are equal to our sighted peers and whether we can truly compete in terms of equality
with our sighted colleagues in our chosen vocations or lifestyles.  I mentioned that I find
myself grapling with this question every day.  I said that I know I'm slipping when I think, I
need sighted help with what ever it is I'm doing.  That isn't to say I'm not in favor of
enlisting sighted assistance, but it needs to be a conscious choice, rather than a knee jerk
position.
	Dr. Kenneth Jernigan wrote about this issue extensively in many of his speeches and
essays.  Here are some references to speeches where he discusses this issue specifically at
length.   The link below will take you to the list of NFB Convention Banquet addresses.  I
highly recommend all of the Jernigan speeches, but here are a couple to start with which
discuss the issue of how we feel about ourselves as blind people specifically:

* Blindness: The Pattern of Freedom, Louisville, 1985

* Blindness: The Circle of Sophistry, Phoenix, 1984

I suggest folks read these two speeches, or listen to the audio, which is even better, and then
we can discuss followup at our next chapter meeting.


Enjoy
-Brian

https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/banquet-speeches