by Charles H. Crawford
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 17, 2003 -- By the time you read this issue of "The Braille Forum," I will have left the employ of the American Council of the Blind as your executive director. In many ways it feels like I'm leaving home, with my heart still looking back and wanting to hug the family, while I know, in my mind, that we will still be together, continuing to build a future for ACB and blind people, for I will continue to be an active and lifetime member.
This is a time to take strength from what we have built over the past five years and to celebrate the story of our success. Under my watch and with the blessing of our wonderful membership and national staff, our organization has spoken out strongly to make our environment safer; to make consumer choice a reality rather than a platitude; to bring accessibility to the forefront as a necessity in electronics, ranging from televisions to cell phones; to increase the enforcement of non-discrimination laws; to bring the benefits of high-speed communications over the Internet to all sectors of our community at more affordable rates; to open doors previously closed to guide dog users; to make state government accountable to every blind consumer; to provide ongoing and up-to-date information on our activities to members and friends in a full and friendly fashion; to protect the freedom of speech and expand participation by our members in the operations of ACB; to make our educational and rehabilitation systems responsive to the needs of children and adults; and to make sure that each ACB member, no matter how proud or humble, is appreciated for his or her ideas and dreams. This is a time for each of us to stay the course with compassion, to remember each other in our daily concerns, and to make sure our American Council of the Blind remains and grows as the true beacon of hope that it is for all who dare to embrace democracy.
Our national office is both the servant and the partner with our membership and while the guard may change, let us be sure to give the support the office needs and to help them to help us to make ACB all it can truly be. I have told the story of ACB in the humblest of places and in the grandeur of the White House, and it is a story that must continue to be told to all who will listen and for all who have yet to hear the voice of a people united in the pain of the past, the struggle of the present, and the hope of the future.
For my part, I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve you and our mission and for that I am both grateful and committed to doing all that I can to serve our democracy, our ideals, and our future together. With abiding gratitude, I leave you with something I have often said when leaving a state convention: how good it is to be in ACB where we count our blessings one member at a time.
Thank you. My new e-mail address will be [email protected].
CAPTION
Charlie Crawford presents his report to the Houston convention July 5, 2002.