by Charles H. Crawford
How many times have you thought of doing something that would be fun, constructive, productive or whatever and thought that you might get together with some other folks and get the ball rolling? With all the excitement of someone anticipating what a good thing this would be, you call other folks and suggest to them that you all get together on this project or social event. Some join in with enthusiasm, while others might hem and haw and still others have other things they would rather do. When you think about it, ACB is a macrocosm of exactly this kind of get-together, and the extent to which people come together in common purpose to carry out an activity starts with that first step of joining the organization. So, then comes the question of what does it really mean to be a member of ACB?
First there is the statement of what we really believe as people who have joined. We recognize that our visual impairments or blindness really do exert an impact upon our lives. We know that there are many things we can do individually to move forward with dignity and independence in our lives, and yet we know that there are things only a group of people can articulate and accomplish. We know that organizations must reflect where we are in our lives rather than imposing a model of where we should be. We know that true partnership with others in our society requires mutual support and understanding of our needs and accomplishments. We know that we all must have the skills and tools for success to read, access information, get around our environments, and participate in our larger communities. We know that only through the communication of a diversity of ideas can we finally come to agreement on which ones make sense for our people. We know that life is the sum of many things including relationships to others and we must honor each other if we expect to be honored ourselves.
Furthermore, our membership in ACB allows us to contribute our talents to the improvement of the quality of life for all blind people. Some are great at working with others and they are the organizers. Some know how to use computers really well and they can take seats on our information access committee to work with industry and others toward the access to information we need. Some are great at understanding how the environment around us is built and functions and they can join our environmental access committee to work on issues such as pedestrian safety and access to the many places in our environment we want to visit. Some are great at understanding the law and can join our advocacy committee to help us determine when we need to take legal action. Some are just regular folks who can help others with problems, make phone calls to check on the welfare of another, bake cakes or bring materials or ideas or excitement to chapter meetings, or sell tickets for raffles and more! No matter what your skills or interests, there is a place for you in ACB and people who want to get to know who you are so we can all make life better for everyone.
Finally, being a member of ACB validates the dreams and work of thousands of people who are just like you. ACB is a wonderful collection of young and old, all races and colors, women and men, rich and poor, stars and everyday people. You can join a local affiliate of ACB or perhaps an affiliate that is national and represents a special interest. We've even got a membership at large for those who simply want to support the organization and our goals, but can only contribute as individuals -- and contribute they do.
To join or not to join? It's up to you. Take a look at our web site at www.acb.org and select the sign-up link, or give our national office a call at (800) 424-8666 after 2 p.m. Eastern time and ask about what affiliates you might want to join, or ask for our membership at large application. ACB will continue to work for all blind people, and we ask those who have either allowed their memberships to lapse or who have never been members to take that one small step for yourselves and that one big step for us all.