by Regina Marie Brink
Our whole family gathered in our living room to watch the Paris Olympics this summer. Perhaps, like our family, you fixed good food and drinks, cheered for your favorite athletes, shed some tears when people lost, and celebrated the real joy of this world event. Very few of us put a lot of thought into how it all happened. I started thinking about all the hours of training and preparation on the part of the athletes, all the hours and hours of coaching and mentoring, and all the hours invested by people behind the scenes. Staging the events, housing and feeding the athletes as well as the spectators, and keeping everyone safe while doing it is rarely considered by those of us watching from our comfortable homes.
A particular event spoke to me. We were watching the relay races because we all love track and field. Spoiler alert if you haven’t watched it: the U.S. men’s team lost and the U.S. women’s team won. This race involves running and then passing a baton to your teammates to then run the same distance until your whole team has done it. We noticed the men were very fast runners, but they had trouble when they passed the baton to their teammates. We don’t know why and there’s not enough space here to figure that out, but the U.S. women’s team ran fast but also passed the baton gracefully and quickly. It was amazing to watch and hear it described.
This reminded me of advocacy efforts. It is easy to say, “here’s problem X and it has to change now! Why doesn’t someone do something about it?” It’s easy to get mad or discouraged. The hard part is to put together a team that can get the solutions through.
It’s true. Attorneys, legislators, experienced advocates, and proven strategists are all invaluable on the team. However, in my mind, the most valuable part of the team are people who are blind or low vision and have experienced whatever we are trying to solve. They are the friends and family who have seen the effects on real people’s lives. They might be you and me.
Small acts can help: a phone call, a letter, showing up to a hearing to say you support a bill, written and spoken public comments, filing formal complaints, or reading long lists of facts and picking out which are the best to use. All are part of the ingredients that make a winning team, just like in the relay races. The American Council of the Blind’s appointed representatives work hard, and they gladly do so because they believe in what ACB does. However, they can’t do it without all of us! We are the element that will make ACB a winning advocacy team. Let them know how you’d like to help. There is always a space for one more!