By Joyce Scanlan, Past President

Today is November 1, All Saints Day, the day after Halloween, and one day before Minnesotans go off to our 2007 state convention in Bloomington.  After more than 34 years, this will be my last convention as president.  My greatest hope is that I’ll have as many more years as a member of this forward-looking people’s movement.  In any event, this will be my last contribution to the Minnesota Bulletin as state president, and the column entitled Les Affaires will be retired.

I was first introduced to the National Federation of the Blind when the organization came to Minneapolis for its annual convention at the Leamington Hotel in 1970.  That was definitely the period in my life when everything hit absolute bottom.  I was at the lowest point of my entire life—unemployed, impoverished, and without any clear prospects for success or happiness in the future.  Despite this utter devastation and absence of hope, I did not leap at the chance to go to that convention; a friend kept at me, claiming, “We could go there for the beer busts at hospitality and meet some guys.”  The beer busts didn’t interest me at all; the guys offered a slight attraction but not enough to overcome all sorts of excuses to turn down the invitation.  Although it wasn’t until recently that I would admit it, my real reason for avoiding the convention had more to do with my own lack of confidence and feelings of inadequacy as a blind person.  Ultimately, I ran out of excuses and reluctantly went off to check out this gathering of blind people.

When I arrived at the Leamington and stepped into the very crowded lobby, I somehow became caught up in the registration line and paid money for the convention badge, agenda, and a banquet ticket.  As I read the agenda and found the scheduled teachers’ division meeting and several items on the general session program dealing with discrimination experienced by educators and the related legal cases, my interest was captured.  As a blind teacher of secondary English, Latin and history, I knew about discrimination from firsthand experience.  The people I met were very cordial and seemed genuinely interested in my life as a blind person.  White canes were tapping all over the place, and everyone moved about with confidence and ease.  Dog guides were present also with their tails wagging.  It never mattered what the travel tool; people were getting wherever they wished to go.  I met many longtime Federationists, who encouraged me to become involved in the organization and to continue my pursuit of teaching as a career.

The banquet was also an outstanding and very memorable event of that convention.  The title of President Jernigan’s address was “Blindness:  The Myth and the Image.”  In his speech were many philosophical statements that are now trademarks of Federation beliefs.  He said, “Who is it that dares thus to disturb the peace and upset the apple cart of traditional definitions?  The aggressors are here in this room.  They are you and I.  They are the organized blind of the National Federation.  It is we who have brought on our own identity crisis—by renouncing and repudiating our old mistaken identity as the ‘helpless blind.’  It is we who are demanding that we be called by our rightful and true names:  names such as competent, normal, and equal.  We do not object to being known as blind, for that is what we are.  What we protest is that we are not also known as people, for we are that, too.  What we ask of society is not a change of heart … but a change of image—an exchange of old myths for new perspectives.”  He also said, “The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist.  If a blind person has proper training and if he has opportunity, blindness is only a physical nuisance.”  My spirits were lifted as I heard and understood these simple but persuasive statements.  Such compelling beliefs as “Blindness is only another human characteristic like being tall or short or being left-handed.”  These were declarations I could comprehend and with which I could identify.  His presentation was filled with a set of refreshing ideas about blindness and blind people.  Wow!  My self-esteem and hope for a real future suddenly soared to highest optimism.  I was thrilled with everything I heard in that banquet address.

I also enjoyed Dr. Jernigan’s leadership style as he chaired the general sessions with usually boring discussions of constitutional amendments, etc.  He was extremely warm and friendly and yet efficient and businesslike.  I was impressed with the competence of Dr. Jernigan and so many others I met.

That convention actually turned my life around.  Everything about blindness and my own expectations for a meaningful future changed, and I ceased looking to the past as the only measurement of success and began looking ahead.  I was suddenly hooked, and nothing in my life would ever be as it had been.  I was suddenly energized to venture forth and check out laws talked about at the convention, and I finally joined the local affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind—something I had vowed I’d never do.

Probably the aspect of the National Federation of the Blind that has always been most outstanding to me is that it is different from all other membership organizations in the field of blindness.  It promotes a clear and positive philosophy of blindness.  It is blind people speaking for themselves, rather than sighted people or some agency speaking on behalf of blind people.  The Federation is a community of like-minded people who believe in one another and are actively involved in promoting social and attitudinal changes that will benefit their community.  The organization is not any kind of company union, which bows and scrapes to whatever some service-providing agency says or does.  The Federation has a concise process for determining its policies beginning at the grassroots level and expects its members to support and promote the policies adopted by the majority vote at conventions.  Members follow the policies agreed upon.  Belonging to the Federation has meaning.   Furthermore, Federationists give support to one another and share a common set of beliefs about blindness.  The mentoring available through the Federation is valid and carries with it meaningful encouragement and not just a pity-party partnership that thrives on the “blindness is Hell” philosophy and demands all sorts of accommodations and costly services in order to gain minimal independence.  The National Federation of the Blind is a unique organization in many ways.

Minnesota was on the move after the national convention in 1970.  Many blind people had been stirred into action.  The student division was organized; many college students joined in the cause.  It was discovered that there were no blind people on the board of the Minneapolis Society for the Blind (MSB, now known as Vision Loss Resources or VLR), and we were determined to do something about it.  Everyone was busy with meetings on all fronts.  We were learning of our rights and our capacity to assert those rights.  It was a terrific time.

In the next election for office, because the bylaws required that there be two candidates for each office, many of us were prevailed upon to run for office.  I was asked to run for secretary against Rosemary Varey, a very competent and experienced secretary.  How I received forty-five votes in that election I will never understand.  Rosemary was easily elected, as she should have been.  In 1972 I ran for vice president; Ingvald Gunderson (Gundy) also ran for that office.  I won the election by two votes.  That was the beginning of my political career in Minnesota.  In May of 1973, I ran for president—again against Gundy—and was elected by 38 votes. 

I was re-elected every two years thereafter.  Since all elections in those days were contested, I benefited from another bit of helpful advice from Dr. Jernigan who said, “If you have the votes, you can afford to be gracious; if you don’t have the votes, you have to be gracious.”  I have always tried to follow his advice and be gracious, and my career as president will end this Sunday, November 4, when I will not seek office as president.

What a great time we have had over the past 34 years!  Not all of my treasured memories can be recounted here, but pardon me if I do a bit of reminiscing!

Very few people today remember The Minnesota Home and Center for the Blind.  Well, it’s true—our affiliate owned and operated such a facility at 1605 Eustis Street in St. Paul, making us the brunt of   jokes nationwide.  At board meetings every month we had to vote to pay all the bills, groceries, staff salaries, trash removal, lawn care and snow removal, pest control—all kinds of services related to running such a residence.  Very little of this activity seemed relevant to community involvement or public education or civil rights of blind people.  We began to have some rather heated discussions at board meetings.

And there were gates at the tops of the stairways to protect the residents from falling down.  One of my early lessons from Dr. Jernigan dealt with those gates.  Because so many members were new and enthusiastic about what blind people should be able to do, several of our folks approached me with the idea that those gates created a negative image of blind people, were not needed, and we should remove them.  Being young, inexperienced, and not a bit politically perceptive, I approved the removal of the gates.  Oh, what a brouhaha ensued!  Somehow, Dr. Jernigan received word of what had happened, and he called me to discuss what I had done.  He said it was a mistake to take the gates away, because those residents felt they were needed.  He persuaded me to return the gates to their usual place because the residents depended upon those gates.  He also said that if I expected to accomplish everything we hoped to do for blind people, I would need the cooperation and support of those residents of the Home.  He also reminded me to do this with good grace and not in a manner that might be construed as rude or demeaning to the residents.  So, the gates were returned to their rightful place at the tops of all stairways at the home.  I am not sure the residents ever fully again trusted me, but I know that in future elections, many of them gave me their votes.  Yes, today I wish I had at least one of those gates as a living memorial to the hard lesson I learned from this incident.

I have always enjoyed working with our fellow Federationists in Minnesota and throughout the country during all these years.  Large numbers of our members truly enjoyed being together to carry out our work.  Our efforts covered a broad range of topics:  numerous problems with airlines and crazy rules related to our white canes, guide dogs, and emergency row seating; the need for a mechanism to provide blind people the opportunity to have a voice in the operation of agencies and programs serving them; promoting Braille instruction for all students who are blind; participating in our Washington seminars and national conventions; working at the state legislature to pass the Human Rights Act, secure funding for public transportation, the state agency, NFB-NEWSLINE®, etc.; the value of having a rehabilitation agency serving blind people separate from the general unit serving other disabilities; building chapters throughout the state and helping to strengthen other Federation affiliates; serving as Federation reps on community boards and councils; speaking out about key issues in the media to build better understanding and establishing the Federation as the voice of blind people; advocating for other blind people experiencing problems with employers, service-providers or public entities; establishing a viable training program in which blind people have the deciding voice; planning state conventions and seminars on a variety of issues; and dealing with other concerns too numerous to list.

I can’t forget the fun we’ve had together with move-a-thons, letter-writing sessions and chapter meetings—always with dinners out together afterwards.  We have socialized whenever the work was done and reminisced about the fun we had being together.  There have also been occasions when we have grieved together over the loss of close friends and members.  I remember how when Tom and I lost our pet dog Militant (Mili), our Federation friends extended their sympathies.  Mili was a true Federationist also; she leaped with excitement at the very sight of a person with a white cane.  She participated in the Federation activities that took place in our home and at state conventions for sixteen years and helped to celebrate our Federation successes.  These are some of my fondest memories of our work together.

As I look ahead, I am hopeful that Minnesota can have a strong and vibrant organization of blind people.  In my travels to 51 of 52 affiliates over the past 37 years, the enthusiasm and commitment of Federationists throughout the country have been encouraging and uplifting.  Our members appreciate the inspiration and vibrant activity stimulated by our movement.  This is also true for Minnesota.  Our folks thrive on tackling troublesome issues, launching into serious efforts to address such issues and rejoicing when those matters reach resolution.  Members are our greatest asset for conquering social and economic barriers.  Our struggles to reach first-class status in society are by no means over; many remain unfinished, and new problems invariably appear on the scene and demand resolution.  Involvement is the key to accomplishment and growth for our members.

Finally, I thank everyone for the support, advisement, and cooperation  I have had as president over these many years.  Our progress has been great, and although we haven’t resolved every single issue, our successes have been steady and significant.  If our persistence, determination, and enthusiasm continue in the years to come, Minnesotans who are blind will have the useful tools to continue opening doors and increasing opportunities for full participation in society.  Always keep expectations for blind people at the highest level.  A vibrant Minnesota affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind with its insistence on membership participation based on a solid belief system can make it come true.

November 5, 2007—the 2007 convention is now history, and Jennifer Dunnam is our state president.  She brings new ideas and a fresh approach to our organization.  Please give her your full support.  Help her to understand what you as members want and need and support her in carrying out Federation activities.  As you have always done with me—and I have definitely appreciated it—you will help her if she happens to make a mistake.  No one is perfect.

And to President Dunnam I will say, Never shy away from listening to what members tell you.  While you may not always agree with everything you’re told, a president needs to encourage participation of all kinds and always keep her ear to the ground.  Never be afraid to let people know what you expect and hear what others want.  As one of our old friends often said, “The only trouble with a people’s movement is dealing with the people.”  Just one more thing—don’t ever remove the gates from the stairwells, but if you do, save a gate for me.  I know you’ll do well.  Good luck to you!!!