How To Be Strong and Supportive: Advocacy (Part 1 of 2)
How's this for a New Year’s Resolution? BE HELPFUL! Advocacy is defined as “any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others.” This means helping others with what they believe in. When someone advocates on behalf of a group, their lives can be improved. To be an effective advocate, a person should gather as much information as possible. They should find out the concerns and issues of the group they wish to support. Any group that receives help from others will be grateful.
Every blind and visually impaired (BVI) community is different, so gathering information may vary. However, some organizations operate across all states. The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) are two well-known organizations. They consistently provide information on advocacy efforts for the blind community, holding monthly meetings and annual conventions to discuss changing issues and concerns. In Hawai’i, we have several local agencies, including Ho’opono Services for the Blind, Abilities Unlimited, and Travel Visions Aloha for the Blind, that provide many services and opportunities to support the BVI community. Always check your area for groups that support the BVI community.
One concern for the BVI community that could benefit from effective advocacy is street crossing safety. For example, tactile paving (also called tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicators found at roadsides or curb cuts to assist BVI individuals while crossing streets or walking on sidewalks. In many areas, these tiles are broken, chipped, or missing. Other accessibility features include pedestrian apps or acoustic traffic signals. This is just one area in a BVI person's life where advocacy from others could drastically improve their quality of life.
Below are a few sites to help you begin your first steps on your journey to advocacy. Please stay tuned for part 2 of “How To Be Strong and Supportive: Advocacy.” As always, Ms. Marri and Travel Visions want people to know that we are capable of living full and happy lives, so keep reading my blog to find out about more adventures! —Kelly
