by Paul Edwards
In recent months while reading the messages that come across on ACB’s listserv, I have been somewhat astonished to learn that there are some people in ACB who may actually believe that the leadership of this organization is involved in an alleged conspiracy to keep rank and file members from having an impact on the organization. I have seen occasional messages that imply that we who are leaders in the organization discourage input from members and don’t listen to suggestions. I have heard that ACB is governed by a clique of people who are doing what they want for their own reasons and who are acting against the best interests of blind people.
My first reaction to all these accusations was, frankly, hurt and anger. I devote a fair amount of time to ACB and have very few tangible compensations. For example, I get no salary and, even though I am reimbursed for most of the costs of my travel, there are always expenses I don’t recover. This is not a complaint but I do want people to know that I pay for the privilege of being your leader. I think that most of those who get elected to the board end up in a similar situation. I am not suggesting that changes should be made. I am just explaining why I felt more than a little chagrined when I read e-mail messages that implied that I could be getting rich off ACB, or that ACB’s leaders really don’t care about the rights of our members.
Of course, I realize that it’s easier for some people to complain than to think positively. I am also aware of the “e-mail phenomenon,” which leads some to type the first thoughts that come into their heads — and think about them later! ACB-L is a very small sampling of our membership, and the people likely to complain the most may not be at all representative of the attitudes of the majority of our members, or even the majority of participants on the list (who may respond to messages they anticipate as negative by simply deleting them without reading a word).
Nevertheless, reading those messages on the ACB-List day in and day out has motivated me to climb atop my soapbox in this message, and talk about how things really are in ACB, the checks and balances which govern our operations, and the ways our members — any members — can make a difference!
The ACB Balance of Power
Obviously, there are some intangible benefits of being president. For me, those have to do with being able to use my talents to move ACB in directions that I, in consultation with the board and the membership, believe are appropriate. Some of those directions are initiatives for which I am responsible. In that sense, then, I suppose I am using what power I have to forward my agenda. But that is why ACB members elected me. That’s the mandate I have been given.
In actuality, I really don’t have much power. If I want to be elected to another term of office, I have to do what the convention tells me to do. If I want to work efficiently between conventions, I have to be sure that the board knows what I am doing and approves of it. If I must make a major decision between board meetings, I am well advised to consult with the elected executive committee of the board.
Furthermore, the executive committee must report any action it has taken to the board within 10 days of such actions, and there are provisions in our constitution to allow a special meeting of the board which can be called by five unhappy board members.
Someone on the ACB list said that none of these constitutional checks and balances really applied because I don’t have to run again so I can just ignore everybody and do exactly what I want. I hope that the constitutional safeguards which I have outlined in the preceding paragraphs indicate that I understand completely that I can’t do that! In addition, I also suggest that, since I am about to leave office, I would have very little to gain by trying to manipulate the system.
Besides the constitutional limitations on the power of the president, there are other constraints that would make it very difficult for me or anybody else to operate without restraint. First, where there are policies in place that are adopted by the convention, whether I like them or not, they must guide my actions. If I were to ignore these explicitly stated policies, I would be immediately required to ask the executive committee or the board to join me in my heresy. Believe me, though there are a couple of instances where I have gone outside policy guidelines, each time I wanted all the company I could get and needed strong arguments to convince anyone that change was necessary.
A second limitation on the power of the president is the transition toward a stronger national office. This is written into our five-year plan and is at the heart of our efforts to strengthen ACB’s national presence. Since more and more of our activities are being centered in the national office, it’s much harder for the president to act independently than it may have been a couple of decades ago.
Having said all of this, I hope that many of you will understand just how hard it is for the president to act on any personal agenda. I should perhaps point out that there are real disadvantages to the degree of democracy which is built into our organizational structure. Other organizations, for example, can take action far more quickly than we can and can alter a stance far more easily than can we. This has on a few occasions placed us at a disadvantage, but, again, I am not advocating for change. I am merely suggesting that a government with as many checks and balances as ours is much more likely to do less than more.
We can certainly plan and implement policies — and we do! However, you must plan well in advance if you want ACB to go in a new direction and lots of people have to agree that it’s a good idea. As the president, then, I have to decide what I want and work within the constraints that the constitution and explicitly stated practice of the organization create.
Change by Resolution
I think that 10 of the resolutions passed at our convention last July and 11 passed in 1999 dealt specifically with making internal change. We also passed six or seven constitutional changes at each convention. While I do not object to change’s being mandated by resolution, I question whether this process is the best route for us to use. There are three reasons why I feel this way.
First of all, as I perceive it, a resolution is intended to be a formalized statement of a problem which contains a proposed solution or solutions, which is disseminated to help entities outside of ACB understand how we as an organization feel. Clearly there is nothing to prevent us from using resolutions to tell certain segments of ACB how we feel but there are other ways to do that.
Second, taking the resolutions route tends to subvert the governing of ACB. If we have a constitution and bylaws that set up processes to make change happen, and we use resolutions to circumvent these processes, we are making government very difficult for those who must implement the resolutions that are passed.
Third, I question whether it’s appropriate to publicly wash what may come across as “dirty laundry” in front of the whole world (and that’s who can look at our resolutions!). If there was no other way to make things happen in ACB, there might be some purpose for using resolutions this way. However, there are lots of ways to create the kind of organization our members think we should have without taking this approach.
The Road Best Traveled
If you have questions about processes, procedures, or the separation of powers within ACB, you can look at the ACB constitution on our web site at http://www.acb.org. In addition, you can obtain a copy of the ACB constitution and bylaws, in the format of your choice, by calling the national office at (202) 467-5081.
Within the next couple of months, I will be publishing a list of all the current ACB committees and their chairs in “The Braille Forum” so that everyone will have a list of people to contact. The various committees have a constitutional mandate to work on specific areas of ACB business. Any member can contact a committee chair and talk about ideas for change. Also, all committee meetings, with the exception of the nominating committee, are open. Any member can attend these meetings and be heard.
By the way, board meetings are also open. As the chair of board meetings, I typically allow people from the audience to speak. Of course, I must give board members the first opportunity to take the floor, but I do not believe there has ever been a board meeting where I refused to recognize somebody from the audience who asked to be heard. Your board members are your representatives. You elected them and you have a right to talk with them. Feel free to ask board members to take ideas you present to them into account, and if they don’t, ask why — during caucuses or from the floor at a convention.
“The Braille Forum” itself is another outlet for new ideas. If you write an article, there is a good chance that it will be published. If it isn’t, contact the board of publications or the editor and ask why.
Each year, we hold a meeting at our national convention to explore possibilities for change. This year the meeting that dealt with the future of ACB was held on Monday night and was quite well attended. This is another venue where you can raise issues and suggest changes.
One final point while I’m standing on my soapbox — I do not believe it is helpful to raise a negative issue unless you are willing to consider ways to make it better. This isn’t my organization or the leadership’s organization. ACB doesn’t belong to any one person or group. It is everybody’s responsibility to make it the best organization it can be. Talk to leaders or other members before you raise an issue and try to develop not only strategies for raising the issue publicly, but also some ideas about how ACB can work to tackle it. You won’t always get what you want! (I as president certainly don’t!) But if you take some of the paths I have suggested here, you will be a part of creating the new ACB, and, if you are not careful, you might also become a part of the leadership yourself.
Now it’s up to you. Will you prove me right by using your ACB government to make things happen?
As for me, I’m climbing down off my soapbox, turning off my computer for a while, and thinking about all the positive changes we have made together in our organization, about all my friends and colleagues who are always there for me and for one another, and about all the ways we can make our country and the world a place where people who are blind are included, and are welcomed.