I know that the NFB has a unique perspective of blindness and independence. They want people to be as independent as possible, no excuses. They are almost militant about it. NFB canes are longer than other canes, and they typically don’t fold. Why should you hide your blindness? Something inherent in this view is discrimination against people who are blind and who have additional disabilities. The NFB typically does not train individuals with cognitive disabilities. I can’t say if that’s intentional or not.

One main difference in these organizations is that they are either “for the blind” or “of the blind.” An organization for the blind is one that works to do whatever for blind people. The NFB is OF the blind, meaning that most of their directors are blind, and all of their members are blind. No exceptions.

I am a O&M instructor trained in the style of the ACVREP school. It’s a rehabilitation model (instead of a habilitation model). It almost assumes that my students have had sight in the past and have lost it. The founders of this model built the VA Blind Rehab Centers.