Profile

Profile

Braille MonitorMay-June 1986
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Profile
James Gashel
Director of Governmental Affairs
National Federation of the Blind

(The following article is reprinted
from the March, 1986, issue of Que Pasa the newsletter of the National Federation
of the Blind of New Mexico. The
article is preceded by this editorial
note: "Mr. James Gashel will be the
national representative at this year's
annual convention of the National Federation
of the Blind of New Mexico. For
this reason, we are profiling Mr. Gashel
so that Federationists throughout the
state will know a little about him and
his accomplishments prior to the convention.")
James
Gashel was born in Mason City,
Iowa, in 1946. He attended the Iowa
Braille and Sight Saving School, graduating
in 1964. Then he went to the
Commission for the Blind. He has said
about this period: "When I was a youngster
coming up in school, I wouldn't
carry a cane. I was ashamed to be
blind. I tried to hide it, which of
course was impossible since I always got
proved the fool. I wanted to work; but
I didn't know what I could do; and the
superintendent at the school for the
blind had told me I couldn't be a
teacher (he said there were discipline
problems); so he dashed my only dream.
When I visited the Iowa Commission in
June, 1964, I was a mighty depressed and
hostile fellow. Two weeks before, I had
graduated from high school; and the
future was closing in on me. I didn't
want any more counseling; and I didn't
want to admit I was blind. I think I ,
just wanted to be left alone. Dr.
Jernigan knew this the minute he met me.
That day was our first meeting. Thank
God it wasn't our last. I agreed to go
to the center--something I thought I'd
never do. It changed the course of my
life."
After the Commission Jim went to college
at the University of Northern Iowa.
During college he was active in intercollegiate
debating, as well as student
government and intramural athletics. He
was also active in the Federation, as
President of the Black Hawk County
Association of the Blind, in the
Waterloo, Iowa, area and as First Vice
President of the national NFB Student
Division, an office which earned him
election to the NFB Board of Directors.
After graduation, Jim Gashel moved to
Pipestone, Minnesota, to teach speech
and English in the public school system.
Jim taught a heavy schedule of speech
classes, in addition to coaching the
debating team.
In 1970 Jim Gashel returned to Iowa to
work at the Iowa Commission for the
Blind. He and his wife, Arlene, who is
also a graduate of the Commission's
program, lived in the center building to
provide counseling to students at the
center around the clock, if need be.
A year later, in 1971, Jim was made
program supervisor of the orientation center; and in 1972 he became Assistant
Director of the Commission in charge of
orientation. In 1973 Jim Gashel went
back to school, this time at the University
of Iowa, for graduate study in
public administration. But when John
Nagle retired as Chief of the NFB
Washington Office, Jim Gashel left Iowa
to take up the job.
Beginning in January, 1974, Jim and
Arlene Gashel worked together as representatives
of the Federation in
Washington. In 1975, however, their
daughter Andrea was born; and Jim shouldered
the work of the office alone.
Since then, he has become an effective
spokesman for the organized blind movement.
His energy and knowledgeability,
as well as the fact that he represents a
coherent and sophisticated constituency,
have made his a respected voice in
government bureaus and the Congress. It
is not too much to say that in the
federal government the National Federation
of the Blind not only is regarded
as a consensus of the grass roots opinions
of the nation's blind people; it is
regarded as the source of well-directed
and innovative programs for the blind.
Acting as liaison with the government
is only part of Jim Gashel's job. He
travels to conventions of state affiliates
or other groups within and without
the NFB. He works with members or other
blind people on Social Security or discrimination
problems. In general, he is
available--as are the officers and board
members--to Federationists throughout
the country for discussions of plans and
problems.
"The personal growth and progress I
have made," says Jim, "are directly
attributable to the philosophy of the
NFB I found at the Iowa Commission. I
often wonder what would have happened to
me if I had been born just ten years
earlier. As a blind boy in Iowa, I had
been persuaded to expect very little of
life. Today I hold a satisfying and
important post which itself symbolizes
the ascent to national leadership of the
National Federation of the Blind."
Jim Gashel now works as the Director
of Governmental Affairs for the National
Federation of the Blind. He is based in
Baltimore, which gives him immediate
access to our nation's capital. In all
respects both personally and professionally,
Mr. Gashel symbolizes the
finest in Federationism.(back)(contents)(next)