Editor's Introduction

Editor's Introduction

Editor's Introduction

Five years ago we printed What Color is the Sun,

the

first volume in the Kernel Book series. Now we

come to the

eleventh, Beginnings and Blueprints.

Although the previous ten and this volume contain

widely

divergent subject matter they have a constant

theme--what it

is like to live on a daily basis as a blind

person. Just as

with the others, the stories in this book are

true. They are

the firsthand accounts of blind men and women as

they live and

love, work and play, laugh and cry.

The people who appear in these pages are friends

of mine.

I know them through our joint efforts in the

National

Federation of the Blind. We have come together to

help and

encourage each other, to find other blind people

who can

benefit from being part of the Federation, to

participate in

joint activities for self-improvement, and to

inform the

sighted public about what we are and what we are

trying to do.

In short, we are changing what it means to be

blind, and an

increasing number of you our readers are helping

us do it.

If we are to achieve our goal, we think it must

be done

with a lighter touch than preaching and

statistics. That is

why we began the publication of the Kernel Books

and why we

try to produce at least two of them each year.

They tell of

the everyday happenings in the lives of ordinary

men and

women--people just like you: a man and his

children who repair

a roof, a mother who wonders what the future

holds for her

daughter, and a man who likes to go fishing.

These are people who might live next door--people

who go

to work, raise children, experience

disappointments, make

successes, plan for the future, think about

tomorrow's dinner,

wonder about taxes and wage increases, and hope

for better

things ahead--people who yearn and dream, laugh

and cry--just

like you.

We hope that when you read this book, you will

feel that

you know those of us who appear in its pages and

that you

will, in a very real sense, regard us as friends

and

acquaintances. We are trying to take the mystery

out of

blindness, for our lives as we lead them are not

mysterious.

In many instances they could better be described

as run-of-

the-mill. I say this even though I know that it

is not

possible for a blind person to live a completely

run-of-the-

mill life in today's society as it is currently

structured.

Too many people believe we are either thoroughly

helpless or

thoroughly marvelous (or perhaps both) to permit

it.

Since around 50,000 people become blind in this

country

each year there is a perfectly good reason for

every member of

the sighted public to learn about blindness and

what it is

like. It will inevitably happen to a family

member, a friend,

or a neighbor.

But that is not the principal reason for you to

learn

what this book has to tell. All of us (blind and

sighted

alike) will have richer lives if we see each

other

realistically and with understanding. It is

better for all of

us to achieve our full potential than for some of

us to be

left behind unnecessarily.

Above all, I hope you will enjoy this book, that

you will

find it interesting and worthwhile. Beyond that,

I hope you

will contact us if you need our help or want

information about

blindness, or if a friend or family member needs

help. The

Kernel Books are becoming a major factor in

changing what it

means to be blind, and you are an important part

of the

process.

Kenneth Jernigan

Baltimore, Maryland

1996

Why Large Type?

The type size used in this book is 14 point for

two

important reasons: One, because typesetting of 14

point or

larger complies with federal standards for the

printing of

materials for visually impaired readers, and we

wanted to show

you what type size is helpful for people with

limited sight.

The second reason is that many of our friends and

supporters have asked us to print our paperback

books in 14-

point type so they too can easily read them. Many

people with

limited sight do not use Braille. We hope that by

printing

this book in a larger type than customary, many

more people

will be able to benefit from it.