Running for the Federation: Meet Ken Duke
From the Editor: As part of the Federation’s coast-to-coast movement challenge, we are honored to have been selected to participate in the California International Marathon, which takes place on December 7, 2025. Our National Federation of the Blind team will showcase the capabilities of blind people and generate support for the organization. We thought you would like to meet one of the accomplished blind runners who are taking part. Here is biographical information about Ken Duke:
Ken Duke, a lifelong resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a dedicated advocate for the blind community and a proud member of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah since 2004. Currently serving as president of the Salt Lake Chapter, Ken works alongside a committed board to advance the NFB’s mission of empowering blind individuals to live the lives they want.
Diagnosed in 1982 with retinitis pigmentosa, Ken gradually lost his sight and adapted his personal and professional goals to meet the challenges of blindness. Originally aspiring to be a furniture builder, he shifted his focus to technology, earning a degree in computer science and building a successful thirty-year career in information technology as a programmer, software engineer, and project manager supported by assistive tools like JAWS and screen magnifiers.
As visual demands in the workplace increased, Ken transitioned once again, earning a business management degree from the University of Utah, where he also served as president of the Information Systems Technology Club. His leadership extends beyond the Federation; he is also president of the Achilles Utah Chapter, promoting inclusion through athletics and social connection.
“Whether as a father, husband, president, chairman, board member, student, missionary, or volunteer—in each case the main objectives are to work together to achieve a common goal,” Ken says. “I am a large recipient of service every day of my life. My family, friends, and colleagues uplift me with opportunities to grow and with experiences that advance my intellect. I also receive service regarding my personal health in the form of running partners. Without them I would not have been able to finish over sixty-three marathons or be a part of the 1996 and 2002 Olympic torch relay. It seems only equitable that with so much service rendered to me that I make it a priority to serve in the capacities in which I can contribute.”
One of Ken’s idols is Albert Einstein, who once wrote: “A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”