Norbert Mueller

Norbert Mueller

Norbert Mueller

Norbert Mueller

October 13, 1998

I was deeply saddened by the news Curtis sent to

us. I have known Dr. Jernigan personally and last met him at this year's Convention in

Dallas. Though his bad cough worried me a great deal, I was hoping he might have a few

more years left. I sent a fax to the NFB today in which I expressed my feelings of sadness

and how much Dr. Jernigan has meant to me personally. Instead of copying that fax here [on

the NFB's listserv, NFBtalk], let me give you its contents in more detail.

I first came to the States in 1983 as a

participant in an international program for people in the social service field. I worked

at the Illinois Visually Handicapped Institute for three months and after that at the

Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind for nine months. Being active in our State Federation of

the Blind in Germany, I was, of course, curious about similar organizations in the USA.

Especially at the Lighthouse I was told about this crazy organization called the NFB, who

said that blindness was not a handicap. And the craziest of the whole bunch, so I was

told, was their President, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, who ruled the organization like a

dictator.

One day I discovered a program on Chicagoland

Radio Information Service (CRIS Radio) called—I think—Pathways; it was the

program of the National Federation of the Blind. When they announced that they would

broadcast a speech by Dr. Jernigan, I was curious. I think it was "Blindness:

Handicap or Characteristic." I definitely did not want to miss this, thinking I would

have a good time laughing about the ridiculous things I would hear.

I had a wonderful time, but there was nothing to

mock at. On the contrary, there was not one thought mentioned which I would have

contradicted. As I wrote in my message to the NFB today:

"This man was thinking in the same direction

I was thinking, but he did not stop at points where I had begun to take things for

granted."

What really got to me in that speech was when he

told how he at one time had to put the varnish on furniture. He said he thought this was

impossible for a blind person. But then he noticed that there were ways he could do it.

This really struck a chord in me. How often have we sold ourselves short, too short?

I—like so many other blind people—had often said things like "As blind

people, we must accept our limitations!" But I had assumed my limits to be much more

narrow than would have been necessary. I decided at that moment that the better way to

find limits is to keep pushing them.

Two years later I experienced a very clear

example of this. As a ham radio operator I found occasions when it would have been

valuable if I could have soldered; however, I had always believed that this was not

possible for blind people, at least not with a regular soldering iron. Then I heard about

the Smith Kettlewell Institute in San Francisco, where blind people could learn how to

solder. So I went there, and they showed me how to do it. When I came back to Germany, I

told another blind ham radio operator what I had learnt. He replied: "That is not

possible!" He was so convinced of our narrow limits that he would rather not believe

me than change what he had accepted for himself.

I first met Dr. Jernigan at the NFB convention in

Denver in 1989, the first one I ever attended. After that I made it a point to visit him

at every convention I attended. And after Larry Campbell told me Dr. Jernigan collects

spirits, I tried to find brands for him which he might not yet have.

In 1995 I had the great opportunity to visit his

home in Baltimore. I was curious about how I as a blind person could barbecue meat on a

real charcoal grill. He showed me and also introduced me to barbecuing corn on the cob.

What a great evening I had.

I feel fortunate for having known Dr. Jernigan

personally. He certainly is one of the greatest leaders the blindness movement has ever

had. Think about how he was despised only two decades ago, and then listen to what some of

those same people say about him today.

I have stayed active in the self-help movement of

the blind. One of my best sources for information has been the Braille Monitor. I remember

the General Assembly of the World Blind Union in 1988 in Madrid. I did not go there, but I

was eager to learn more about it. In other magazines I read what a great event it was and

things like that. It was Dr. Jernigan's article in the Monitor, which presented a more

critical view and which really carried information about the issues being discussed.

One of the strongest points about the Monitor is

that one does not only read summary reports, but often documents of importance are

enclosed in the articles as well. I have learned a lot through that. This helps me when I

have to write letters or prepare statements concerning blindness affairs. Dr. Jernigan has

shown us the direction in which we as a minority must travel, no matter where we live; and

he has shown us a lot of tactics and strategies we can use and build on.

But he was not only the fighter for our affairs.

I would never want to miss the wonderful articles in the Monitor and in the Kernel Books

in which we saw the private Kenneth Jernigan. I loved to read about his childhood on the

farm in Tennessee; about his love of reading; about his making furniture; and, last but

not least, only a few months ago about writing sonnets. I do not know whether Dr. Jernigan

had the time to write his memoirs; but if he did, I want to be among the first to read

them.

I have just started reading Walking Alone and

Marching Together. It was sad to read about the activities of the young Kenneth Jernigan,

knowing there was a very high risk that we would not have him for long. It will be even

harder to read on, now that he has had to leave us. So what we can do is learn from his

life as much as we can. He can be our teacher, even if we cannot meet him in person any

more.

Norbert Mueller, Secretary General

European Blind Union