The one overriding thought I have is that if it were not for the National Federation of the Blind I probably wouldn’t be on this bus. Twenty-seven years ago I never would have gone anywhere. Independent travel was not high on my list of things I would be good at as a blind person. I thought I needed someone to take me.

When I joined the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut in 1971, I slowly learned by word and by example that I could travel, hold a job, volunteer in a hospital, and that I could join with other blind persons and make a difference. Bruce and I, like so many of you, travel by plane, train and taxi all the time. We even hired a retired chauffeur once to drive us to Maine.

In just about two weeks many of us will be leaving for Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the 1999 annual convention of the NFB. The person who first let me know that it was respectable to be blind won’t be there. He has gone on to his reward, but the legacy that Dr. Jernigan has left behind will live forever for all blind individuals now and in the future. Yes, we are blind, but we go forward with dignity and grace. Because Kenneth Jernigan touched our lives we touch the lives of others.

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