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The Kenneth Jernigan ScholarshipThe American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults annually sponsors the most well-known and largest scholarship granted in the United States to a legally blind person. The scholarship, named the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship, honors the man who changed perceptions regarding the capabilities of the blind in this country and throughout the world. Dr. Jernigan, active in affairs of the blind for over half a century, taught that with proper training in the skills of blindness and a proper attitude toward blindness, any legally blind person can be as successful as a similarly situated sighted person. Finally, Dr. Jernigan taught that the real barrier to success as a blind person is the public’s misconceptions concerning blindness, often shared and even affirmed by the blind themselves. The Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship is given annually to a legally blind student who exemplifies the fruits of Dr. Jernigan’s teachings. The Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship is valued at $12,000. In the Year 2002, the winner of the Kenneth Jernigan scholarship was Anil Lewis, of Georgia. Anil is working on his master's in public administration. Monday evening, July 8, Anil Lewis of Georgia received the $10,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship. He spoke briefly to the banquet audience. This is what he said: I'm going to try, but when I get nervous, I talk real fast. I'm going to try not to make you guys use your extra-sensory ability to listen fast. [laughter] Before I say anything, I have to give much love and a whole lot of respect to the other scholarship recipients tonight. I'd like to ask you to help me in showing my appreciation to them as well. [applause] Dr. Maurer, Executive Director of the American Action Fund, says that nothing can go wrong except for everything else that can go wrong. Those of you who were at the board meeting remember that I said that this is a humbling honor and that it wasn't so much an award as an investment. In the tradition of awards I have to thank a couple of people. One who was not able to make it today because he is celebrating his thirtieth wedding anniversary is Mr. Al Falligan. The other gentleman whom I haven't gotten an opportunity to thank for what he did for me--he probably doesn't even realize what he did for me--is Dr. Marc Maurer. For those of you who know me, you know that I am the father of a wonderful four-year-old boy. That came about due to a trying divorce situation. At the same time I was nursing my mom, who died in 2000 of myeloma, a type of cancer. During that time in my life, I was falling apart. My father died when I was very young, so I had very few male role models in my life. But Dr. Maurer took the time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about some of the problems and issues that I was dealing with as a future single parent who had lost his mom. I want to thank him now publicly for all he did for me. Now for the investment part. Just as a demonstration of how all this works, Dr. Maurer made me a very strong, independent, self-sufficient single parent. I returned that investment in me by being present when we had to go get a blind mother back her child in Savannah, Georgia. I also didn't hesitate when the same thing needed to happen for the grandmother in Dothan, Alabama; I was on that plane in a heartbeat. As I said at the board meeting, I am going to give you a fair return on your investment. I was afraid that I was so nervous I wouldn't be able to remember what Dr. Maurer's banquet speech was about, but I do remember: "knowledge, money, and power." So I will use that to summarize the investment you have made in me. The knowledge is the knowledge that I am going to obtain through pursuing my academic education and that I have learned through Jim Gashel and his explaining the work incentives of Social Security that help me be a better job-placement professional at the Center for the Visually Impaired. And I have learned through Dr. Fredric Schroeder that learning the rules of how to play the game of the Rehab Act has made me a better professional with respect to the Client Assistance Program that I've been working with for the past six years. With that degree I obtain I want not only to teach people how to obey the rules, be accountable, but I also want to make it possible for us to make the rules. The money part is real easy--$10,000 is a lot of money. Lastly, the power part. You heard me use the word "I" quite
a bit tonight. But I learned when I was a young Southern Baptist boy that
the I is only a reflection of the power within. I would like to thank
God for this moment, for the power within and for the power without--the
motivation, the encouragement, the love. I've always said that I have
ten thousand angels, and I realize that more than two thousand of them
are in this room now. So the power I want to leave with you is the power
that you have given me--the power to change what it means to be blind.
Thank you very much for this honor. The Kenneth Jernigan scholarship will be given again in calendar year 2003 to a high-achieving blind student. To be eligible, a person must be legally blind and be studying in a full-time course of study toward a specified degree which can range from an associates to a graduate degree, in the fall of 2003. Criteria are academic excellence, financial need, and service to one’s community. Deadline for filing applications is March 31, 2003. For more information or for applications, contact: |
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Updated December 3, 2002 |