KENNETH Jernigan, who died this week at 71, was a visionary. Blind at birth, he helped sighted people to see it is wrong and irrational to discriminate against the blind.

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight," the longtime president of the National Federation of the Blind once said. "The real problem is the misunderstanding. . . . If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to the level of physical nuisance."

Through his writings, Mr. Jernigan provided inspiration worldwide. The wisdom of this Irvington resident will be missed.

Pub Date: 10/15/98