Downtown in Des Moines in Polk County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

1. The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building Marker

Inscription. The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior for the work of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, director of the commission from 1959-1978, who made significant and long-lasting contributions to the betterment of blind Americans

Erected 2012.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.

Location. 41° 35.364′ N, 93° 37.369′ W. Marker is in Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County. It is in Downtown. It is on 4th Street south of Watson Powell Jr. Way. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 524 4th Street, Des Moines IA 50309, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Savery Hotel (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Homestead Building (about 700 feet away); Scottish Rite Consistory Building

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); A Monumental Journey (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civil Rights Victory (approx. ¼ mile away); Hawkeye Insurance Co. (approx. ¼ mile away); The First Licensed Ferry (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ronald W. Reagan (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Des Moines.

More about this marker. The marker was erected on September 13, 2012, close to the building's 100th anniversary. A version of the plaque in braille is immediately below this one.

Regarding The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building. This building in downtown Des Moines was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The building was originally home to a branch of the YMCA; when it moved to a new facility in 1959, the state acquired it to house the

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

2. The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building Marker

Iowa Commission for the Blind.

Kenneth Jernigan served as the leader of the commission from 1958 until 1977, during which time he developed a model for providing rehabilitation services to the blind that would become known as the "Iowa Model." Jernigan was also leader of the National Federation for the Blind from 1968 until 1977 and 1978 to 1986. He died in Baltimore at age 71 in 1998.

Also see . . .
1. A Monument to a Man and Our Movement: Yet One More Honor for Kenneth Jernigan. An article about the plaque's unveiling on September 13, 2012, from the National Federation of the Blind.

Excerpt: "If newer readers haven't figured it out yet, 524 Fourth Street in Des Moines is the address of what was in Kenneth Jernigan’s time known as the Iowa Commission for the Blind, now the Iowa Department for the Blind. It was the site of the Iowa experiment and the miracle of Iowa. It is where Dr. Kenneth Jernigan first worked his magic and proved once and for all the soundness and validity
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

3. The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building Marker (in Braille)
of the Federation's philosophy and our ideas about what proper training can and must be."

(Submitted on September 10, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Dr. Kenneth Jernigan biography. From blind.net

Excerpt: "From 1958 until 1978 he served as Director of the Iowa State Commission for the Blind. In this capacity he was responsible for administering state programs of rehabilitation, home teaching, home industries, an orientation and adjustment center and library services for the blind and physically handicapped. The improvements made in services to the blind of Iowa under the Jernigan administration have never before or since been equaled anywhere in the country."

(Submitted on September 10, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Iowa Department for the Blind official site. (Submitted on September 10, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

4. The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building

Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 10, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.