Saylor Fortner, a graduate student with the University of Louisville, explains part of the exhibit the university created with the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB), exploring the history of the KSB Segregated Department. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, May 14, 2026
(LOUISVILLE, KY) – During the Kentucky School for the Blind’s (KSB’s) 184th Founders Day celebration, school leaders highlighted the history of Black community members who helped make KSB what it is today.
The program celebrated the history of the KSB Segregated Department, which operated from 1884 to 1957, highlighting past administrators, educators and alumni of the school. The school educated Black students that were blind and visually impaired in a three-story structure on the northeast side of the KSB campus until the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court mandated the desegregation of public schools. KSB was one of the first schools in the state to comply with this decision.
“It’s important to talk about the part of history that makes us uncomfortable, and we have to understand that in order to really learn history, sometimes you have to be uncomfortable,” said KSB Principal Peggy Sinclair-Morris. “It wasn’t perfect, but KSB was at the forefront of desegregation efforts.”
Robert Williams-Neal, a retired KSB teacher, presented a detailed history of the KSB Segregated Department, from the school’s founding through desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement during the Founders Day program.
KSB also recently partnered with the University of Louisville (UofL) to excavate the old KSB Segregated Department building, giving KSB students the opportunity to help pull artifacts from the facility to be put on display at the school.
“I think history can be jarring at times and I think it can be healing at times,” said Ashley Smallwood, associate professor and director of graduate studies at UofL. “And so, in this case, the lives of these students that went to this school, the teachers who worked there, they could have been forgotten, so it’s really important for us to use archeology to help tell their stories.”
With various pieces of history from the building, ranging from lost and found items to old soda bottles from the cafeteria to old braille readers and classroom materials, UofL graduate student Saylor Fortner created a fully accessible exhibit to help students explore and learn about the school’s history.
Dr. John Musick, an optometrist and advocate for the blind and visually impaired community, was honored with the Paul J. Langan Distinguished Service Award during the Kentucky School for the Blind’s annual Founders Day program. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, May 14, 2026
The Founders Day ceremony also featured musical performances from current students and the presentation of the Paul J. Langan Distinguished Service Award to Dr. John Musick, an optometrist and advocate for the blind and visually impaired community.
Musick is a co-founder of the Ditto and Musick Eye Care Center in Nicholasville, where he specializes in laser procedures for various types of glaucoma and has served countless Kentuckians for nearly 50 years. He served as a consultant and provided low vision evaluations for KSB and the Charles W. McDowell Center for many years as well.
“It means so much because this was an important part of my career,” Musick said. “From a selfish standpoint, I learned so much from these students.”
Musick was instrumental in the passage of laws that permit Kentuckians to drive with the use of a bioptic telescope, enabling nearly 500 individuals since 2001 to gain life changing independence. He continues to perform annual evaluations for many of these drivers as mandated by law, as well as potential candidates for the program.
“Dr. Musick’s passion for the field of low vision has provided countless Kentuckians greater opportunities for employment and independence,” Sinclair-Morris said. “He remains a constant, reliable source for exceptional services where many Kentuckians travel to benefit from his recommendations.”
Musick is certified by the National Board of Optometry and the American Academy of Optometry. He was the first and currently is the only Kentucky doctor to achieve diplomate status in the low vision diplomate program in the American Academy of Optometry.
The Langan Award was established in 1992 and is dedicated to former superintendent Paul J. Langan in recognition of his outstanding service and constructive leadership. His innovative approach to education established the foundation for continued improvement of the education of blind and visually impaired children at the school.
