News

Community comes together to celebrate white cane day

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 12:18:00

The blindness and low vision community will come together this weekend to acknowledge the impact white canes have on the lives of people with vision loss.

Sunday 15 October is International White Cane Day and Vision Australia is this year celebrating all that white canes do to support people who are blind or have low vision.
A symbol of independence for many from the blind and low vision community, white canes play an important part in supporting their users to be active and independent, whether it’s at home or abroad.
“People who are blind or have low vision are no different to anybody else in that they want to be active and independent and experience what their surroundings have to offer,” Vision Australia service engagement consultant Sally Edwards said.
“That could be a walk to their local shop or café, or it could be undertaking the trip of a lifetime to the other side of the world. Whatever it is, for many people who are blind or have low vision, it’s their white cane that allows them to do that.”
Vision Australia recently asked clients where their white can has taken them, and the leading blindness and low vision service provider received many interesting responses.
“I think there might be a bit of a perception that people who are blind or have low vision aren’t going to visit places like sighted people do, but our clients told us of visiting places like Alcatraz, Egypt, the Great Wall of China and a lot more,” Ms Edwards said.
“Just because somebody can’t take in the visual elements that somewhere offers, doesn’t mean they can’t experience it in other ways.
“We had clients tell us how their white cane had allowed them to do things like march in an anti-Vietnam War protest or herd cattle. It’s amazing just how much of a difference the humble white cane can make in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision.”
Ms Edwards said while white canes allow people who are blind or have low vision to be active and independent, many Vision Australia clients said they still encounter challenges when it comes navigation.
“Of the hundreds of clients we spoke to, nearly 97 per cent said they encounter obstructions in areas like footpaths,” she said.
“The most common obstruction identified by our clients was furniture from shops and cafés, including tables, chairs, sandwich boards and clothes rails.
“More than 75 per cent of the clients said they had been obstructed by those and we’re calling on businesses, local councils and other stakeholders to ensure they consider the needs of the blind and low vision community when it comes to deciding what is on a footpath.”