http:\/\/www.timescolonist.com\/health\/White+Cane+blindness+issues\/5556033\/story.html<\/p>\n
White Cane Day and blindness issues
\nVictoria Times-Colonist
\n(2011-10-15)
\nAsk any blind person how they feel about their white cane, and the answer,
\nultimately, is that it’s an extremely valuable tool.<\/p>\n
The white cane is basic, but it’s essential to a blind person’s ability to move
\nabout and to be independent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The cane is usually made of fibreglass, carbon fibre or metal. Held in one hand,
\nit is swung side to side, to give information about one’s route, including
\nobstacles, curbs, stairs and doorways. A white cane identifies a person as
\nlegally blind.<\/p>\n
The white cane offers capability, independence, problem-solving, safety and
\nempowerment to blind people. It is a symbol of freedom and pride.<\/p>\n
The Canadian Federation of the Blind, an all-volunteer, grassroots organization
\nof blind people, has chosen Oct. 15 to celebrate White Cane Day. CFB wishes to
\nhighlight the importance of the white cane, as well as to point out two issues
\nwhich negatively affect blind people in Canada.<\/p>\n
Really good white-cane travel training or, for that matter, really good
\nblindnessskills training, is not available in Canada. There is no government,
\npublicly funded and accountable blindness skills training for anyone who needs
\nit.<\/p>\n
A few lucky blind people have been able to privately fund attendance at one of
\nthree world-renowned intensive training centres in the United States. In these
\nnine-month programs, blind people learn all necessary skills to live as
\nproductive and independent citizens. Our government needs to step up to its
\nresponsibility so that all blind people have access to this type of really good
\nintensive training<\/p>\n
The second issue is quiet electric cars which cannot easily be heard by blind
\npedestrians and are accidents waiting to happen.<\/p>\n
Doris Belusic
\nVictoria<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/www.timescolonist.com\/health\/White+Cane+blindness+issues\/5556033\/story.html White Cane Day and blindness issues Victoria Times-Colonist (2011-10-15) Ask any blind person how they feel about their white cane, and the answer, ultimately, is that it’s an extremely valuable tool. The white cane is basic, but it’s essential to a blind person’s ability to move about and to be independent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n