Guernsey Blind Association is staging a White Cane Awareness walk tomorrow in an effort to raise the profile of the visually impaired community in the island and the purpose of the aids they use.
GBA orientation and mobility instructor Chantelle Tucker said that many people had misconceptions around the meaning of the white canes, talking of some people who believe that their users are ‘faking it’.
One visiting police officer mistook a white cane user to be a person with a bad leg, she said.
‘There’s an awful lot on social media these days of “I’m going to get my kid to pretend to be blind” as a TikTok trend,’ Mrs Tucker said.
‘There’s TikTok trends going around of [visually impaired] people holding their phones and others will say, “so they’re not really that blind”.
‘Most people who are visually impaired will either use them with headphones in or bone-conduction headphones. So they may look like they’re looking at a phone, but actually they could be listening to their route.’
There are now many technological advancements such as enhanced accessibility to phones or talking clocks that can help the visually impaired community, but the simple white cane remains a timeless necessity for many.
Tina De La Mare from the GBA proposed tomorrow’s awareness walk.
‘Most people do not realise how much work it is for a visually impaired person to get from A to B,’ she said.
‘I value my independence and do wonder if I lost my sight whether I would have the confidence to have the same freedom I do now.’
Tomorrow’s friendly walk around Town aims to raise awareness of white cane users, with eight users already wanting to take part.
They will set off from Market Square at 2pm and will walk along the High Street and Smith Street, then back down St Julian’s Avenue and along the front back to Market Square.
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