Last week Chantelle Tucker, Guernsey Blind Association orientation and mobility instructor, told the Guernsey Press that many people had misconceptions about the meaning of white canes, so Saturday’s walk was to raise awareness of it.
‘The long cane is a vital, essential mobility and navigational tool for someone who is visually impaired. It will scan the environment that they’re stepping into to check that it’s safe before they enter into it,’ she said.’
‘It’s almost like an extension of their arm. It will scan the area, check that it’s safe, and it will enable them to have a bit more independence and mobility.’
Tina De La Mare, whose husband Simon is one of the Guernsey Blind Association’s service users, came up with the idea of the walk.
‘I saw similar things going on in the UK so thought it would be a good idea to bring it over here,’ she said.
‘We have a lot of visually impaired people on the island, so I contacted Chantelle.’
Mrs De La Mare said that she had noticed people did not always appear to understand what it was like for the visually impaired, so the walk was a good way to spread awareness.
Peter Torode also attended the walk.
‘I think it is important for people to see how people [with visual impairment] get out and about,’ he said.
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