By Doris Belusic
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.

The cane is usually made of fibreglass, carbon fibre or metal. Held in one hand, it is swung side to side, to give information about one’s route, including obstacles, curbs, stairs and doorways. A white cane identifies a person as legally blind.

The white cane offers capability, independence, problem-solving, safety and empowerment to blind people. It is a symbol of freedom and pride.

The Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB), an all volunteer, grassroots organization of blind people, has chosen Oct. 15 to celebrate White Cane Day. CFB wishes to highlight the importance of the white cane, as well as to point out two issues which negatively affect blind people in Canada.

Really good white cane travel training or, for that matter, really good blindness skills training, is not available in Canada. There is no government, publicly funded and accountable blindness skills training for anyone who needs it.

A few lucky blind people have been able to privately fund attendance at one of three world-renowned intensive training centres in the United States. In these nine-month programs, blind people learn all necessary skills to live as productive and independent citizens. Our government needs to step up to its responsibility so that all blind people have access to this type of really good intensive training.

The second issue is quiet electric cars which cannot easily be heard by blind pedestrians and are accidents waiting to happen.