GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Rain or shine, people who are blind or have visual impairments navigate life each and every day.
On Friday, they showed people in Grand Rapids what it's like to navigate downtown with low vision.
Sunday is White Cane Awareness Day, but the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired recognized it Friday with a walk starting at Calder Plaza.
The white cane is a symbol of independence and often a necessary tool for mobility or travel.
Osman Koroma, who works with the association, says he wants to be a part of his community, and this helps him do that.
“I have two daughters, two years and six months old. As someone who was blind, I – with my white can, I can independently take my daughter to the playground and play with her. I can navigate from my house, to the playground or to any playground. I can take her on the public bus with my white cane. I can go to the library and independently be able to travel to these places,” explained Koroma. “I think one of the challenges is sometimes when people see me walking with my white cane, their first instinct is to just shy away from me instead of, like, approaching me and having a conversation. So that's a barrier that really, every day I have to face, and others have to face. And at the same time, it's a great opportunity to be able to approach those people and be able to educate them. ‘Hey, don’t be afraid of my white cane. The cane is just a tool that I use like you use your eyes to travel. I use my cane to travel.”
Sixty people braved the wet weather to attend Friday’s walk. The walk was planned as a way to raise awareness of people who carry a white cane.
The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been around for more than 100 years.
It serves roughly 1,000 children and adults across Michigan each year, providing services, rehabilitation, education and vision aids.
White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation by WXMI on Scribd
