Some 40 visually impaired trainees of Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) II in barangay Labangon, Cebu City were treated to a mall tour in celebration of the White Cane Safety Day last month.
Joy Fedelis and Chesa Romares from Resources for the Blind Inc. gave a lecture on the Basic Sighted Guide Techniques and an actual simulation on the use of a cane.
They were also briefed on how to walk up and down the stairs.
Sighted individuals were also blindfolded to experience what it’s like to be blind.
The event was capped off by a mall tour.
Twelve of the visually impaired trainees had an exposure tour in Ayala Center Cebu. While inside the mall, they purchased items on their own and were able to interact with mall personnel, sales ladies and cashiers.
All 40 trainees experienced riding an escalator and elevator for the first time.
“Before I had difficulty using the cane. Now I know how to use it properly,” said Cristina Siong, a visually impaired trainee of AVRC II, a non-residential institution being managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development that offers courses to persons with disabilities (PWDs) such as therapeutic massage, motor rewinding, basic electronics, dressmaking, carpentry, commercial cooking and cosmetology.
White Cane Safety Day is celebrated every year to promote and protect the physical, moral and social well-being of PWDs.
It also aims to raise awareness on the plight of PWDs as well as to promote the rights of PWDs.
White cane was discovered in 1921 by Bristol photographer James Biggs to help him move around after he lost his vision in an accident. Biggs chose the white cane so that even at night, he would be visible to pedestrians and motorists.