UK Charities Back International White Cane Day

Guide Dogs and the National Association of Local Societies for Visually Impaired people (NALSVI) want everyone to join together and celebrate the independence white canes afford their visually impaired users.

For the first time, this year, the two charities will celebrate International White Cane Day on Thursday, 15 October.

Guide Dogs Director of External Affairs, Tom Pey, said: "Being able to get out and about on your own is vital for blind and partially-sighted people.

“So it makes sense to commemorate a day set aside especially to celebrate one of the ways visually impaired people can enjoy greater freedom and independence.”

NALSVI Chief Executive Angela Tinker, added: “NALSVI Chief Executive Angela Tinker, added: "Today is a chance to celebrate everything that people with sight-loss do for their communities all over the UK.

"And to remember people who can't see fully every day. By doing things like taking care when we wheel suitcases around and not leaving out things that people can fall over on the pavement, like wheelie bins and promotional shop signs."

Both charities hope people will take extra care on International White Cane Day to think how they could help the movement of visually-impaired people by:

• Making sure wheelie bins and cars do not block the pavement.
• Noticing if someone is using a white cane or other vision support aid (such as a guide dog) and offering them help, if appropriate.
• Not leaving litter

Far from being limited to cluttered and uneven pavement and discriminatory attitudes, obstacles to mobility also include inadequate urban planning which has recently led to visually impaired pedestrians facing two new dangerous threats.

Safe pedestrian space is no longer available in an ever increasing number of towns and cities where the Shared Space urban schemes are being implemented. Pavement and pedestrian crossing are completely removed to create a shared surface where safety becomes a matter of eye contact between pedestrians and drivers. These schemes are dangerous to all pedestrians and exclude blind and partially sighted people from public space.

The silent engines of newly introduced hybrid and electric cars and buses pose another safety threat to all those who rely mainly on their hearing to assess whether it is safe to cross the street. While supportive of greener engines, the challenge should be to identify a technology that is both environmentally-friendly and safe for pedestrians, thus benefiting all, say the charities.

Shared Space schemes and silent vehicles affect a wide range of pedestrians: blind and partially sighted people (including those with hearing and other impairments), young children, seniors, runners, cyclists, and any inattentive pedestrian.

Both charities are calling for a reclaiming of public space for all through the full implementation of the design for all principles.