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GAVI observes White Cane Safety Day
In observance of “White Cane Safety Day” held yesterday, The Guyana Association for the Visually Impaired (GAVI) conducted a walking exercise from the Georgetown Public Hospital to the Promenade Gardens, in an effort to raise awareness on the importance of the cane as a symbol of independence for persons who have lost their sight.
According to former President and senior member of GAVI, Leon Amsterdam, members of the association visited the patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Eye Clinic, to educate them on the “importance and history of the white cane.”
This was followed by the walking exercise, which was facilitated by the Guyana Police Force.
Giving a brief history of the white cane, Amsterdam said that a man named James Biggs claimed to have invented it in 1921. After an accident claimed his sight, Amsterdam said that the artist had to readjust to his environment. Feeling threatened by increased motor vehicle traffic around his home, Biggs decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists.
Amsterdam noted that it was not until ten years later that the white cane established its presence in society as a tool and symbol for the blind.
The senior GAVI member highlighted the need for government’s involvement in GAVI’s activities and said the organisation hopes to have interaction with schools to sensitize children about taking care of their eyes.
He said that GAVI aims to expand its membership and make others aware that “not because one is visually impaired means one cannot function.”
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