A local chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) is hoping an annual event will help sighted people understand better the small things that can make a big difference for someone who is visually impaired.
From February 2 to 8 CCB Powell River chapter is celebrating White Cane Week, an annual campaign held across Canada.
The purpose of White Cane Week is to create awareness to the general public of the issues that confront the blind and partially sighted.
“It truly recognizes the badge of courage,” said chapter president Geraldine Braak. “It takes a lot of guts to start relying on a cane.”
White Cane Week started in Canada in 1946 and has been in Powell River since 1977, when the CCB chapter started up in the community. CCB is a consumer organization focused on advocacy and changes in policy. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) is a service delivery agency for people with visual impairments. It also provides advocacy, research and education. The two agencies are interrelated but separate.
Braak estimates there are probably approximately 115 people in Powell River with visual impairments of some sort and a few who are completely blind. Most people who are blind are either born blind or have become blind as the result of an accident. Some become blind due to illness but that is becoming rarer with advances in medical treatments.
Rudy Vander Maeden, a member of the local chapter, said the number of people in the community with problems with their vision will only increase as the population ages.
“Gerry and myself are part of that silver tsunami that’s coming down the pipe,” said Vander Maeden. “The more people we reach, the better off we are.”
Braak said that most people are not aware that small changes can make the community more accessible. Something as simple as saying hello and identifying yourself at the mall or on the street can be quite meaningful, she said.
“Don’t just say ‘hello’ and keep going because that person has no idea whether they were talked to or not,” said Braak. She said many sighted people assume the blind will recognize someone’s voice but that is often not the case.
Braak, who is a member of the CCB provincial board, said she enjoys listening to the news and other programs on television. She is currently assisting Shaw Communications in developing a way for the cable provider to identify the name and number of the cable channel with audio so people are not left guessing or left waiting for the station to identify itself. She said the provincial board is also lobbying the BC government for more funding for audio books in public libraries which often have quite a limited selection of titles and are popular not only with people who have problems with their sight.
In years past, the chapter has created and set up informational displays at Powell River Town Centre Mall and organized obstacle courses for people to complete blindfolded to help raise awareness.
“Unfortunately people need to experience or see someone close to them experience what a difficulty this is,” said Braak. “You can understand it, but you don’t realize the extreme difficulty of it [until you have to contend with it].”
For more information on the local chapter or to support the chapter with a donation, people can contact Braak at [email protected] or by telephone at 604.485.5028.
