Visually impaired on city walk to mark White Cane Day

Participants of White Cane Day walking at the newly built Esplanade seawall in George Town. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

BLIND and visually impaired individuals from St Nicholas’ Home (SNH) Penang marked White Cane Day with a 4km walk around George Town.

They each paired up with a volunteer from event co-organisers North Malaysia Malayali Samajam (NMMS) who guided them around the city safely.

After being flagged off at the Esplanade, the 150 participants strolled down Penang Street, Chulia Street, Beach Street, China Street Ghaut, Weld Quay, Downing Street, Light Street and Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah.

The guides described places of interest along the way, including the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis, Cenotaph and the new Esplanade seawall.

SNH chairman Suffragan Bishop Rt Rev Dr Stephen Soe Chee Cheng said White Cane Day was observed internationally on Oct 15.

“Though the white cane is perceived to represent blindness, it is actually a symbol of independence for the community as it gives them greater mobility,” he said.

SNH vocational training officer Nur Atikah Nasrun said pavements were often full of obstacles such as potted plants, illegally-parked vehicles, food stalls or missing manhole and drain covers.

“We hope the authorities recognise that they pose a danger to the blind and will ensure walkways are obstacle-free,” she said.

NMMS Ladies chairperson Sumathi Nair said the event gave 82 members an opportunity to interact with the visually impaired and learn how the latter go about their daily routine.

“I attended my first White Cane Day event in 2019 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and I hope this experience changes your life like how it changed mine,” she said in her speech.

NMMS president K. Gopalan said members from as far as Kedah and Perlis participated, adding that the event was held in conjunction with the association’s 70th anniversary this year.

Following the walk, participants gathered at the Esplanade for brunch and light entertainment.

SNH was also presented with two Braille chess sets, one donated by NMMS treasurer Arvind Gopi Kumar and the other by Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur Dynamics.

The event was flagged off by Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai and attended by state police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.