Visually impaired students celebrate White Cane Day

Awareness walk organised from Ida Rieu School to Quaid’s mausoleum

KARACHI: Brandishing white canes, visually impaired students walked from Ida Rieu School to Quaid-i-Azam’s Mausoleum to mark World White Cane Day a day early on Saturday.

The white cane is symbolic for the visually impaired community, as it functions as a second set of eyes for people with visual impairments.



World White Cane Day is observed annually on October 15 across the globe, including Pakistan. The day is organised to recognise the existence of the visually impaired segment of society.

The walk from Numaish Chowrangi to the Quaid’s tomb was jointly organised by non-governmental organisations, Ida Rieu School and Lions Club International. Scores of students from the Ida Rieu School and Lions Club International took part in the walk.

The event was organised with the aim of inculcating awareness among the masses about the significance of white canes in the lives of the visually impaired. “This white cane acts as eyes for us. With it, we can easily walk and it also helps us sense any obstacle in the way,” said a visually impaired student of the Ida Rieu School.



Meanwhile, one of the organisers, Zafar Iqbal, said the day is commemorated to educate the masses about giving attention to people carrying white canes. The white cane serves as a navigator and helps in the identification of these special people, he said, adding that visually impaired people should be treated equally, just like all other citizens in the country.