THROUGHOUT the world, the long white cane is used by people who are blind or visually impaired as a tool for safe and reliable navigation.
It is a symbol of the user’s skills and talents, mobility and independence.
It also allows the sighted person to recognise the user as visually impaired.
The white cane was initially developed and put into use as a measure of safety, especially in traffic situations.
Sufficient training with an orientation and mobility specialist can aid in successful cane use, technique and safety.
It is against this background that Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of the Cane.
In an interview, Trust Mutekwa, a teacher for the blind at St Giles in Harare, said there was need to promote the use of the white cane in Zimbabwe as it raises awareness on the presence of the blind in society.
“Since 2004, the white cane has shown me new friends and partners in my career as a teacher,” he said.
“However, I have noted that most primary school children shun the use of the mobility cane.
“At one point I tried to engage parents for encouragement of use of the cane and they said the children were against it.
“As the children grow to leave special schools, they find the white cane useful in new environments like colleges and universities.
“In tertiary institutions, where there could be haste in switching to the next lecture, if your assistant or sighted guide is not available, those who identify you with the cane would be handy.
“Without a cane in a public place, they may leave you in the rain and/or you may not work effectively with other road users.”
Mutekwa noted that the attitude of the children sprung from the reaction of the general public on issues to do with people with disability and not necessarily the blind only.
“We need to recognise that we have people with disabilities, whose needs and how they operate require us to observe the need for such commemorations,” he said.
“We still struggle to observe commemorations of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities so that these people, sensitive as they are, know that they are around people who love and support them.”
Mutekwa said regardless of the fact that the blind can use techniques such as echolocation and guide dogs for assistance, there is still need for the corporate world, and society at large, to assist in the provision of the white cane, especially in public places.
Echolocation is the ability by blind people to sense surroundings with clicking sounds.
They listen to the returning echoes to make sense of their environment.
Brain scans show how the region called Para hippocampal cortex lights up.
This is the same region activated in sighted people when they see objects.
Sounds in the environment and echoes of their footsteps, voices, clicks or claps make it possible for most blind people to find their way or identify features in the environment.
The Day of the White Cane was first celebrated by James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol, England, who in 1921 became blind following an accident.
And because he was feeling uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, he painted his walking stick white to be easily visible.
In Zimbabwe, it is estimated that 1,3 million people are blind.
The major causes of blindness are eye diseases such as trachoma, trauma, glaucoma, cataract and Vitamin ‘A’ deficiency.
According to available statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, eye diseases rank among the top-five causes of attendance in out-patient health facilities nationally.
The major cause of eye-related admissions to hospitals are cataracts, trauma and glaucoma.
The largest single blinding disorder in Zimbabwe are cataracts.
Cataracts account for up to 40 percent of all incidence of blindness.
Unfortunately, the magnitude of the problem is increasing due to population growth and increasing life expectancy.