SUMTER/LAKE COUNTIES, FL (352today.com) – The phrase ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ seems appropriate when trying to describe the goal of upcoming White Cane Day events in north-central Florida.
The National Federation of the Blind says the white cane is “an essential tool that gives the visually impaired the ability to achieve a full and independent life.”
Nationally, October 15 is designated as White Cane Awareness Day. Locally, events over the next few days in Sumter and Lake Counties aim to do the same.
“So much of the time we’re invisible,” said Donna Evans, President of The Villages Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) Group. Evans, 79, has chronic uveitis and has been vision-impaired all her life. “As The Villages grows, so does the number of visually impaired people in our community. Their safety is what we’re most concerned about.”
Evans hopes for a large turnout for the group’s White Cane Walk tomorrow, Friday, October 13. The event is at 10 a.m. at the Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages.
Following a brief ceremony, visually-impaired and sighted participants will walk around the market square for about 15 minutes to demonstrate how white canes and guide dogs help users avoid obstacles, find steps and curbs, locate and step over uneven places in the sidewalk, etc.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the walk is to educate sighted residents how the white cane is used to indicate the user is crossing a street.
In 2016, the National Federation of the Blind estimated there were 544,700 Floridians with visual impairment – ranking the Sunshine State #3 in the U.S.
And, according to the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau, there were more than 14,000 people in Lake and Sumter Counties with a visual impairment.
An interactive map from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks data on the vision-impaired population and breaks it down county-by-county, age, gender and other demographics.
“We are a champion in the community for full participation for the blind and visually impaired,” said Mykal Seaton, whose title is Friendraising & Donor Relations Coordinator for New Vision for Independence, Inc (New Vision).
New Vision provides a variety of training and support services for people losing their vision in Lake, Sumter Counties and The Villages. All for FREE.
They also serve as an advocate.
On Monday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m., New Vision will host Close Your Eyes for White Cane Day. “This event is designed for sighted folks to experience and appreciate the obstacles blind and vision-impaired people face,” said Seaton.
Teams of two will be assigned a task. One serves as a guide. The other is blindfolded and together they have to navigate routine tasks like getting money from an ATM, buying a cup of coffee, checking out a book from the library.
You have to pre-register to participate in this event. The deadline to register has been extended to Friday, Oct. 13. The event takes place at the Leesburg Public Library, located at 100 E. Main St.
Afterwards, the teams gather and discuss their experiences.
Seaton and Evans believe events like these go a long way to helping the sighted community recognize the growing need for improved services in the community.
“The biggest issue for visually-impaired people is transportation,” said Evans. “If people will open their eyes – excuse the phrase – they will see we have lots of people driving golf carts and cars [who shouldn’t be]. If they had affordable and reliable transportation, they would get off the road.”
Seaton and Evans believe White Cane Day events are at least a step in the right direction.