LIHU‘E — The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist, states the National Federation of the Blind website. Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. agreed, signing a White Cane
LIHU‘E — The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist, states the National Federation of the Blind website.
Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. agreed, signing a White Cane Day proclamation.
The Kaua‘i Chapter of the NFB in collaboration with the State Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind hosted its fifth annual White Cane Awareness Day, coinciding with other celebrations around the nation. The Kaua‘i Chapter, headed by President Betty Bell, celebrated its event Thursday at Kukui Grove Center.
The mayor worked on juggling the taping of his weekly “Together We Can” television show, reading a mayoral proclamation for the event, and launching the annual walk around the mall using the white cane.
“The County of Kaua‘i supports the collaborative efforts of the sponsors for White Cane Day and celebrates the immeasurable contributions which the blind and visually impaired who use canes have made as valued members of our county,” Carvalho said in the proclamation.
White canes, in addition to being a practical mobility tool, serve as a symbol of dignity, freedom and independence for individuals who are blind, or visually impaired. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance, the NFB website states.
Stan Young of BVS Access Technology and Training had information on mobility readers which are available for blind or visually impaired people through various agencies including the Veterans Administration, or Ho‘opono, and the Hawai‘i State Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
One model, the Mobile Reader Product Line from K-NFB Reading Technology, incorporates a reader into a cell phone enabling its user to read mail, receipts, handbills and numerous other documents.
Carvalho said on the celebration of White Cane Day on Kaua‘i, the county reaffirms its national commitment to the Americans with Disabilities Act in creating access to employment, education and social, political, and economic opportunities for Americans with disabilities.
“Together with individuals who are blind or visually impaired, service providers, educators and employers, we encourage and welcome to be part of our community,” Carvalho said in the proclamation.
“The blind and visually impaired shall have the same right as all persons to the full use of streets, highways, sidewalks, public buildings, facilities and other places.”
The blind and visually impaired shall be entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of all common carriers or modes of transportation, lodging, places of public accommodation, amusement or resort, or other places to which the public is invited, the proclamation states.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
