Monday, 15 October 2007

The theme of this year’s International White Cane Day is “Give them your eyes…..give them an opportunity to ‘see’ the world as you see”. The Day serves as a reminder that though most visually impaired persons manage to lead independent lives without burdening society, they still deserve our consideration.
In Sri Lanka International White Cane Day was first declared in 1969. Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped (SLFVH) which is the pioneer and premier national self- help organization is the only organization which has been continuously commemorating the International White Cane Day.

The cane was painted white so that motorists could see it clearly. White also denoted peace. The White Cane now helps to identify person as being blind or visually handicapped. By tapping the cane the user is able to identify objects such as walls and trees and also direct his path.

An awareness meeting will be held in this regard at the Public Library on October 19th at 4p.m. and will be preceded by a ‘White Cane Walk’ starting from ‘Viharamahadevi Park’.