Members of the Anambra State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of the Blind joined there counterparts across the globe to celebrate the 2020 White Cane Awareness Day.
The event which took place at the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Awka, attracted members of the Association within Awka and environs, officials from the Federal Road Safety Corps and a team of officials from the office of the Governor on Disability Matters.
White Cane Awareness Day which commenced in 1964 in the United States of America, is celebrated on the fifteenth of October annually.
The White Cane is an essential tool for the blind because it gives them the ability to achieve a full and independent life by allowing them to move freely from place to place.
In a lecture to mark the event, a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr Kingsley Nwosu, explained that the White Cane Guide is symbolic for the public so that anytime they see persons with the white Cane, they should create opportunity for them to navigate the environment easily.
Dr Nwosu noted that the visually impaired persons do not need anybody’s pity but should be given opportunity for empowerment and advancement.
Earlier in a remark, the State chairman of the association, Comrade Ernest Okamelu, appealed to the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Media to assist them in increasing awareness on the significance of the White Cane Guide and asked the sighted individuals to stop discriminating against the visually impaired persons.
Speaking to the group through a WhatsApp call from the United States, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Disability Matters, Mr Chuks Ezewuzie, encouraged the blind to always make use of their White Cane to avoid falling into ditches and thanked God, Governor Willie Obiano as well as other individuals and groups who made the celebration a reality.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sign Language Communication, Mr Collins Joseph, assured the group that their request for more White Canes will get to the Governor.
The State Publicity Secretary of the association, Comrade Chudi Chukwuebuka, disclosed that this is the first time they are observing the day in Anambra State and appealed to the government and public spirited individuals to come to their aid by providing them with the White Cane .
Highpoint of the event was a road show by the association from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Awka, down to Eke Awka Market.
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