‘Donate canes for visually-impaired’

Chairman White Cane Safety Day Committee 2018 of Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) Yinka Akande has called on government and other stakeholders to donate more white canes for the use of the visually impaired.

This, he said, would aid their mobility and improve their standard of living.

Akande made the appeal yesterday at the presentation of FNSB White Cane Agenda preparatory to the commemoration of the annual International White Cane safety day tomorrow.

The event tagged Blind Yes we can will feature FNSB Walk and eye screening exercise on October 27

He said challenges faced by individuals with social needs in terms of mobility and orientation due to visual impairment make it difficult for the individuals to move unaided from one place to another.

He noted life becomes miserable for the affected persons, forcing many of them to become economically unproductive and dependent.

Akande lamented standard white canes are not made in Nigeria and have to be imported.

He highlighted white canes help to avoid double transportation, loss of manpower owing to economic redundancy of the guide, loss of self-esteem and right to privacy by the visually impaired because of the dependence on the sighted guide for mobility.

Akande also appealed to lawmakers to enact appropriate laws guaranteeing the safety of white cane users.

“FNSB shall explore the possibility of forwarding a bill to the National Assembly in this regard,” he said.

He tasked visually impaired persons to embrace the use of white cane as a boost to independence and self -esteem like David Blunket, Steve Wonder and our own Cobhams Asuquo have done.