Beckley, WV (WOAY) This Thursday in Beckley, Colten Sweeney and the WV Eye Can Lions Club had their annual white cane day celebration, which brought many people and community organizations together to show their support, educate the public, and provide information about resources for the blind. Event Coordinator Colten Sweeney said that sharing resources is especially important, as anyone can develop a disability at any time.
“It can happen at any age. It can happen from a car accident. It could just happen on a whim. We all get older; bodies deteriorate. And so having these services that people can know about and come to, if they or someone they know might need them, to me, really makes the event… Information is very key and can reduce a lot of barriers for folks.”
National White Cane Day raises awareness for those with visual impairments and celebrates their independence. Karen Mann of the Oak Hill Lions Club is a proud client of Leader Dogs for the Blind, and she shared about their amazing work. Mann is very active in her community in many other ways as well:
“A lot of people think that blind people can’t do much or can do very little. I’m out in the community. I take watercolor classes. I take pottery classes. I’m very active in my church… I do it not just for my own enjoyment, but also because… I’m an ambassador. Any blind person is an ambassador because people look at us and they go, ‘Well, if she can do it, maybe I can do it.'”
The celebration featured many resources, from white canes and low-tech tools to programs that provide free trials for more costly accessibility devices—all meant to help the visually impaired live their best lives as independently as possible.
Amanda Gooch is the blind and low-vision, deaf and hard-of-hearing, and orientation mobility specialist for Nicholas County Schools, and she has low vision. She and many others at the event encouraged anyone to respectfully ask questions if they’re curious, and also emphasized the importance of recognizing capability as well.
“Just give people grace and be patient and be supportive and don’t overstep. Like if you see someone that can do it, don’t overstep. Allow them to do it.”
