By Chad Klassen

White Cane Week seeks to bring awareness for the blind

Feb 9, 2017 | 9:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — It’s White Cane Week across Canada, a time to bring about more awareness about the thousands of Canadians who suffer from vision loss. 

According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, more than half a million canadians are affected by significant vision loss. 50,000 Canadians lose their sight every year. This week is about recognizing the challenges the blind face and how they can be helped.

“White Cane Week is a time we celebrate, if you can call it that, blindness,” said CNIB Program Coordinator in Kamloops Les Nolin. “In a way that shows that, even with blindness, you can still be independent and still live your life like anybody else.”

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Nolin says the challenges faced by visually impaired people like himself is exaggerated by the heavy snow Kamloops has received this winter. 

The Kamloops branch of CNIB is hosting a spaghetti dinner and dance on Saturday, February 25 at the Kamloops Legion. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased at the Kamloops CNIB office on St. Paul Street.   

by Chad Klassen

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