LIHUE — The course for the walk celebrating White Cane Safety Day was not a long one — if you could see.
But what would happen if you couldn’t see the path or any of the obstacles created from the construction taking place in the Lihue Civic Center parking lot?
“I thought I would walk the course after the last Federation of the Blind, Kauai Chapter meeting,” said Doug Moises, president of the Kauai group, on Tuesday. “After walking the route, yeah, we go. We can do this.”
Moises led about two dozen people in the White Cane Safety Day walk that spanned the front steps of the state building to the Lihue Civic Center, ending outside the doors to Doug’s Dugout.
White Cane Safety Day is a national observance celebrated on Oct. 15. The date is set aside to honor the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired. The white cane is the symbol of blindness and a tool of independence.
Jack Gerrettie used his white cane for the first time during the walk.
“Once I got used to it, it’s not bad,” said Gerrettie, who walked the entire route. “It’s a different skill.”
Shellford Cantan Jr. of Honolulu deftly wielded his white cane through the course.
“He was my dad’s instructor when became blind,” said Morgan Lopez, a Kauai Lions Club member and Moises’ daughter. “He’s really good. But the drivers should have a bit more consideration for people. Did you see how someone just cut across the people?”
Janice Bond of the East Kauai Lions Club said she came not only because the Lions support vision programs and initiatives, but because her parents were the founders of the Kauai Chapter of the National Federation for the Blind.
“I’m walking in honor of my mother,” Bond said.
The National Federation of the Blind, Kauai Chapter, meets on the first Thursday of each month in the state building conference room.
