Bhubaneswar: White canes have a significant contribution in making a visually-impaired person self-reliant in society. By instilling self-confidence in mind, white canes help an individual assert the right to equality, said Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department principal secretary Bishnupada Sethi. Sethi expressed the views at an event organised here by the department on the occasion of World White Cane Day under the auspices of the State Institute of Special Education and Research (SISER), Tuesday. “White cane is a tool that helps visually impaired persons integrate into society by allowing them to move around freely and independently. It is important in building an inclusive society,” Sethi said. He said that the state government has initiated efforts to establish the country’s first university for the visually impaired.
Later, SSEPD department director Niyati Patnaik, along with additional secretary Santosh Kumar Pradhan launched an awareness rally participated by more than six hundred students. On the occasion, additional secretary Deepak Kumar Routrai and deputy secretary Sannyashai Behera addressed the gathering. In the rally, the students played drums, trumpets, cymbals and jhumkas and gave various awareness messages through roadside plays, pyramids and slogans. The rally covered the distance from the main gate of State Institute for Rural Development at Unit VIII to Stewart School. The artistry and skills of the visually-impaired students amazed everyone. The programme was organised with the cooperation of all concerned departments. A large number of people joined the march and encouraged the students in attendance.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP