White Cane Safety Day
Visually-impaired trainees from AVRC II received meal orderes in the restaurant counter. (CONTRIBUTED)
FORTY-TWO visually-impaired trainees of Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC II) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in barangay Labangon, Cebu City recently joined the celebration of White Cane Safety Day.
White Cane Safety Day seeks to promote and protect the physical, moral, and social well-being of all persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Joy Fedelis and Mycell Importante from Resources for the Blind Inc. gave a lecture on the Basic Sighted Guide Techniques and Mobility Cane. It was followed by a simulation activity participated by all trainees wherein sighted trainees served as guides to the visually impaired.
The event culminated with a mall tour, which gave opportunity to visually-impaired trainees to be exposed in three malls in Metro Cebu.
The trainees were grouped into six: two groups went to SM City Cebu, two groups to Ayala Center Cebu and the other two groups to Park Mall. They were escorted by the DSWD staff.
WhiIe inside the mall, the trainees interacted with some mall personnel like the sales ladies and cashiers and purchased items on their own. The trainees also bought their food for lunch at the restaurant counter.
All of them also had their first time experience riding an escalator and elevator.
“I enjoyed the activity since this is my first time to travel. I’m used to staying at home. I will apply my learnings by using the cane properly. This is a great help in my daily routine,” said Marilou Rapis, a visually-impaired trainee of AVRC II.