A group of roughly ten Signal Centers staff members and clients who are blind will take to the streets this Thursday in honor of White Cane Safety Day.
The group will board the CARTA bus and travel to Coolidge Park to enjoy a lunch and walk on a beautiful autumn day. Doubling as a training opportunity, the outing teaches blind clients to navigate public transportation and improve their independence.
Staff members that will be present to assist with the training include an Orientation and Mobility Instructor, CARTA travel instructor, and an Assistive Technology Instructor.
“The white cane is an important symbol of blindness and a tool for independence,” Mary Ellen Galloway, Signal Centers’ Director of Special Projects, says. “This is a day to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired.”
White Cane Safety Day was first instituted and proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 6, 1964. It has since occurred each year on October 15. In 2011, President Barack Obama gave it the alternate name of Blind Americans Equality Day.
If the community is interested in supporting this event, Galloway suggests they donate to Signal Centers Assistive Technology Services. This provides evaluation and consultation, low vision services, device loan and demonstration, digital literacy training, reutilization of older or donated equipment, lending library of adaptive toys and workplace accommodations, all for the visually disabled of Tennessee.
Signal Centers, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c-3 that has been an integral part of the Chattanooga community since 1957. Helping those with disabilities and other challenges strive to reach lifelong independence, Signal Centers’ services include giving children the best possible start through high-quality early childhood education and developmental therapies; supporting adults to facilitate independent living and employment; helping individuals of all ages use technology to overcome obstacles; supporting parents; and training professionals who work in the field of education. All programs support lifelong learning and independence.