White cane users walk to highlight challenges

Volunteers from Eyecan supported people using white canes to make their way through King and Queen Street

People with visual impairment walked together in two of Jersey's busiest streets to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by white cane users.

Jersey charity, Eyecan, hosted the white cane awareness walk up and down King and Queen Street in St Helier on Wednesday.

Chris Frost, rehabilitation officer for Eyecan, which supports people with visual impairment, said some white cane users experienced "abuse and negative comments" which was why the charity wanted to raise awareness of the importance of the aids.

In 2015, Eyecan said between 3,500-4,000 people had sight impairment in Jersey but the government does not hold official figures.

'Nightmare'

Ceramicist Xena Gavey has visual impairment and took part in the white cane walk.

She said: "People have busy lives and aren’t aware of people around them, so for people like myself it's difficult to negotiate around things.

"I am quite a confident person but even I get the jitters in town. It’s a nightmare when it's busy, which is a shame because you’re isolating yourself."

Mr Frost said: "We want to raise awareness about how important these canes are for people and also send a message to the general public to be a little bit more understanding if they see someone with a white cane and the difficulties that people face.”