'People still don't understand what a white cane means'

A crowd of people braved the bustle of the capital city this afternoon to raise awareness for the visually impaired at the annual white cane walk in Valletta.

White cane users, activists and a guide dog walked down Republic Street from St George's Piazza to the City Gates to mark International White Cane Day. 

Alfred Reale, one of the men taking part in the walk, has been visually impaired for five years and told Times of Malta that while people are normally eager to help him out, there is still a lack of awareness about his condition.

He pointed to the bus terminus in Valletta as an example. Many people are unaware that the grooves on the pavement – the tactile paving – at the bus stops are there for the visually impaired to have easier access to the capital city.

“The idea is we come off the bus and place our cane in the grooves and get here. But often there are people in the way standing and chatting or policemen put a barrier down on it.”

[attach id=779193 size="medium" align="left" type="image"]Alfred Reale, who participated in the white cane walk [/attach]

He said there are a lot of people who don’t understand the significance of a white cane.

"I went to a job interview...