GDQ's International White Cane Day celebration draws a crowd

Guide Dogs Queensland celebrated International White Cane Day on Friday, 15 October, with a community awareness event in the Queen Street Mall.

Brisbane City Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor and 4BC reporter Tanya Grimward donned blindfolds and joined more than 20 White Cane Users to walk around the mall, raising awareness of the Braille Trail. Both Ms Owen-Taylor and Ms Grimward commented on the difficulty of relying on a White Cane for mobility and the need for pedestrians to give way on the trail.

Passers-by took notice of the mass walk and a crowd gathered to enjoy performances by Brisbane musicians and White Cane Users Jack Murphy and Steve Sparrow. They admired the Chalk Art sponsored by Brisbane City Council and watched demonstrations of the Mobility Aids available to people with low or no vision.

Guide Dogs Queensland merchandise was available for sale and Guide Dogs-in-training were on-hand for photos.

International White Cane Day is held around the world on 15 October each year to draw attention to the mobility needs or people who are blind or vision impaired.

The event was proudly supported by Australian Weaving Mills.

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