500 visually impaired people waiting for canes

Eunice Masombuka became blind in May last year at the age of 27 after internal bleeding led to extremely high blood pressure.

But you would not hear this Mamelodi new business development manager at a recruitment agency lament or moan about her situation a year after this life-changing incident for which she was hospitalised.

There is a calm acceptance of the way she talks about her life after May 2023.

Masombuka had to be trained within a very short time how to use a white cane to enable her to get to the taxi rank and workplace in Silver Lakes.

Living alone with vision loss, she also had to be trained to cook and navigate her home to use the bathroom and get dressed.

At her place of work, she had to be comfortable finding her way around the office and office building with the cane.

SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind mobility trainers trained her twice a week with the white cane.

“I use my white cane now every day of my life. I am so glad I have had the training as there is not always someone at hand to guide or help me,” said Masombuka.

To safely cross roads, she must be mobile and alert, she said. The cane has enabled her to be both.

“The visibility of the cane also helps others to look out for me.”

The sudden blindness and adapting to life with the cane took an emotional toll on her. She experienced a range of emotions in the first few months.

When she talked about her recent experiences it was clear some of these emotions were still overwhelming.

“But I do not think about depression. I just think when I get up, today will be better than yesterday and then I get going,” said Masombuka.

She gets her inspiration from those who were born blind.

“I just think how difficult it must be for them and then find the courage to go out,” said Masombuka.

The help and empowerment she received with the training put her in favour of the association project to help 500 visually impaired persons procure a walking cane.

“It is a good initiative and I hope people will support it,” said Masombuka.

The association provides services to those who have visual, physical or developmental needs through training guide dogs, service dogs as well as autism support dogs. One of these services is also white cane training for the visually impaired.

For more than 50 years, it has been a pioneer in mobility training with dogs and canes.

It has trained over 180 professionals that have impacted the lives of more than 100 000 visually impaired individuals.

Over the past decade alone, the association has provided approximately 7 000 assistive devices to those in need.

Association head of marketing Nadia Sands asked South Africans to donate R50 towards a cane.

The association currently has 500 clients who need a cane and the training to use it as well as other daily life skills training.

She said for each client, the cost can accumulate to over R3 500.

“We are asking the public to help us raise R550 000 between April 8 and July 18,” said Sands.

She said the public often does not realise that a visually impaired person must be trained to use the cane.

“The cane is useless until someone knows how to use it. You do not know instinctively how to use it. Orientation and mobility practitioners are trained by us to provide the cane-use training safely and effectively,” said Sands.

She said that the white cane is used to detect obstacles as well as sense changes in surface and gradient.

“It not only protects it also informs the user of their environment so that they can navigate their route. They also have to learn routes so that they become familiar with them and know when to turn, cross a road or where to find a specific shop,” said Sands.

She said cane length is also tailored to the height of the user, their pace and stride.

“One size fits all definitely does not apply here,” said Sands.

“If a white cane is too long or short, it will not provide the information needed and can be very uncomfortable to use,” she said.

She appealed to the public to enable the association to help 500 visually impaired people.

“Every donation and every fundraiser for this project by the public brings us closer to our goal of providing canes and essential daily life skills training to 500 visually impaired individuals, empowering them with independence and freedom,” she said.

Here’s how you can help: https://ow.ly/sPiJ50RhPui
– Make a R50 donation: https://ow.ly/jyw050RfTqE
– Host your own fundraiser on the association’s Give n Gain Page:
https://www.facebook.com/SAGuideDogs/videos/443040238199947

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