27-year-old Primary school teacher Sue-Ann Hanson, from Park Central has impaired vision due to a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. She describes it as tunnel vision, but it started out as night blindness.
“My eye condition is hereditary, and will degenerate overtime,” says Sue-Ann “At the moment I have a very small amount of peripheral vision, but my central vision is quite good.”
Sue-Ann started to use a white cane just two years ago, but already it has had a big impact on her life.
“It was a big step for me. I was anxious and scared to ask for help. There is a stigma about being blind and I didn’t want to admit I had a problem,” she explained. “Vision Australia was terrific. They taught me how to hold and use the cane to get the most information from it. It has made me so much more confident. Before I had my cane I felt like the world was full of danger, but now I’m not scared of the world,” said Sue-Ann.
Wednesday 15 October is International White Cane Awareness Day and Sue-Ann is joining a group of around 30 other white cane users from Vision Australia to celebrate the day with a trip to Cockatoo Island. The group will all be wearing white to raise awareness of this important tool.
“There is a huge lack of awareness about blindness in the community. People just don’t know how to react when they see you out and about. I’ve even had people shouting at me. They don’t understand that you don’t need to be 100% blind to need a white cane,” says Sue-Ann.
“Sometimes they even grab on to me, I know they are trying to help, but most of the time I know where I am going and it can make me jump. If people are unsure if I need assistance, they should just come up and ask. My cane is a great conversation starter and I love talking about it,” she laughed.
After a career break Sue-Ann is hoping to get back to work as a teacher in the near future. “ I love working with children. It makes me feel happy and bright and they don’t judge you. I think that because I have a white cane it also teaches the kids about diversity and that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”
Vision Australia’s Orientation and Mobility specialists work with people with low vision or blindness to teach correct cane use and how to pick up the subtle information conveyed. For example, it can detect changes in the road surface such as a kerb or tactile markers at crossings.
What: Vision Australia’s White Cane Day celebration - A day trip to Cockatoo Island.
When: Wednesday 15 October, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Where: Meet at Circular Quay to catch the 10.30am ferry to the Island.