Online Reporter
Vision beyond sight: Celebrating independence, resilience for the visually impaired
Muchaneta Chimuka
THE United Nations has joined the International Federation of the Blind in commemorating White Cane Safety Day, which is meant to celebrate the independence, resilience, and achievements of persons with visual impairments.
The day is observed on October 15 every year to champion the right to access to assistive devices for persons with visual impairments.
This year, the day was observed under the theme: “Vision Beyond Sight: Celebrating Independence, Resilience, and Recognising Achievements of the Blind”.
In his statement, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Edward Kallon highlighted the strength and potential of individuals with visual impairments.
“The white cane stands as a powerful symbol of freedom, mobility, and self-reliance,” Mr Kallon said.
“It reminds us that accessibility and inclusion are essential for people with visual impairments to fully participate in society and to navigate life with confidence and dignity. Across Zimbabwe, people who are blind or partially sighted continue to demonstrate creativity, resilience, and leadership, breaking barriers and redefining what is possible.”
He said Zimbabwe has made progress in advancing disability rights and inclusion, including the ongoing process to enact the Persons with Disabilities Bill, the adoption of the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities and the development of a Costed Plan to implement the Policy.
Mr Kallon said the launch of the National Assistive Technology Strategy and Assistive Products Priority List marked a major milestone toward equitable access to mobility aids such as white canes, low-vision devices, and communication technologies that promote daily independence.
“According to WHO (2023), at least 2,2 billion people globally experience visual impairment, including 1 billion with preventable or unaddressed conditions,” he said.
“In Zimbabwe, approximately 125 000 people are blind, including 62 500 due to cataracts, which points to a significant need for surgeries.
“The leading causes of visual impairment include uncorrected refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma, trauma, and conjunctivitis, disproportionately affecting older persons and those in rural areas. These figures highlight the need for sustained action.”
He said, these initiatives are aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the Zimbabwe United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022–2026), reinforcing the principle of “leaving no one behind” and ensuring that persons with disabilities are central to national development.
Federation of Organisations of Disabled People’s national director, Mr Leornard Marange, said despite these efforts, persons with disabilities continue to face numerous challenges.
“Attitudinal barriers as well as constrained accessibility in transport, public spaces, digital platforms, and information dissemination continue to limit the full participation of persons with disabilities including those who are visually impaired,” he said.
“Improvements are also required in affordability, availability and necessary support for all visually impaired people to obtain the assistive products and/ technology they need.”
He said, there is vison beyond sight hence he called on the Government, civil society and private sector to expand access to assistive devices, training, and mobility aids.
“We need to join hands in promoting inclusive education and employment opportunities and to ensure universal design and accessibility in public spaces and digital platforms,” he said “To empower persons with disabilities to participate meaningfully in their communities and have a renewed commitment, focused action, and dedicated resources are urgently needed to ensure that all Zimbabweans living with visual impairments can achieve their full potential.”
High school teacher and Zimbabwe Blind Women Trust, director Miss Jules Daudi, who is visually impaired, said white canes are very important for them as they enable them to move freely, participate fully, and live independently for good economic outcomes.
“We do not want to be dragged by the hand, we need our privacy and to be self-independent hence the need for awareness raising on the importance of white canes,” she said.
“The white cane enables us to navigate freely and can detect obstacles and they also act as identification for people who are blind or visually impaired.
“It helps us to detect hazards like curbs and steps by providing tactile and vibrational feedbacks thereby guiding us through the environment and signals to others like motorists that they have to exercise caution upon noticing us.”
