Each year on this day, cities worldwide celebrate the accomplishments of the vision impaired.

It’s the 51st Anniversary of the International White Cane Day.

Kurravi Piggott reports.

TRANSCRIPT

For some it’s hard to imagine not being able to see. But at Central Station a handful of people found out what it’s like.

Guide Dogs Queensland is using this year’s White Cane Day to highlight the many simple ways in which the general public can aid the vision impaired.

Bashir Ebrahim OAM, Guide Dogs Queensland: “Things like keeping the footpaths clear, if someone looks like they need assistance give them a hand, go up and ask them and if someone does need a hand then wait for them to give you the cue to take their arm.”

Vision impairment and blindness affects more than 285 million people world wide.

And for these people simple tasks such as walking through shopping centres and catching a train is often harder than we can imagine.

Guide Dogs Queensland, as part of white cane day, have set up a special exercise, giving four Queensland rail workers the opportunity to experience vision impairment.

They commuted wearing masks which simulated vision impairment or complete blindness and armed with just a white cane.

John Powys, Queensland Rail: “I hoped on at park road today and it’s was something that I’d hoped on many hundreds of times, it’s my regular station and the biggest challenge was when I put the goggles on it was like going to a different station.”

The new Moreton Bay rail link will be fitted with the latest tactile and audio aids to take some of the guess work out of the daily commute.

Kurravi Piggott, QUT News.