DUSHANBE, October 13, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan has organized a number of activities to mark a White Cane Safety Day (a white cane is used by many people who are blind ore visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others), which globally marked on October 15.
Kholmahmad Tegniyev, the head of the Dushanbe Society of the Blinds, said a concert dedicated to this event will be held at the Kokhi Jomi Complex in Dushanbe today. According to him, talented disabled (blind or visually impaired) children – musicians and poets — will take part in this concert along with known Tajik singers such as Parvin Yusufi, Ehson Sharifi, Suhrob Mahmoud and Suhrob Safarzod.
This event is staged by the regional society of blinds and the committee for TV and radio-broadcasting. According to Tegniyev, more than 150 people from among pupils from orphanage # 4, boarding school for disabled children and boarding school for blind and deaf children as well as blind and visually impaired people have been invited to attend this concert.
To date, more than 10,000 blind and visually impaired people have been reported in Tajikistan, and 1,435 of them have been registered with the Dushanbe Society of the Blinds.
Activities dedicated to the White Cane Safety Day will continue in the building of Republic Society of the Blinds on October 16, according to Tegniyev.
The Foundation for Social Protection of the Disabled People “Mehrubon” will also join this event. The Foundation head Ismat Taghoyev said that they will distribute warm clothing to the blind children.
White Cane Safety Day is a holiday celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964
in the United States. The date is set aside to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired
and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the white cane. On October 6, 1964
a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress, HR 753, was signed into law. This resolution authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as “White Cane Safety Day.” President Lyndon B. Johnson
signed the first White Cane Safety Day proclamation within hours of the passage of the joint resolution.
In Tajikistan, the White Cane Safety Day has been celebrated for more than ten years.
