On White Cane Day

The Department of Special Education in the College of Education at the United Arab Emirates University organized activities on ‘White Cane Day’. It was held on campus, in the presence of Professor Bernard Oliver, Dean of the College of Special Education; Dr. Jamal Al Nuaimi, vice dean of the college and Dr. Ousha Al Muhairi, Chairman of the Department of Education. It was held in cooperation with the Al Ain Center for Care and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Ousha Al Muhairi said that, “This event supports people with special needs and identifies efforts to teach and meet their needs in order to empower and integrate them into society.”

The events included an exhibition of electronic devices and educational methods that can help to develop a sense of touch for the blind. The Al Ain Center for Care and Rehabilitation displayed books in Braille and also ‘speaking’ books that they publish. The event also identified the different types of white cane in a variety of workshops.

Professor Mohammad Hassan, a professor from the Al Ain Center for Care and Rehabilitation, who is blind himself, conducted a Braille workshop. The center’s female teachers presented ‘Movement for the Blind’ workshop in order to brief the audience on the difficulties faced by people with visual disabilities and how they can overcome these by using a cane.