Over 200 members of the blind community took part in a long cane rally on the Sea Point Promenade on Saturday October 5.

The long cane rally was organised by the Pinelands-based St Dunstan’s, a non-profit helping blind war veterans.

The rally was inaugurated by the John and Esther Ellerman Memorial Trust (JEEMT) in the 1970s. The trust had been formed by St Dunstan’s South Africa in memory of the late Sir John Reeves and Esther Ellerman.

The JEEMT is used to fund and support orientation and mobility practitioners that support the blind community.

The 200 members on Saturday came from various organisations including Cape Town Society for the Blind, South African Guide-Dogs Association, Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired, Hospital Welfare and Muslim Educational Movement and Innovation for the Blind.

They all walked around 2km on the Sea Point Promenade where employees from the various organisations were marshals and they ended at the Sea Point civic centre for a prize-giving ceremony and meals.

St Dunstan’s Social Inclusion Manager, Andrea Burton, says this long cane rally walk is to create awareness around the blind community. “All our participants are blind, they are showing off their skills in terms of using the white cane and using their guide dogs, they are showing the community that they can be independent and that mobility and freedom is important to them,” she says.

Morné van der Merwe, 43, from Worcester, who works for Innovation for the Blind in Worcester, says he was excited to take part in the walk with his guide dog, Enzo. “I don’t know this road, and the opportunity to walk on a new road to show independence is something that I don’t get to experience often, it was an adrenaline rush,” he says.

Zuleikha Abrahams, 60, from Eagle Park, joined the walk with her guide dog, Saharra. “I loved taking part in this walk, it is good for Saharra to see the other guide dogs,” she says.

Ms Abrahams graduated with a Master’s Degree in Philosophy in Disabilities studies at UCT in September, and will be working with Community Eye Health at the university. Ms Abrahams says she enjoyed interacting with members using the long cane.

Many children from the Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired in Worcester also participated in the rally. Their orientation and mobility teacher, Melanie Smith, says the rally gave her pupils the opportunity to walk on an unfamiliar route with their long cane. “It was a good learning experience for them to walk on the promenade along the beach and to hear all the sounds like pedestrians, cars and traffic sounds,” she says.

The Rylands-based Hospital Welfare and Muslim Educational Movement provides bursaries for the underprivileged and support for the visually impaired.Their president, Akbar Khalfe says this initiative is good for their members as they look forward to this outing and enjoying the fresh air. “It's a breakaway from the challenging life that they have,” he says.

To find out more about St Dunstan’s visit https://stdunstans.org.za/stdunstans/ or call 021 531 2028.

Members of the Cape Town society for the Blind and their family members on the Sea Point Promenade.

Pupils from the Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired, from left, Alison Jegels, Jade October and Leonie Maarman along with their teacher, Ami Dippernaar, walking on the Sea Point Promenade.

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