SCHS CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WHITE CANE DAY
In collaboration with the Watch Collectors Association and Citizen Gulf Watches Company, the Visual Impairment Department of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) arranged a cultural educational event on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, in the Aljada (Your Space) neighborhood in honor of International White Cane Day, which is observed on October 15 of every year. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the rights of individuals with visual impairments as well as the finest international practices that guarantee their empowerment, integration, and education.
This time, Mr. Mohamed Fawzy, the director of the SCHS-affiliated Early Intervention Center, gave a speech in which he began by mentioning International White Cane Day and all of its meanings and awareness-raising messages that are directed not only at individuals with visual impairments and their parents but also at all members of society.
He said, “Since its founding, SCHS has placed a high priority on educating people about the rights of people with disabilities and has consistently underlined the value of assistive technologies, tools, and resources that help them integrate and participate in society in an effective manner. It is well known that the "white cane" provides individuals with visual impairments with an extension of their senses, allowing them to walk around and engage in social and everyday activities”.
“The Visual Impairment Department was created in 1993 within the Early Intervention Center as a department that works to provide specialized services to people with visual disabilities to empower them and enhance their inclusion and advocacy within educational institutions, and society in general. This is because SCHS's work is based on seriousness, sincerity, and commitment, and because it ensures that the services it provides to people with visual disabilities are in line with the most recent and best international practices” added Mr. Mohamed Fawzy.
"SCHS's annual celebration of International White Cane Day is not just an event, but a call to continuously emphasize the rights of people with visual disabilities in education, training, employment, and modifying the environment surrounding them according to their requirements and needs," explained the Director of the Early Intervention Center. He called on people and organizations to work together to support and aid them and to ensure their rights based on equality, fairness, and equal opportunity.
In his closing remarks, Fawzi emphasized that International White Cane Day is a significant opportunity to increase awareness of the ethical standards that must be followed when interacting with or working with individuals with disabilities to support their independence and advocacy in all spheres.
Watch Collectors Association Speech
The Watch Collectors Association's director, Mr. Saud Al Tunaiji, then gave a speech in which he emphasized the significance of the event hosted by the SCHS Visual Impairment Department and the association's backing of this endeavor in recognition of the humanitarian efforts embodied by SCHS's work across a range of domains.
He stated, “In collaboration with the Japanese business Citizen, we have developed a unique watch for individuals with vision impairments, and we are happy to be one of the donors to this humanitarian endeavor”.
Based on the ideas that compassion is a human and moral obligation and that humanitarian work is the highest and most noble form of work, Al-Taniji stated his hope for more collaboration and coordination with SCHS.
Citizen Gulf Watches Company Speech
"We are honored to be a part of this wonderful occasion," stated Mr. Sakuma Yasuhiro, General Manager of Citizen Watches Gulf. I want to express my gratitude to SCHS for its vision and unwavering work to improve the environment and provide opportunity for everyone, regardless of ability, to thrive”.
“Today is International White Cane Day – a day that not only symbolizes the independence and mobility of visually impaired individuals but also the power of humankind to overcome challenges. What better way to celebrate this day than with these amazing people who have not let their physical challenges define them. Their strength, resilience and determination serve as a shining example to us all, showing that obstacles can indeed be turned into opportunities,” he added.
He said also that the Braille Watch Project is among the company’s most prominent projects. In 1960, Citizen produced the first Japanese-made watch for the blind and visually impaired, the Citizen Shine. Since then, Citizen has donated thousands of timepieces worldwide, with 8,000 of those donations occurring in South America and India. Presenting the most recent iteration of this watch to our honorees today is a true honor.
Working with a blind school in Thailand, we created this watch while considering the feedback from educators and students on how to create a Braille watch. This model's most noteworthy aspect is its inclusive design; it is not a watch made especially for a particular group of people, but rather one that can be worn by everybody. We hope that this will encourage us to take on new challenges and travel new paths. It will act as a reminder that genuine vision originates inward. It is about believing in your own skills and perceiving with your heart and intellect, not your eyes.
Thank you for this chance, SCHS. Your efforts are genuinely crucial to creating a more welcoming society where everyone can lead a respectable and meaningful life. With the help of the Watch Collectors Association, who have been instrumental in our collaboration with SCHS, we have a shared goal of using timepieces to improve lives and unite people.
Honoring
After that, Her Excellency Ms. Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, Director General of SCHS, honored the participating and supporting entities of the event, namely:
Arada Real Estate Development, Al Jawaher Reception and Conference Center, Citizen Gulf Watches Company, Watch Collectors Association, and Kalimat Foundation for Empowerment.
The Watch Collectors Association and Citizen Gulf Watches Company presented a collection of watches specially designed for a group of visually impaired people who believed in their goals and abilities, challenged their disability, and were able to overcome it.
Dialogue session
The significance of the white cane for individuals with visual impairments and what it means as an extension of their senses, helping them overcome their disability and enabling them to move around and practice their life and social activities, were covered in the "My Cane" dialogue session held during the International White Cane Day event.
Along with raising community awareness of the issues, rights, and needs of people with visual disabilities, the event also featured the "Lunch in the Dark" experience, which simulated the reality of life for those with disabilities, how to handle similar situations, and encouraged society and its institutions to provide the support they need to become more independent and self-reliant.
Contributions
The participants were then given a tour of the hall and briefed on the events that were taking place, such as the Citizen Gulf Watches Company, SCHS's Assistive Technology Center, and the Kalimat Foundation, which had a collection of books for people with visual impairments on display.