August 29 - Moncton, NB

The rain had stopped and the sun was shining as Lyle and I drove to the Moncton CNIB office. Once there we were greeted warmly by Amanda who introduced us to the other CNIB staff members and CNIB clients who were joining us for our walk. After posing for pictures on the front steps of the building, we set off along the main street of the city towards City Hall. I walked for a while beside Jonathon and we talked about some of the mobility challenges often encountered by white cane users. We found that we held many of these in common – sidewalk construction, sandwich boards set up inconveniently in the middle of a pathway, benches, garbage containers and other obstacles. Jonathon also mentioned the sidewalk cafes that sprout up in the spring weather.

For awhile I walked beside Paulette and Natalie. Recently, both young women had taken part in a blind race car event which raised money for guide dogs. In this event they were able to sit behind the steering wheel of a racing car and drive it around the track. They each sat in their own car, but of course, they also had a co-pilot giving them instructions. At the end of the track, they were instructed to drive the car in reverse. Both Paulette and Natalie were still laughing about how much fun it had all been. It was their first time to drive and to quote, “It was a blast!”

Paulette and Natalie are strong advocates on behalf of other white cane users. Their current mission is to gain access to Moncton Ability Transit for people who have sight challenges. This transit system is for the use of people who have mobility challenges, and the two young women argue that limited vision quite often means limited mobility. This is especially so during the winter months when the use of a cane becomes more difficult. To date, their argument has not carried enough weight with the powers that be, but I wish them every success in convincing the Ability Transit authorities of the legitimacy of their position.

After the walk, we were treated to coffee and goodies in the Moncton CNIB office and I had a chance to chat with the others who had joined the walk. It was good to talk with Jeanette and Teresa and hear of their various experiences using a white cane. I was pleased to meet Marian, Chairperson of the Moncton CNIB area and of course, many thanks to Amanda and the staff of the Moncton CNIB office. Today was a great way to finish our walks in New Brunswick and tomorrow we will be off to our one and only walk in PEI.

The two pictures below are of our group on the walk in Moncton today.  You can count five white canes!