Traffic & Transit
Blindfolded Walk In Worcester Aims To Teach Sighted About Safety
Worcester's annual White Cane Safety Awareness Day offers a perspective on what it feels like to navigate the city while blind.
WORCESTER, MA — Crossing busy Worcester's intersections and navigating uneven neighborhood sidewalks is a challenge for anyone. Now imagine doing it blind.
That's what Worcester leaders and community members will do Saturday during the ninth annual White Cane Safety Awareness Day. Wearing blindfolds, they will tour Worcester streets led by sighted guides.
Members of the public are being invited to join the event along with elected officials. Past participants have — yes — reported feeling afraid, but also noted how illuminating it is to walk in a blind person's steps.
"I’ve been a police officer for 30 years, and I’ve never been so terrified," Worcester police said Deputy Chief Ed McGinn said in a news release.
The blindfolded walk will start from an undisclosed location, but anyone who wants to participate should meet at the Saxe Room at the downtown Worcester Public Library at 11 a.m. Saturday. Participants will return to the library after the walk for a talk about the experience. The event will be hosted by Accessibility Advisory Commission vice chair Liz Myska — who is legally blind — and Office on Human Rights and Accessibility leader Jayna Turchek.
"This has had a profound effect on me," Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences optometrist Dr. Louis Frank said of his previous walk. "I realized I’ll be able to take off my blindfold, but people who are blind, will continue to be blind."
