Al Noor Institute, MIA to mark White Cane Safety Day

Al NoorInstitute for the Visually Impaired teamed up with the Museum of IslamicArt (MIA) to organise a variety of activities on White Cane Safety Day,which is celebrated on October15, in the United States and around theworld as an occasion to recognise the achievements of the blind andvisually impaired. First signed in to law in the United States in 1964,the date is set aside to mark an important symbol of blindness and atool of independence - the white cane.A group of over a hundredchildren and teachers from the Al Noor Institute visited MIA yesterdayto take part in a morning of specially organised activities. After beingwelcomed to MIA by Salem Abdullah al-Marri, Deputy Director of Learningand Outreach at MIA, they were given a tour of the museum by expertguides, enjoyed a story-telling session in the museums library, thelargest of its kind in the region, and participated in an art workshop.Theresulting work produced by the students during the workshop willfeature in a temporary exhibition to take place at the museum, and whichis designed to give members of the local community an overview of AlNoor Institute and its activities.In addition to the varioussessions involving the students themselves, two 15-minute tours wereorganised by staff from the Al Noor Institute during which members ofthe public were invited to take part.These were designed to enablemembers of the public to experience a tour of the museum much as avisually impaired or blind person would, and to provide an awareness ofhow visually impaired and blind people encounter the world around them.WhiteCane Safety day is celebrated in schools around the country in Qatar ina bid to build awareness and understanding on how blind and visuallyimpaired people manage in their daily lives. – QNA