Why CNIB needs to be in Wascana Park

“Mommy I’m scared, all I hear is cars,” said the threeyear-old as he clutched his mom’s leg. The boy and his mother were at our office getting fitted for his new white cane. The boy, his mom, and a CNIB specialist were outside our current office, on Broad Street and 14th Avenue, trying his new cane.

Touring an MLA through the office, we went outside to meet the family and heard the boy’s comment. As a sighted person, my heart skipped a beat, as I did not understand until then the fear of this young child.

CNIB has 1,600 active clients in Regina, and 40 per cent of those clients have multiple disabilities that range from vision loss to hearing loss to mobility and cognitive challenges.

Navigating without sight is scary and takes time to build confidence. If you lost your sight tomorrow, and someone put a white cane in your hand and said cross the corner of 14th and Broad, how would you feel? What if you also had hearing loss and couldn’t really hear if the cars were stopped? How apprehensive would you be to take that first step off the curb, hoping you were safe?

What if instead they said, “Let’s try this in the park on the pathway?” Would you feel more comfortable?

Thank you to the Province of Saskatchewan and Brandt Developments for learning about our client’s challenges, and understanding why the CNIB Rebuild project is the right decision.

Christall Beaudry, executive director, Sask. CNIB Group