ESCANABA — On Wednesday, Oct. 15, people from the local area who are blind or vision-impaired will be having an awareness walk along Ludington Street in Escanaba to commemorate White Cane Safety Day and to bring awareness of the unique travel difficulties of people with visual impairments who reside in the community. Anyone that would like to join the walk is welcomed and may complete the route with or without a blindfold.

Weather permitting, the walk will start at 11:00 a.m. at the Ludington Grill, 1110 Ludington St. Participants will depart from the Ludington Grill and walk along Ludington Street to North 10th Street. The route includes a square crossing at the light: the first crossing will be at North 10th, and then walkers will turn right and cross Ludington Street. After a third crossing at South 10th Street, the path concludes after the final crossing of Ludington Street. The group will then walk back to the Ludington Grill.

“We will have some City of Escanaba dignitaries join us on our walk, including Mayor Mark Ammel and Downtown Development Authority Director Craig Woerpel, both of whom will be walking with us while wearing a blindfold. In addition, we will be joined by Pat Duyck, a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist with the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons,” read a press release from organizer John McMahon.

People who want to join but are unable to walk the distance are welcomed to meet at the Ludington Grill for lunch or coffee.

The event has been scheduled in line with National White Cane Safety Day, which has been recognized in the U.S. on Oct. 15 since 1964 and was first signed into proclamation by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 2011, President Barack Obama named the holiday Blind Americans Equality Day in addition to White Cane Safety Day. The white cane, a tool often used by visually-impaired persons, may be seen as a symbol of independence.