INRODUCTION

A person’s eye is an important organ, as they process visual information and transmit to it
the brain also because people receive and process 83% of information from their --
environment through their eyes, eyes play a crucial role in the lives of humans. Many people
are deprived of this information, however. There are a number of severe disabilities, such as
blindness, in which a person must face many challenges despite technological
advancements. Blindness refers to a condition in people lacking the ability to perceive light,
as well as those who have so little vision that they must use other senses as substitutes for
their ability to see.

Blindness is the lack of vision caused due to physiological or neurological factors resulting
into visual disability. Blindness can be temporary or permanent and partial or complete
blindness causing a person to become dependent on others for help.

There are about 253 million people live with vision impairment, 36 million are blind and 217
million have moderate to severe vision impairment. 81% of people who are blind are aged
50 years and above (WHO estimation). The number of visually impaired people are expected
to grow in the future due to various reasons.

History of Blind sticks

1921 James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol who became blind after an accident and
was uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, painted his walking stick
white to be more easily visible.[7]

In 1931 in France, Guilly d'Herbemont launched a national white stick movement for blind
people. On February 7, 1931, Guilly d'Herbemont symbolically gave the first two white
canes to blind people, in the presence of several French ministers. 5,000 more white canes
were later sent to blind French veterans from World War I and blind civilians.[8]

The first special white cane ordinance was passed in December 1930 in Peoria, Illinois,
granting blind pedestrians protections and the right-of-way while carrying a white cane.[9]
The long cane was improved upon by World War II veterans rehabilitation specialist,
Richard E. Hoover, at Valley Forge Army Hospital.[10] In 1944, he took the Lions Club white
cane (originally made of wood) and went around the hospital blindfolded for a week.
During this time he developed what is now the standard method of "long cane" training or
the Hoover Method. He is now called the "Father of the Lightweight Long Cane
Technique". The basic technique is to swing the cane from the center of the body back and
forth before the feet. The cane should be swept before the rear foot as the person steps.
Before he taught other rehabilitators, or "orientors", his new technique he had a special
commission to have light weight, long white canes made for the veterans of the European
fronts.[11]

Hoover's long cane technique was perfected at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, which
opened the Department of Veterans Affairs' first Blind Rehabilitation