On occasion of the Day of the White Cane, blind people accompanied by supporters marched on Calle del Sol in Santiago to demand more safety and less obstacles on main streets. They walked from Parque Duarte, alongside Calle del Sol, ending in Parque Colón in the city center.
Carrying posters, the organizations demanded from the mayor’s office and public works to assist sight-impaired pedestrians, such as placing of grids on the street. The press has reported that there have been an alarming number of accidents involving blind people on Santiago’s streets. Pot holes, motorcycles, missing manhole covers and deteriorated sidewalks all present hazards for the blind.
Rafael Jiménez and Sergio Almonte, of the Dominican Organization of the Blind, lamented that the authorities allow obstacles and cars to occupy sidewalks, which prevent people with this type of disability from walking safely on the city’s streets. The group also demands that the city government prevent piles of sand and other construction materials from being dumped on the sidewalks where they block pedestrians from walking.
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El Caribe
17 October 2018
