Each day, Esma braves the busy streets of Tbilisi, Georgia, a city full of cars and uneven pavements. Guided not by sight but by the steady rhythm of her white cane – and by her confidence – she moves forward with determination. For Esma, the cane is not just a tool; it is a symbol of independence, courage and resilience.
“It is of vital importance for a person with visual impairment to be able to move around with the white cane,” she explains. “It starts from small steps like getting around the yard, then the street, riding a bus, a metro, reaching basic services, and so on.”
Vision impairment and blindness affect people everywhere, including in upper-middle-income countries such as Georgia. Gaps in access to essential eye care services and assistive technology remain, particularly in rural and underserved areas. In Georgia alone, an estimated 696 000 people experience some form of vision impairment, while about 21 000 live with total blindness.
A variety of options is essential
Esma is one of the few in her community who skilfully uses assistive technologies to build an independent and dignified life. Her journey has not been easy, but it has been marked by important milestones: spending a year in the United States of America as a Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) student, where she attended a regular public school, and interning with an advocacy organization. She returned home even more determined and now champions the rights of people with disabilities.
For Esma, independence begins early. “One of the key issues is learning basic skills from the very beginning,” she says. “I would urge all parents who have just learned about their child’s visual impairment to invest in giving them skills and raising them as independent individuals.”
She adds, “It is tough, but necessary. In the long run, this will also reduce the need for personal assistants, which is often such a burden on the state – both financially and in terms of availability.”
Choice, she believes, is just as important as access. “White canes come in different sizes and shapes. Some are longer when they fold, some are better for winter, some are best for walking on grass, and some are better for moving around the city. Depending on the person’s needs, having a variety of options is essential. That’s why I also advocate for co-financing, in case government funding is not enough to provide a wide selection of white canes.”
Awareness is the key
To ensure users have appropriate options, WHO, together with ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is advancing the development of specifications for several assistive products, including white canes, to make them safe, functional and responsive to user needs. Esma, along with other rights advocates and key stakeholders, is actively participating in this process.
Yet tools and skills are not enough. Lack of public understanding can make daily life more challenging. “People generally don’t know how to act around people with visual impairments,” Esma admits. “While I haven’t had negative incidents, people often resort to unwanted pity or touch. Awareness is the key.”
Esma’s story is more than one of personal resilience – it is a call to action. Through her advocacy she reminds us that the right to live independently and be included in the community must be supported by access to appropriate products, training and public awareness.
When assistive technology, skills development and inclusive environments come together, people with visual impairments can participate fully in education, work and community life, thriving just as Esma does each day, one steady step at a time.