The Cleveland Sight Center has helped 4-year-old Emma Morris navigate her vision loss and thrive with her white cane.
For over a century, the Cleveland Sight Center has been providing support to individuals facing vision challenges, helping them gain independence. Once a year, they host the White Cane Walk event, inviting the community to gain insight into the daily experiences of those with visual impairments.
The President and CEO of the center, Larry Benders, shared that the White Cane Walk celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The event sheds light on the ways in which visually impaired individuals navigate a world primarily designed for sighted people.
That includes a blindfolded walk using a white cane—an experience that’s as emotional as it is eye-opening.
Attendees at the event have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the perspective of someone with vision loss. From participating in activities with blindfolds to trying out using a white cane, the event aims to increase awareness and understanding. Moreover, the day is filled with entertainment such as food trucks, live music, making it a memorable experience for everyone involved.
The event also raises money for programs that help people of all ages adjust to vision loss—services not typically covered by insurance.
“We’re always out there trying to raise money to help people learn Braille, learn how to use a computer, learn how to find your way around your house, to do your laundry, your cooking, your cleaning, find a job, keep a job,” Benders explained. “All those things.”
For families like Emma’s, that support has been life-changing.
Four-year-old Emma was diagnosed with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a rare inherited eye condition that causes vision loss. Her mom, Kristi, remembers how difficult those early days were.
“When you find out your child has a visual impairment, you have no idea what to do, what steps to take,” she said. “There’s so many fears and unknowns.”
But that all changed once they found the Cleveland Sight Center.
“Someone mentioned Cleveland Sight Center to us, and that was the moment that everything changed,” Kristi said.
Inside the halls of CSC, Emma is thriving—using her white cane, affectionately named “Elsa,” to navigate her environment with the help of an orientation and mobility specialist named Deb.
“Keep going. You’re doing great,” Deb encouraged her. “Can you tell where the door is? Can you find it with your cane? You did it!”
Emma also shared a sweet moment with reporter Lindsay Buckingham, building a castle with Magna-Tiles on the floor of the Sight Center.
“Should I build like a castle maybe?” Lindsay asked.
“Yeah,” Emma responded.
“What about another one?”
“Here?”
“You’re a good builder.”
The journey of vision loss affects more than just the person diagnosed—it touches the whole family.
“It takes a whole family to be around one person that has this challenge, and that challenge can affect everyone in the family unit,” said Benders. “And part of our job at Cleveland Site Center is to make sure everyone’s okay.”
“She’s going to accomplish great things in her life,” Kristi said. “And I want her to know that, and I want her to believe that.”
For many, losing vision can feel like losing the world. But at the Cleveland Sight Center, it’s about building a new one—together.
“We want people [to] discover themselves or rediscover themselves and imagine what life can be like when things change,” Benders said. “That’s the story of Cleveland Site Center and our 3,500 clients and our wonderful 180 employees. That’s what we do every day.”
The White Cane Walk takes place Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Cleveland Sight Center, located at Chester Avenue and East 101st Street. For more information, click HERE.
Have a story idea for Heartstrings? Email to: Heartstrings@wkyc.com.
In addition to Lindsay’s “Heartstrings” reports in our newscasts, you can also watch her series streaming on WKYC+ at 3 p.m. every Wednesday. If you don’t have WKYC+, you can download it on your TV and watch for free.
