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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 8, 20 18 | 12 46 Guelph St., Georgetownyears in a row!17 Serving Georgetown, Milton & Surrounding Halton Hills and all auto clubs. Provider for SINCE 1958 Freight up to 32,000 lbs Dock level or ground Enclosed Trailer Insist On Fred's ROll OFF TRuck AVAIlABlE FOR All yOuR hAulIng nEEds: • Steel • Tractors • Sky Jacks • Forklifts • Boulders • Helicopters V E R • • • • • • Locally Owned & Operated since 1958! Accident Specialists for all your boosts, lockouts, fuel deliveries and towing needs. 905-877-1237905-877-1237Certified Mechanics on Duty Just ask! coupon ✃ TIRES! All Sizes All Brands TIRES! WINTER We are Diesel Vehicle specialists! Fleet Maintenance/Programs available all auto & truck service SEE US FOR ALL YOUR BATTERY NEEDS! ✃ Car & Truck, ATV, RV, Motorcycles, Snowmobiles & More! Best Pricing on all Products 20 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown MAKE SURE YOU'R E REAdY fOR wintE R MAKE SURE OR ER! TIRES! All Brands TIRES! WINTER We have Anco Winter Wiper Blades! Vehicles + TAX Most Vehicles $2995 only • Oil Change • Antifreeze Check • Lubrication • 52 point inspection • Battery & Wiper Blade Check • FREE FLUID TOP UPS WinTer Special!* * Up to 6 Ltr. Limited time offer • Upgrade to synthetic for $15 extra. only $7.49/ea installed. Born with congenital glaucoma, Ian White had surgery as an infant that af- forded him functional vi- sion for four decades. But at 40 years old, that all changed. White developed cata- racts which would eventu- ally lead to a series of corne- al, then retinal complica- tions that would leave him blind. "I was sort of an emotion- al train wreck," White said, thinking back to that time - more than 16 years ago. "All of the things I used to rede- fine myself were based on what I could see." At the time, White worked as a senior project manager of a corporate in- terior design firm. He spent his pastime reading and im- mersed himself in the realm of art and design. "I was one of those people who just couldn't imagine what it would be like to live without being able to see," White said. "It meant I com- pletely had to redefine how I saw myself in the world - what made me useful and interesting in the world and what kinds of things would give my life meaning." For White, that meant finding a new way to read, through audio books, and going back to university to pursue a degree in philoso- phy. "I started out very slow- ly," White said. "I got con- nected with the CNIB and I got some skill support - ori- entation and mobility - and a little bit of braille, and I got connected with the CNIB's library, which is now the Centre for Equitable Li- brary Access." Opening himself up to new opportunities led White to a volunteer posi- tion with the CNIB, where he eventually met the peo- ple with whom he would form the Canadian Council of the Blind's Toronto Vi- sionaries, of which White is currently the president. White says the CCB is dedicated to helping indi- viduals and families deal- ing with vision loss through providing them with the re- sources and supports they need, including connecting them with others who are living with vision loss. "One of the things we found is folks who are just at the beginning of their jour- ney with vision loss, wheth- er it's come on suddenly or it's something that is going to develop gradually as their diagnosis progresses, it's a real struggle to sort of imagine how your life will be at a point in the future where you can't see as well as you do now," White said. "We set up as many op- portunities as we can for folks to get together socially and recreationally, and ba- sically give them an excuse to get together with other people in an environment where sharing information is part of the deal." This year, White Cane Week, a week to promote awareness about and pro- vide resources for those liv- ing with vision loss, runs from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11 and CCB Toronto Visionaries kicked it off with their Ex- perience Expo, held on Feb. 3. The annual event dis- plays exhibits from a vari- ety of organizations, includ- ing recreational groups, adaptive technologies com- panies, employment servic- es, educational support groups and more. White says the idea be- hind White Cane Week is for the blind community to de- velop initiatives that will ed- ucate the public on both the challenges and successes that come with living with vision loss. Alongside his work with- in the blind community, White says he is dedicated to promoting awareness ev- erywhere he goes. To learn more about White Cane Week and the events in your community, visit ccbnational.net. COMMUNITY White Cane Week about redefining vision loss VERONICA APPIA vappia@metroland.com CCB Toronto Visionaries President, Ian White. Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star