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The blind and visually-impaired citizens of Bahrain were joined by hundreds of their friends, family and supporters in an hour-long march organised as part of the White Cane Safety Day celebrations.
The gathering included many supportive placard-carrying students from schools across the kingdom also holding the symbolic white cane as a gesture of solidarity.
Their campaigning message urged people to recognise the blind as equal and important members of society capable of contributing positively to the community.
Organiser Masooma Taqi Tadayon, an orientation and mobility specialist at the Saudi Bahrain Institute for the Blind and member of The Friendship Society for The Blind, said that with fast improving technology it had become easier for the visually-impaired person to achieve almost all their ambitions.
She added: "As a community we need to give the blind confidence and support to improve their capabilities.
"The white cane is a symbol of their independence. It is their most important tool and helps identify a blind person on the street.
"Technology is improving every day - we have talking computers and voice books. But people need to understand the blind person's difficulties and society needs to be aware that the white cane is still extremely important for the blind - without which they cannot take care of themselves."
Ms Tadayon said that while Bahrain is developing rapidly there remains a gap in making public facilities suitable for the blind, handicapped and disabled. She explained: "They face a number of difficulties. The design of many roads, for example, is not helpful for the blind in particular. They need ramps to indicate pedestrian crossings, alongside writing in braille on signals and lifts.
"Schools and colleges need to integrate more blind children with sighted children and teachers need to be trained so that they know how to deal with the challenges."
Hussein Hyder Ali Holaibi, 51, chairman of The Friendship Society for The Blind, who spoke at the event, added: "A blind person is just a normal person who can contribute to society positively if given a chance. He, or she, just needs respect and support."
Mr Holaibi was one of the first blind teachers of Bahrain. He pointed out that there were several ways to help the blind. He explained: "We need more educational institutions at all levels with access to advanced technology. The blind in Bahrain need higher education opportunities and scholarships."
The Saudi Journal of Opthamology has reported that "visual disability and impairment constitute a public health problem in Bahrain. Cataract, glaucoma and refractive errors are the major causes".
