50 - Buying an Ultra Cane for Mohamad - June 2021

Donation number 50 comes from our wonderful member, Jenny, who told us about Mohamad, a man she met during the course of some voluntary work. 

Mohamad has been completely blind from birth and was studying Arabic Language at Aleppo University in Syria until January 2012 when he and his family fled the country to escape the atrocities of the civil war. He sought refuge in neighbouring Lebanon with his wife, who he met at university, and their baby son, where they stayed for five years until they were fortunate to find a flight to the UK in 2017. 

Sheffield welcomed them as asylum seekers on their arrival. After moving three times within the city they are now settled in their home with their three young children and have been awarded refugee status. Mohamad speaks very warmly of the Sheffield people, describing them as kind, good and friendly. He also spoke about the relief that he and his family felt after arriving in a safe and supportive place. I

ndependent mobility has rarely been possible for Mohamad, and he has relied upon his partially-sighted wife and young son to guide him. We were asked if we could be able to help fund an Ultracane (https://www.ultracane.com/) to help give him more independence. A standard white cane comes into direct contact with obstacles to alert the user, who then takes evasive action. The UltraCane was designed by Sound Foresight Technology Ltd and uses two narrowbeam ultrasound sensors which offer early detection of hazards both at ground and head/chest level, allowing the user to navigate around obstacles before coming into contact with them. 

 When asked about how using an UltraCane will affect his life, Mohamad described how gaining more independence will significantly improve his life, and feels confident that it will lead to living a better quality of life in many ways. For example he will be able to leave the house on his own, and start using a gym which he will be able to walk to unaccompanied. The UltraCane will allow him to travel to different places, attend college for his English tuition when meeting up in groups is once again permitted, and generally give him more confidence navigating his route when out and about. He is going to arrange for further mobility training from the SCC Rehabilitation Unit to help him get the most out of his new cane. 

Jenny has organised the purchase of the Ultracane, including sorting out the necessary but complicated paperwork required for VAT exemption along the way. These canes usually retail at £590, but because it is being gifted, they have discounted this to £525, and our lovely nominator has kindly agreed to make up the difference. We know Mohamad is really grateful for her support, as are we for her excellent nomination and hard work in making it happen. We are looking forward to hearing from Mohamad when he takes delivery of his new cane.