Posted on May 16, 2025
Cane Quest Empowers Visually Impaired Youth in Grand Rapids
The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI) successfully hosted its first-ever Cane Quest. The national orientation and mobility skills competition brought together students from grades 3 – 12 who are living with visual impairments. The event was hosted at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in partnership with the Braille Institute and Michigan Department of Education.
Participants showcased their skills throughout the day-long event, navigating challenges within the hospital and in the surrounding Heritage Hill neighborhood. The competition highlighted the students’ independence and confidence in both indoor and outdoor settings as they tackled challenges ranging from basic orientation techniques with a white cane to complex street crossings in the city.
“Cane Quest is an opportunity for our students who are blind and have low vision to show off their cane skills,” explained Sara Cruchelow, education consultant for Michigan Department of Education. “Many of these students are siloed in their school districts, and this is a unique chance to interact with other students who face similar challenges”
The competition tested a comprehensive range of skills for the students including sound localization, recovery of dropped objects, proper human guide techniques, street crossing, sidewalk navigation, and soliciting assistance when needed. Participants were evaluated by certified orientation and mobility specialists who volunteered at the event.
“It’s great for the community to see these competitions because there is a little bit of an unknown with the area of vision loss.” said Josh Thomas, ABVI mobility instructor. “We like to share what these students are capable of on a daily basis—whether it’s navigating, using public transportation, or accessing anything in the community,”
Cane Quest is just one of the many clinics offered by the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. ABVI provides comprehensive support services to individuals with vision loss throughout West Michigan.
“I want someone who is sighted to know that even if a blind person like me is different, they can still do almost anything and everything, just in a different way,” shared Alexis Sanchez, reflecting on what she wishes more people understood about visual impairment.
In addition, ABVI offers orientation and mobility instruction, certified vision rehabilitation therapy for independent living skills, support groups, and a low vision clinic for fitting of lenses and magnifiers. Through these services, ABVI empowers individuals with visual impairments to live independently and confidently navigate their communities.
