Grayson Naff, 8, is preparing for life without vision. The Ohio second-grader was diagnosed last year with Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes vision loss, seizures, cognitive decline, impaired mobility and, ultimately, death. As the disease progresses and his vision further declines, the child — with the support of his mother, Emily Blackburn, and a host of educators and experts — has started the necessary training to navigate the world without eyesight.
White cane training is important for certain individuals with vision loss to increase their independence while traveling throughout their environment,' Rhianna Witt, an orientation and mobility specialist with Montgomery County Educational Service Center in Dayton, Ohio, told Fox News Digital. Witt has been working with Naff on his white cane training. 'The white cane allows to detect changes in elevation, obstacles and changes in surface texture,' she said.