BOSTON (WWLP) - Friday marks White Cane Awareness Day at the State House--a celebration that uplifts and honors people with vision loss. Hundreds of people and a dozen seeing eye dogs gathered in the Great Hall to share personal stories and shine a spotlight on the vision loss community. In addition to bringing the community together, the event aims to teach people about white canes. White canes are a symbol of independence for users and serve as a tool to gather information about your surroundings so you can safely navigate them on your own. "It is not something that you just pick up and start using. There are different techniques, there are different ways to use it, there are different ways to understand what information the cane transmits to you through your hand, through your finger," said Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Commissioner John Oliveira. Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh spoke at the celebration, touching on the importance of government officials understanding the needs and the accomplishments of the blind community in order to better serve them. "But we really know that this is so much more than a mobility tool. What we're celebrating is independence and self-determination of people that are blind and visually impaired," said Walsh. Secretary Walsh was gifted a blind Barbie doll as a token of appreciation, which she passed on to a little girl in the audience. The Barbie uses a white cane--and of course rocks high heels--to stand up to misconceptions about the blind community. Amyah Walker, the seven-year-old proud new owner of a Barbie doll, is vision impaired, and her mother said she had been wanting this doll forever. Speakers at the celebration reminded onlookers that it's the law to come to a complete stop when you see a pedestrian with a white cane or a guide dog at a street crossing. Local News Headlines How to reduce risk of home heating equipment fires Bay Path University held its 12th annual cybersecurity summit to educate people about the impact of AI on cybersecurity State House Spotlight: Conferences and commissions Two new Latino-owned businesses open on Belmont Avenue WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.