Adalyn White, a legally blind second-grade student at McQuistion Elementary School, shows classmates how to use her white cane. Adalyn can see somewhat, so she donned a blindfold like her classmates.

BUTLER TWP — To celebrate a classmate, second-graders at McQuistion Elementary gripped white canes Friday afternoon.

Heather Campbell's second-grade class welcomed a duo of Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV instructors for a special lesson Friday. The lesson aimed to help students better understand one of their own: Adalyn White. Adalyn is legally blind and uses a white cane to get around the school. The class also marked Blindness Awareness Month.

Lia Noel, a teacher for the visually impaired, and Jessica Sloan, an orientation and mobility teacher, walked the class through three activities.

Students practiced using white canes. They colored in pictures with their eyes closed, relying only on braille-like ridges on their papers.

And after learning what the different parts of a white cane are called, the class made little bead bracelets made to look like the canes.

“We're just trying to make the kids aware of some of the experiences of visually impaired students and people,” Noel said.

Adalyn, like many blind people, can see some shadows and colors. She donned a blindfold similar to her classmates. Holding her eyes closed, she completed a masterfully colored drawing.“I'm no peeper,” she exclaimed, laughing at her fellow students. I'm no peeper, peeper pumpkin eater.”This was the second time the MIU4 teachers joined the classroom. They came in a few weeks ago to help students understand how to politely help Adalyn get around the school.She occasionally travels around with a classmate serving as a guide.The teachers said they also hope the students help spread awareness of blindness in the community. There's a nationwide shortage of vision teachers, they said.“They all want to help her, but they were going overboard helping her around,” Campbell said. “This helps them know to step back a bit.”

The students in Campbell's class appeared happy throughout the lesson.Austin Smith, 7, said he enjoyed learning how to use a white cane.“It was actually pretty easy,” Smith said. “I think it would be pretty hard if I had to use it all the time.”Paige Singer, 7, said she was interested to learn that blind people use larger canes as they get older.The teachers showed the class Adalyn's canes from last year and this year. Both she and her cane grew a few inches.

Lennon Grossbauer colors in a drawing with his eyes closed. The lines on his paper are raised like braille. The exercise helps students understand what it’s like to rely on their sense of touch instead of vision.

Kori Fleegar holds up a bead charm made to look like a white cane. The McQuistion Elementary second-graders learned the different parts of the cane before making the bracelet.