Website: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/white-cane-safety-day
District 4-A1 Chairperson: Stephen Gass
Email: gasssgarage@sti.net
The International White Cane Safety Day is an opportunity for Lions to increase awareness about the white cane, which:
- Signifies that the pedestrian using it is blind or visually impaired;
- Alerts motorists of the need to exercise special caution and provide the user
the right of way; - Symbolizes the independence, confidence and skills of the person who is
using it.
1964: The U.S. Congress approved a resolution authorizing the President of the US to annually issue a proclamation designating October 15th as “National White Cane Safety Day.”
1969: The International Federation of the Blind adopted October 15th* as “International White Cane Safety Day.”
The above referenced date is a suggested date. Lions clubs are free to hold awareness events according to the schedule of the club and the community it serves. Check out the Lions Store for items to help you promote and raise awareness of the “White Cane.”
Many clubs within District 4-A1 participate in “White Cane Safety Day” during October each year. On White Cane Safety Day, Lions collect money for local, regional, national, and international sight conservation projects. When you see Lions members distributing the familiar miniature White Canes in your community, please consider the many sight conservation projects you support when you donate such as Youth Eye Screening, the purchase of glasses, the Lion’s Eye Foundation, etc.
The white cane is not just a tool that can be used to achieve independence; it is also a symbol of the blind citizens in our society. To honor the many achievements of blind and visually impaired Americans and to recognize the white cane’s significance in advancing independence, we observe October 15 of each year (alternately, the Saturday prior) as “White Cane Safety Day.” Today, the white cane works both, as a tool for the blind as well as a symbol, but this has not always been the case. Throughout history, the cane, staff, and stick have existed as traveling aids for the blind and visually impaired. Dating back to biblical times records show that a shepherd’s staff was used as a tool for solitary travel. The blind used such tools to alert them to obstacles in their path.
Ordering Information:
White Cane Days Inc.
P.O. Box 1
Monterey Park, CA 91754-0001
(626) 307-9569
(626) 307-1611 Fax
White Cane Day Website: LCI White Cane Day
White Cane Day History:
For centuries, the “cane” was used merely as a tool for travel and it was not until the twentieth century that the cane, as we know it today, was promoted for use by the blind as a symbol to alert others to the fact that an individual was blind. This new role for the white cane had its origins in the decades between the two World Wars, beginning in Europe and then spreading to North America. James Biggs of Bristol claimed to have invented the white cane in 1921. After an accident claimed his sight, the artist had to readjust to his environment. Feeling threatened by increased motor vehicle traffic around his home, Biggs decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists.
The first special White Cane Ordinance was passed in December 1930 in Peoria, Illinois. It granted blind pedestrians protections and the right-of-way while carrying a white cane. In 1935, Michigan began promoting the white cane as a visible symbol for the blind. On February 25, 1936, ordinance was passed for the City of Detroit recognizing the white cane. To promote the new ordinance, a demonstration was held at City Hall where the blind and visually impaired were presented with white canes. The following year, Donald Schuur wrote the provision of a bill and had it proposed in the State Legislature. The proposal gave the carrier of the White Cane protection while traveling on the streets of Michigan. Governor Frank Murphy signed the bill into law in March 1937.
During the early 1960’s, several state organizations and rehabilitation agencies serving the blind and visually impaired citizens of the United States urged Congress to proclaim October 15 of each year to be White Cane Safety Day in all fifty states. This event marked a climatic moment in the long campaign of the organized blind movement to gain state as well as national recognition for the white cane.
On October 6, 1964, a joint resolution of the Congress, HR 753, was signed into law authorizing the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as “White Cane Safety Day”. The resolution read “Resolved by the Senate and HR. that the President is hereby authorized to issue annually a proclamation designating October 15 as White Cane Safety Day and calling upon the people of the United States to observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Within hours of passage of the congressional resolution, President Lyndon B. Johnson went down in history as the first to proclaim October 15, as White Cane Safety Day. The Presidential proclamation emphasized the significance of the use of the white cane as both a tool and as a visible symbol. In the first White Cane Proclamation President Johnson commended blind people for the growing spirit of independence and the increased determination to be self-reliant and dignified. He said in part: “A white cane in our society has become one of the symbols of a blind person’s ability to come and go on his own. Its use has promoted courtesy and opportunity for mobility of the blind on our streets and highways.”
During most years since 1964, the President has proclaimed October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. On October 15, 2000, President Bill Clinton again reminded us of the history of the white cane as a tool, and its purpose as a symbol of blindness: “With proper training, people using the white cane can enjoy greater mobility and safety by determining the location of curbs, steps, uneven pavement, and other physical obstacles in their path. The white cane has given them the freedom to travel independently to their schools and workplaces and to participate more fully in the life of their communities. It reminds us that the only barriers against people with disabilities are discriminatory attitudes and practices that our society has too often placed in their way.”
Another big step came when a small Lions Club in Monterey Park, California, needed more funds than could be raised from their membership. They invited others in their community to share in their Sight Fund. The theme would be WHITE CANE DAYS. The receipt for a contribution would be a miniature white cane. This project was so successful that neighboring Lions clubs asked for the little symbol. Within three years, it was chosen as a fundraising project to help all clubs in the California multiple district to finance big things in sight serving work. That first effort in 1951 resulted in raising $500 – and 30 neighboring clubs joined in the following year. Today, WHITE CANE DAYS results in millions of dollars collected annually for sight related Lions services.
District 4-A1 Lions 