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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.
The white cane works
both, as a tool for the blind as well as a symbol.
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. 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. It was not however until ten
years later the white cane established its presence in
society.
In February 1931,
Guilly d'Herbemont launched a scheme for a national
white stick movement for blind people in France.
The campaign was reported in British newspapers leading
to a similar scheme being sponsored by rotary clubs
throughout the United Kingdom. In May 1931 the BBC
suggested in its radio broadcasts that blind
individuals might be provided with a white stick, which
would become universally recognized as a symbol
indicating that somebody was blind or visually impaired.
In North America the introduction of the white cane has
been attributed to the Lion's Clubs International. In
1930, a Lion's Club member watched as a blind man
attempted to make his way across a busy street using a
black cane. With the realization that the black
cane was barely visible to motorists, the Lion's Club
decided to paint the cane white to increase its
visibility to oncoming motorists. In 1931, the
Lion's Club International began a national program
promoting the use of white canes for persons who are
blind.
Throughout the 1920s and
1930s, blind persons had walked with their canes held
diagonally in a fixed position, and the role of
the white cane took on a symbolic role as an identifier.
But when the blind veterans of World War II returned to
America, the form and the use of the white cane was
further altered in an attempt to help return
veterans to participatory lifestyles at home.
Doctor Richard Hoover developed the "long
cane" or "Hoover" method of cane travel.
These white canes are designed to be used as mobility
devices and returned the cane to its original role as a
tool for mobility, but maintained the symbolic role as
an identifier of blind independence. During this
period, the white cane began to make its way into
government policy as a symbol for the blind.
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.
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