alt=A long white cane, upA long white cane, the symbol of White Cane Safety Day White Cane Safety Day is a national observance in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964. The date is set aside to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the

white cane A white cane is a device used by many people who are blind or visually impaired. A white cane primarily allows its user to scan their surroundings for obstacles or orientation marks, but is also helpful for onlookers in identifying the user as b ...

. On October 6, 1964, a joint resolution of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

, , was signed into law as , and codified at . This resolution authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day". President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

signed the first White Cane Safety Day proclamation within hours of the passage of the joint resolution. In 2011, White Cane Safety Day was also named Blind Americans Equality Day by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

Notes

External links

White Cane Safety Day: A Symbol of Independence (article from the National Federation of the Blind web site)

White Cane Safety Day celebration website

36 U.S.C. § 142

Sample proclamations

* ttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2005-10-19/pdf/05-21031.pdf 2005
2007

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Public holidays in the United States Accessibility Blindness equipment October observances Disability in the United States {{holiday-stub