New Delhi: White Cane Safety Day is observed on October 15 every year to create awareness about the importance of White Cane among the masses. While people who are visually impaired represent the white cane as a symbol of their independence and mobility, the tool is now a representation of freedom, and confidence.
White cane is not just a tool for visually impaired persons but it gives them freedom to move around freely and completes daily tasks.
According to the White House website, by joint resolution approved on October 6, 1964 (Public Law 88-628, as amended), the Congress authorized October 15 of each year as “White Cane Safety Day,” which is recognized today as “Blind Americans Equality Day,” to honor the contributions of blind and low vision Americans.
The National Federation of the Blind said that for blind people, the white cane is an essential tool that gives us the ability to achieve a full and independent life. “It allows us to move freely and safely from place to place—whether it's at work, at school, or around our neighborhoods,” it further said.
The National Federation of the Blind, in its website, states while it was not uncommon throughout history for blind people to use a stick or cane to navigate, society largely didn't accept that blind people could travel by themselves until recently.
In the 1960s, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) became a leader in fighting for the rights of the blind and in pioneering innovative training programs using the white cane. The United States Congress adopted a joint resolution in 1964 designating October 15 of each year as 'White Cane Safety Day' and recognizing that white canes enable blind people to travel safely and independently.
NFB further mentions that while the white cane does keep blind people safe (because drivers and other pedestrians can easily see it), it is also a tool that blind people use to explore and navigate our environment. For this reason, the emphasis of “White Cane Safety Day has shifted over time away from safety, and toward independence and equality. We believe that it's important to celebrate this history and recognise the white cane as the tool that allows the blind to come and go on [our] own” as President Lyndon Johnson said back in 1964.
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in India, is the nodal department to look after all the development agenda of Persons with Disabilities of the country.
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