DHSS will observe White Cane Day on Oct. 15

Delaware Health and Social Services’ Division for the Visually Impaired reminds citizens that Oct. 15 is White Cane Day.  White Cane Day is a national observance.  According to the American Federation of the Blind White Cane Safety Day has become a second Independence Day for the estimated 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States.

White Cane Day traces its roots to the actions of a member of the Lions Club in Peoria, Illinois, who in 1930 had the idea that a white cane would be much more visible and could indicate to the general public that a person carrying one was visually impaired. In 1931, the Lions Clubs International adopted the promotion of white canes and advocating for White Cane Laws. 

White Cane Day has taken on added significance since 1964 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the first White Cane Safety Day proclamation after Congress passed HR 753 as a safety reminder to promote courtesy and special consideration to the blind on streets and highways.

Delaware’s White Cane Law is embodied in Title 16 Chapter 95 of the Delaware Code.  White Cane law major points:
• People using a white cane at an intersection have the right of way, and traffic must yield.
• People accompanied by a guide dog are generally permitted in any place open to the public.

The blind and visually impaired are entitled to full and equal accommodations in all forms of transportation, in hotel and other places of public accommodations and other places to which the general public is invited. The public should be aware not everyone who uses a white cane is blind. Some people with low vision use a white cane for safety reasons.

The white cane remains one of the most important and reliable tools for people who are blind or visually impaired. It increases the mobility of these citizens by allowing them to travel safely, facilitating their inclusion in all aspects of American life.  The cane helps its bearers negotiate physical obstacles and thus enables the sightless to travel and work more easily in the public environment.

For additional information about the Delaware White Cane Law, visit www.delcode.state.de.us/title16/c095.

For more information on services to blind or visually impaired Delawareans go to:
www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dvi/index.html, call the Division for the Visually Impaired at 302-255-9800.