White Cane Days

October- Lions White Cane Safety Days

To make the American people more fully aware of the meaning of the white cane and of the need for motorists to exercise special care for the blind person who carries it, on October 6, 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.” * The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a leading organization for the blind, has established the third week in May as “White Cane Week.” * During this week, a special concentration of efforts to educate the public concerning the hopes and aspirations of the blind is emphasized.
In keeping with the Lions’ established tradition of assisting the blind, your Lions club can do much to promote community awareness of the white cane law by seeing that all driver education manuals prominently include the law. Request that local radio, TV and newspaper media periodically feature news of the law’s existence and its wording in detail. Contact offices of local government officials to request a proclamation. In the United States, the President’s annual White Cane Safety Day proclamation may be found on the White House web site www.whitehouse.gov (news; proclamations)

Left: Lions Turner, Verbosky, Hendry

Right: Lions Rieseck, Olayer