About White Cane Day

The White Cane Keeps Us Safe...

White Cane Awareness Day at Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision in Tampa Florida.
White Cane Awareness Day at Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision in Tampa Florida.

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A group holds up signs on White Cane Awareness Day.
A group holds up signs on White Cane Awareness Day.

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A group walks with signs on White Cane Awareness Day.
A group walks with signs on White Cane Awareness Day.

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A woman with a white cane waits at a crosswalk.
A woman with a white cane waits at a crosswalk.

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A group of people using white canes cross the street.
A group of people using white canes cross the street.

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So, Tell Me More About White Cane Day...

  • In 1921, James Biggs, a Bristol, England photographer, became the first person to paint his cane white. He became blind after an accident, and was concerned about the amount of traffic around his house.
  • In 1930, George A. Bonham, President of the Peoria, Ill. Lions Club, was watching a blind man attempting to cross a street. He noticed that the man's cane was black, and that motorists could not see it well, so he suggested to the main to paint the cane white, with a red tip, in order to make it more noticeable. Now, all canes used by people with impaired vision are white with a red stripe.
  • The standard technique of sweeping the cane back and forth was pioneered in 1944 by Richard E. Hoover, a World War II veteran rehabilitation specialist. This technique of holding the cane in the center of the body and swinging it back and forth before each step in order to detect obstacles is still known as the "Hoover Method" today.
  • Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists who teach the white cane technique to people who are blind must first spend 120 of their training blindfolded, and navigating with a white cane. So, unless you have learned how to use a white cane yourself, you cannot be certified as an O&M specialist!
  • Did you know that there are emojis for a "white cane", people using manual or motorized wheelchairs, people walking with guide dogs, wearing hearing aids, and/or using a mechanical arm or leg? These emojis were developed by Apple, in concert with organizations like the National Association of the Deaf, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and the American Council of the Blind.

White Cane Safety Day is now Blind Americans Equality Day, too!

In 1964, the U.S. Congress adopted a joint resolution designating October 15 of each year as White Cane Safety Day. This was to recognize that white canes enable blind people to travel safely and independently. In 2011, White Cane Safety Day was also designated as Blind Americans Equality Day, by President Barack Obama.