Know All About World White Cane Safety Day

The National Federation of the Blind celebrates White Cane Awareness Day every year on October 15.

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 neighbourhoods.

White Cane Awareness Day is our way of emphasizing the critical role that this tool plays in living the lives we want and informing the public about its true significance; as said by NFB President Mark A. Riccobono.

On White Cane Awareness Day, and throughout Meet the Blind Month, members of the NFB conduct activities in their local communities such as white cane walks, film screenings, and social events.

Anyone can encourage their local government to issue a White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation. This is a great way to involve your local community and educate the public about the blind. Please print out either the White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation (HTML) or the White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation (Word) and share it with your local administration.

How White Canes Work

We use our senses of hearing and touch to explore and understand the world around us. The white cane, in effect, makes our hands and arms longer, so that we can assess the situation, and move quickly and confidently. The white cane allows us to avoid obstacles, find steps and curbs, locate and step over cracks or uneven places in the sidewalk, find doorways, get into cars and buses, and much more.

What to Do When You See Someone Using a White Cane

When you see a blind person using a white cane, remember that the cane is our tool to safely and independently navigate the environment. There's no need to shout warnings or try to physically steer us so that our canes won't bump into things. Remember that we are using our canes to explore what is around us. If we need any help or direction, we will ask. If you are driving or cycling and see someone using a white cane, you must follow the law and stop to give that person the right of way. Here are more tips to keep in mind when meeting a blind person.

The History of White Cane Awareness Day

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 ourselves until recently. In the 1960s, the National Federation of the Blind became a leader in fighting for the rights of the blind and in pioneering innovative training programs using the white cane. At our urging, 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.

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 recognize 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.

To emphasize the shift in focus from safety to independence, and to continue to use the white cane as a symbol, we have chosen to refer to this day as White Cane Awareness Day.

There are lots of issues that people with visual impairment faces in their day to day life:

Overly helpful individuals: It’s very common for sighted individuals, strangers, friends or family, to be overly excited to help a visually impaired person. Very frequently, this behaviour holds the assumption that the blind or low vision individual requires assistance, although this might not reflect reality. Blind people might perform a regular task slower but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of completing it. Rushing to help the visually impaired without asking or being asked to do so, might make them feel helpless instead of independent. Moreover, not allowing a visually impaired individual perform a task by themselves, does not give them the room to learn how to do so independently.

Societal stigma: Being blind in a world suited for the sighted, it means there will be multiple normal mishaps. Stumbling upon an office chair that wasn’t neatly tucked under the desk or knocking a glass off the table because it was left right on the edge, are small accidents that can happen and that’s okay. However, such mishaps tend to be perceived by sighted individuals as the inability of the visually impaired to perform tasks, while, in reality, they stem from the inaccessibility of our world.

Blindness or low vision does not indicate the intelligence of the individual nor how sad their life is. Just because the sighted cannot imagine their world without vision does not mean that the visually impaired have a sad or unhappy life because of their visual condition.

Finding and keeping a job: Work is a whole different matter if you’re visually impaired. Considering the lack of accessible work and working spaces, one can already imagine why hiring a visually impaired individual would be considered a liability for a company. This has a negative impact on the confidence and emotional well-being of the visually impaired, while it totally cripples their economic independence. Having little to no opportunity to support oneself, blind or low vision individuals are incapacitated from their independence.

Leisure: The lack of accessibility for the visually impaired is central to a number of the issues the blind or low visual individuals face. Leisure is another one on the list. There is a limited number of inclusive/accessible activities for the visually impaired, which are as simple as a museum visit. Moreover, accessible books are not abundant either. According to the World Blind Union, “more than 90% of all published material is not accessible to the blind or partially sighted.” The internet, as in the new era we all surf the internet for fun, is not fully accessible either, since numerous websites disregard their visually impaired visitors and do not curate content that is accessible for the blind and low vision individuals. Considering these points and many more that are not listed here, one can clearly see how limited leisure options there are for the visually impaired.

Often living in isolation: Considering all of the above, it’s not a surprise that living with a visual impairment might signify, often, living in isolation. Dealing with sight loss, already, is a challenge in itself. The lack of emotional support at diagnosis centres, the limited accessibility to activities and information, the societal stigma and the lack of unemployment, are all factors frequently leading blind or low vision individuals in isolation. This last point illustrates how the problem for the visually impaired is not their blindness or lower vision in itself but their segregation from anyone else.

Just like sighted people, blind and visually impaired people don’t always need help. They want to do things independently and are more than capable of doing so. Granted, there are times when they may need some help, but this isn’t all the time.

It’s common for people to shout at a blind or visually impaired person whenever they decline their offer of help, would you shout at a sighted person in that situation?

It can be frustrating for them as well, as they often want to get something done or get somewhere without being interrupted. If they decline your offer of help, then there is no reason to be offended. Remember that they don’t always need help and can do things on their own. However, there are things one can do, to help!

When navigating obstacles, guiding signals, along with verbal cues, are helpful. Examples:

Curb: brief pause and state “we are approaching a curb and it is slanted upwards.”

Narrow door or passage: you enter first moving your guiding arm behind the small of your back and let them know you are moving through a doorway or narrow space and which direction the door opens so they can move to the appropriate side.

Stairs: stop at the edge of the first step and let the other person know if the steps are up or down, where the railing is (make sure it is on the side of their free hand), and if there is anything special about the steps (they are uneven, very steep, have an overly wide tread, etc.). If there are just a few steps let them know, “you will take 4 steps down.” The will follow one step behind you, with one hand on the handrail and the other holding your arm. Pause after completing the stairs.

Escalators and revolving doors: Use similar guiding cues as you do for the stairs. Let them know when to step onto the escalator and when to get ready to get off. If the person you are guiding is uncomfortable with escalators or revolving doors, use the elevator and regular doors which all buildings are required to have.

Chair: when approaching a chair, place the hand of the person being guided on the back or side of the chair, letting them know which direction the chair is facing.

Never leave a person who is blind or visually impaired in “free space.” Make sure they are in contact with a wall, railing or some other stable object until you return.

If They Use a Guide Dog

Guide dogs are invaluable to people that are blind or partially sighted. They allow their owners a sense of independence.

Here’s how you should respond to a guide dog that is walking any visually impaired person with mobility:

• Never distract the dog from its duty, so don’t pet the dog without asking.
• Before asking a questions of a person handling a dog, allow them to complete the task at hand.
• Remain calm when you approach, never teasing or speaking to the dog.
• Do not offer the dog food or other treats. They are fed on a schedule and follow a specific diet to keep them healthy. Deviations from their routine can disrupt their regular and ad relieving schedules, seriously inconveniencing their handlers.
• Do not offer toys to a guide dog. Though they are treated as pets when they are not in their harnesses, they are only allowed specific toys. In their harness they don’t play with toys.
• Do not call out to the guide dog or obstruct its path, as it can break the dog’s concentration which could prove to be dangerous to its handler.

In some cases the person with low or no vision may prefer to take your arm above the elbow and allow their dog to heel instead of lead. When approaching stairs, ask how the person how they wish to proceed, as they will be holding your arm with one hand and the guide dog with the other, making it impossible to grasp a handrail.

Giving Directions to Someone Who is Blind or Visually Impaired

If a person is on their own with a guide dog or white cane, giving complete accurate directions is necessary. While you may be used to pointing or saying “it is over there,” or “go around the next corner,” if you can’t see you have no idea where “there” is or the “next corner.”

Always refer to a specific direction from the perspective of the person you are advising. Your right is their left and indicate the approximate distance in addition to the direction.

Give the approximate number of streets to cross to reach the destination. Even if you are off a block or two, it gives the person an idea of when to stop and ask for further instructions if needed.

If possible, provide information about landmarks on the way. Remember that sounds, scents and ground textures can be landmarks. You can hear an escalator, smell the scent of fresh brewed coffee and feel the difference between grass and a sidewalk.

Despite this gained knowledge, one’s efforts are not always successful and are presented with the responsibility and challenge of caring for people who have to cope with visual impairment, perhaps for the rest of their lives. We have to understand their difficulties, recognise their abilities and learn how to cooperate and communicate with them in a social as well as hospital environment.

Visually impaired and blind people come from all kinds of backgrounds. Many are elderly, some are young. They may be sportsmen and women, gardeners, farmers, chess players, teachers, typists, musicians, lawyers, housewives, computer programmers, physiotherapists, social workers, telephonists, parents etc.

Such people have many abilities and can achieve many things despite visual impairment or blindness, but there are times when they will appreciate and welcome practical assistance.