White Cane Safety Day

As a White Cane Day Reactive organizations worldwide use 15 October in order to draw attention to the situation of blind and partially sighted people. On October 15, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson handed in a symbolic act canes to people with blindness and severe visual impairment, which is considered the beginning of the systematic orientation and mobility training.

The idea to provide the blind person with a white cane as a protection and identification, originated in Paris in 1930 and 1931 was put into action. Creator of this idea was Guilly d' Herbemont who was able to present the first white canes on 7 February 1931 in the presence of several ministers and representatives of organizations for the blind. The white floor was thus officially recognized as a protected and identification of blind people.

In 1969 the United Nations declared the " International Day of the White stick " to life, which is celebrated on the 15th of October. In the following years, the white floor experienced a new development. With the long stick and corresponding mobility training could now increasingly blind and partially sighted people take the challenge of road transport in attack.