Central Kansas Association for the Visually Impaired, a local support group, will mark the 2018 White Cane Safety Day from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, Oct. 15, by walking around Kilby Square. The public is invited to join them in their walk.

The blind do not merely put their best foot forward when walking, they place the most iconic symbol in front, the white cane. The white cane is more than a highly effective mobility tool, but represents an instrumental component of the dignity, freedoms, and possibilities cultivated through generations of blinded individuals. It is for this reason communities around the world celebrates Oct. 15 as White Cane Safety Day.

While the blind might have employed a cane or staff to aid with travel, the history of the white cane first arose between the two World Wars. The white cane’s development aimed to achieve two goals, assist the blind navigate and provide a highly visible identifier for safety. This period enabled individuals to researchers to test out a variety of materials to techniques.

However, the modern day tap method originated during World War II. In June 1942, President Roosevelt desired to avoid the pitfalls returning World War I blinded Veterans faced by ordering the War Department to assess efficacious blind rehab programs. A year later, in May 1943, Valley Forge Army General Hospital received the designation as the first blind rehab center. Tech Sgt. C. Warren Bledsoe and Lt. Richard Hoover spearheaded this effort. In 1947 the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center in Hines, IL continued their efforts perfecting the new cane technique.

The popularity and benefits of the white cane started to be recognized almost immediately. During its infancy years, blindness advocates raised the awareness about the white cane through civic action and positive public demonstrations. These actions resulted with cities and states passing white cane safety laws and proclamations. The local grassroots victories accumulated into a tremendous win on Oct. 15, 1964. Blindness organizations, like the Blinded Veterans Association, American Council for the Blind, and American Foundation for the Blind, fought for the passage of joint resolution H.R. 756, the Presidential proclamation for White Cane Safety Day on every Oct. 15. President Lyndon B. Johnson quickly signed this into law while stating the, “White cane in our society has become one of the symbols of a blind person’s ability to come and go on his own.”