White Cane Safety Day, 1994

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Federal Register
Vol. 59, No. 203
Friday, October 21, 1994

____________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President
Proclamation 6741 of October 14, 1994

White Cane Safety Day, 1994

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

At a time when nations around the world are embracing
the blessings of democracy, human dignity, and freedom,
it is fitting that Americans rededicate ourselves to
protecting these rights for our own citizens.

White Cane Safety Day provides a special opportunity to
reflect on the many accomplishments and contributions
of Americans who are blind and visually impaired and to
heighten public awareness of the symbolic strength of
the white cane. For blind and visually impaired
persons, the white cane represents access, opportunity,
mobility, and safety. For everyone in the United
States, the white cane reminds us that having a
disability does not diminish one's right to take part
in any aspect of society. The independence the white
cane provides enables wider participation in the work
force, in commerce, education, entertainment, and
indeed in all aspects of the human experience.

We must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure full
access for blind and visually impaired persons and for
others with disabilities. Our continuing efforts to
implement fully and to enforce the requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act of 1975, and other statutes
serve to guarantee access and opportunity.

As we step up to meet the challenges of an increasingly
fast-paced global economy, we must strive to foster the
creative potential and the active participation of each
one of our citizens. Only then will we truly enjoy the
intelligence, energy, and initiative of every person.
From exclusion to inclusion, from dependence to
independence, from paternalism to empowerment--white
canes across the country are marking the path toward
success for all of us.

To recognize the accomplishments of individuals who are
blind and visually impaired and to acknowledge the
white cane and its many contributions to our society,
the Congress, by joint resolution approved October 6,
1964, designated October 15 of each year as ``White
Cane Safety Day.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim October
15, 1994, as White Cane Safety Day. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities, as an expression
of their support.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and nineteenth.

(Presidential Sig.)>