White Cane Safety Day, 1998

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7140 of October 15, 1998

White Cane Safety Day, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The white cane is both a simple tool and a powerful
symbol. For people who are blind or visually impaired,
it can be the key to greater mobility, giving them
information about their surroundings and allowing them
to travel safely whether crossing the street or
crossing the country. For those who are sighted, the
white cane shows that blind or visually impaired people
have the ability, the desire, and the right to
participate in every aspect of our national life. It is
also a reminder that, whether as pedestrians or
drivers, we should respond with care and courtesy to
people using a white cane. And for all of us, the white
cane symbolizes the independence every citizen needs
and deserves if he or she is to contribute fully to
society.

Our annual observance of White Cane Safety Day gives us
the opportunity not only to celebrate the
accomplishments of those who use the white cane, but
also to renew our commitment to removing those
barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that prevent
people with disabilities from reaching their full
potential. Since passage of the Rehabilitation Act, the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Fair
Housing Amendments Act, the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), and the Telecommunications Act, we have made
great progress in our efforts to ensure that all people
with disabilities enjoy equal access to employment
opportunities, education, public accommodations,
housing, transportation, telecommunications, emerging
technologies, and other aspects of our society.

We still have a long way to go, however, before we
achieve the full inclusion, empowerment, and
independence of all Americans with disabilities. The
public and private sectors must work in partnership to
raise awareness of the rights protected by the ADA and
other laws, as well as the responsibilities and
obligations these laws mandate. It is crucial that we
pursue a comprehensive strategy to enable people with
all types of disabilities to obtain and sustain
competitive employment in our Nation's thriving
economy. Men and women with disabilities have much to
offer, and their energy, creativity, and hard work can
greatly strengthen our Nation and our economy. As we
observe White Cane Safety Day and acknowledge the
importance of the white cane as an instrument of
personal freedom, let us reaffirm our determination to
ensure equal opportunity for every American, including
people who are blind or visually impaired.

To honor the many achievements of blind and visually
impaired citizens and to recognize the white cane's
significance in advancing independence, the Congress,
by joint resolution approved October 6, 1964, has
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, 1998, as White Cane Safety Day. I call upon the
people of the United States, government officials,
educators, and business leaders to observe this day
with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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