White Cane Safety Day, 1999

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Part II

The President

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Proclamation 7240--White Cane Safety Day, 1999

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7240 of October 15, 1999

White Cane Safety Day, 1999

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The white cane is widely recognized as a symbol of
independence for people who are blind or visually
impaired. This simple device has given freedom to
generations of blind Americans by enabling them to move
through their communities with greater ease,
confidence, and safety.

Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, former President of the National
Federation of the Blind who died just a year ago this
month, was an early advocate of the white cane and the
full integration of blind people into every aspect of
society. Dr. Jernigan used the white cane himself and
recognized its power as a means to allow blind people
to leave the confines of their homes for the outside
world--to go to school and to work and to make ever-
greater contributions to their communities.

Thanks to enormous advances in technology, people who
are blind or visually impaired now have additional
tools--such as voice recognition software, computer
screen readers, and braille translators--to assist them
in carrying out their responsibilities on the job. My
Administration has proposed increased investment in
such assistive technology as well as a $1,000 tax
credit to help people with disabilities offset the cost
of special transportation requirements and work-related
expenses. I have also strongly urged the Congress to
pass the Work Incentives Improvement Act so that
Americans with disabilities can go to work without
jeopardizing their Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

We can be heartened today that many barriers to full
inclusion for blind Americans have been dismantled. But
the greatest barrier still remains: the attitude of too
many sighted people that those who are blind or
visually impaired are incapable of holding their own in
the working world. On White Cane Safety Day, let us
reaffirm our national commitment to providing equal
opportunity for all Americans, regardless of
disability.

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, 1999, 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-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-fourth.