Proclamation 6047—White Cane Safety Day, 1989

The white cane is a device that all should recognize, for it is the staff that gives blind individuals greater freedom of movement as they pursue their daily activities. The white cane helps visually impaired persons avoid physical hazards and barriers, thereby enabling its users to travel more safely in the public environment. It is also a tangible reminder to all Americans that those who are blind possess the ability and the desire to lead independent lives.

Each year, White Cane Safety Day provides us with an occasion to renew our determination to eliminate barriers that continue to hinder the full participation of blind Americans in our society, especially those barriers created by discrimination or lack of understanding. It is a day to acknowledge the accomplishments of people who are blind and to reaffirm our support for efforts that will enhance their mobility.

In acknowledge of the white cane and all it symbolizes, the Congress, by joint resolution approved October 6, 1964, has authorized the President to designate October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day."

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 15, 1989, as White Cane Safety Day. I urge all Americans to show respect for those who carry the white cane and to honor, through appropriate ceremonies and activities, their many achievements.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH