White Cane History
WHITE STICK AS SYMBOL OF BLINDNESS - HISTORY (From RNIB reference library information file)
An Englishman and a Frenchwoman both claim to have originated the idea.
1921 - James Biggs of Bristol (as he claims in New Beacon article, Dec. 1937, pp. 320/321) thought of idea of painting his stick white -- wrote to various institutions, Chief Constables, newspapers, magazines, etc...
1930 - First reference in New Beacon (December, p. 265) to white stick - "In Paris, the Prefect of Police is supporting the idea that blind pedestrians shall carry white sticks"
1931 - February - Mlle Guilly d'Herbemont, with the assistance of one of the editors of l'Echo de Paris launched national white stick movement in France.
1931 - Taken up by British Press - West Ham Rotary Club's offer to supply white sticks to blind people in the area accepted - in May, the BBC broadcast the suggestion that all blind persons should be provided with a white stick, which should be nationally recognised by the public
1932 - National Institute for the Blind started stocking and selling white sticks
WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY
By provision of P.L. 88-628, 88th Congress, 2d Session, October 15 to be proclaimed each year by the President of the United States as White Cane Safety Day. First such proclamation issued by Lyndon B. Johnson on October 6, 1964. (Ref.: NOB, Dec. 1964, 58 (10), 332.)
October 15, 1970 was declared International White Cane Safety Day for the first time by the President of the International Federation of the Blind. This date was adopted at the first quinquennial convention of the IFB, held in Colombo on October 4, 1969. (Ref.: Braille International, July 1971, 4(2), 14-18.)
First celebrated in United Kingdom 15 October 1979. (Ref.: New Beacon, September 1979, 63(749), 232.)
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(Viewpoint, June 1991) The White Cane - A Commemoration by Dr. A Mutter (Editor's
An Englishman and a Frenchwoman both claim to have originated the idea.
1921 - James Biggs of Bristol (as he claims in New Beacon article, Dec. 1937, pp. 320/321) thought of idea of painting his stick white -- wrote to various institutions, Chief Constables, newspapers, magazines, etc...
1930 - First reference in New Beacon (December, p. 265) to white stick - "In Paris, the Prefect of Police is supporting the idea that blind pedestrians shall carry white sticks"
1931 - February - Mlle Guilly d'Herbemont, with the assistance of one of the editors of l'Echo de Paris launched national white stick movement in France.
1931 - Taken up by British Press - West Ham Rotary Club's offer to supply white sticks to blind people in the area accepted - in May, the BBC broadcast the suggestion that all blind persons should be provided with a white stick, which should be nationally recognised by the public
1932 - National Institute for the Blind started stocking and selling white sticks
WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY
By provision of P.L. 88-628, 88th Congress, 2d Session, October 15 to be proclaimed each year by the President of the United States as White Cane Safety Day. First such proclamation issued by Lyndon B. Johnson on October 6, 1964. (Ref.: NOB, Dec. 1964, 58 (10), 332.)
October 15, 1970 was declared International White Cane Safety Day for the first time by the President of the International Federation of the Blind. This date was adopted at the first quinquennial convention of the IFB, held in Colombo on October 4, 1969. (Ref.: Braille International, July 1971, 4(2), 14-18.)
First celebrated in United Kingdom 15 October 1979. (Ref.: New Beacon, September 1979, 63(749), 232.)
******
(Viewpoint, June 1991) The White Cane - A Commemoration by Dr. A Mutter (Editor's