White Cane Day set for Oct. 15
A free entertainment event featuring a pair of Alabama music artists will shine a light on the independence of blind and visually impaired people.
The Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind (AIDB), in partnership with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, is hosting the 10th anniversary White Cane Day Alabama from 1 to 5 p.m. on October 15 at the Alys Stephens Center.
Musician David Crenshaw will perform during the event, as will Julius Love of the Blind Boys of Alabama. Additionally, there will be students from the Alabama School for the Blind doing skits and providing information about people in the field who have made accessibility what it is.
“The white cane is a symbol for independence for people with visual impairments,” said Melody Brown, a Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS) with AIDB. “Not every visually impaired person needs a cane or uses a cane, but it's a symbol.”
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed Oct. 15 White Cane Safety Day. It is now White Cane Day.
“A lot of the accessibility advancements that we have in our country right now are based on things that were made to make things accessible for people with visual impairments,” Brown said. “That and people in wheelchairs are the two major impetuses for making things accessible in our country.”
Ann Halpern is a visually impaired woman who lives in the Brookdale University Park Independent Living Facility in Homewood. She uses a white cane and is sometimes amazed that some in the general public don’t know its meaning.
“They think it's a cute cane because it's got a red tip and it's white,” the 82-year-old said. “'Is that your fishing rod that you take out to go fishing? Things like that. They don't understand the purpose of it. When you're carrying it extended in front of you, as you move it left to right you know that your next two steps are safe.”
Brown said White Cane Day brings attention to the abilities of the blind and visually impaired. Some people who are visually challenged don’t realize the possibilities available to them.
“Sometimes when you're visually impaired, you kind of give up on your autonomy,” Brown said. “You kind of just assume it is what it is. I'm gonna always be objectified.
“No, you still have autonomy,” she continued. “You still have a voice. You don't just give that up just because you can't see or you can't see as well as you did.”
The 10th annual White Cane Day in Alabama launches a new set of awards, the AVAs – the Alabama Vision Achievement Awards. The awards recognize individuals who are blind or have low vision and their accomplishments. It also brings attention to professionals who help in the field of the visually impaired.
White Cane Day Alabama is free but persons attending must register online at wcdal.org. For more information, call senior orientation mobility orientation specialist Bill Adams at 334-746-0912.