Proclamation 6741—White Cane Safety Day, 1994

At a time when nations around the world are embracing the blessings of democracy, human dignity, and freedom, it is fitting that Americans rededicate ourselves to protecting these rights for our own citizens.

White Cane Safety Day provides a special opportunity to reflect on the many accomplishments and contributions of Americans who are blind and visually impaired and to heighten public awareness of the symbolic strength of the white cane. For blind and visually impaired persons, the white cane represents access, opportunity, mobility, and safety. For everyone in the United States, the white cane reminds us that having a disability does not diminish one's right to take part in any aspect of society. The independence the white cane provides enables wider participation in the work force, in commerce, education, entertainment, and indeed in all aspects of the human experience.

We must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure full access for blind and visually impaired persons and for others with disabilities. Our continuing efforts to implement fully and to enforce the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975, and other statutes serve to guarantee access and opportunity.

As we step up to meet the challenges of an increasingly fast-paced global economy, we must strive to foster the creative potential and the active participation of each one of our citizens. Only then will we truly enjoy the intelligence, energy, and initiative of every person. From exclusion to inclusion, from dependence to independence, from paternalism to empowerment—white canes across the country are marking the path toward success for all of us.

To recognize the accomplishments of individuals who are blind and visually impaired and to acknowledge the white cane and its many contributions to our society, the Congress, by joint resolution approved October 6, 1964, 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, 1994, as White Cane Safety Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, as an expression of their support.

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

WILLIAM J. CLINTON