2014 flash mob in front of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Photo by Diane Gafney
Every year since 1964, October 15 has been recognized ad White Cane Safety Day, a time to promote safe and welcoming communities for people who are blind or low vision. Its main purpose is to raise awareness of state White Cane Laws. Wisconsin’s law states that drivers must stop 10 feet before a pedestrian who is using a white cane or guide dog. The Council has celebrated White Cane Safety Day for decades by encouraging state and municipal governments to issue White Cane Safety Day proclamations and urging them to promote pedestrian safety in their communities. But those are not the only ways to recognize this important day. Across the state, communities have celebrated White Cane Safety Day in their own ways.
Julie Hapeman worked as an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) until her retirement a few years ago. Julie helped organize White Cane Safety Day events in Milwaukee for years. They started small by handing out cookies decorated with white canes, but eventually graduated to cane walks and even a flash mob. “We had a choreographed dance that we would perform at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, and we would give a talk about the importance of the White Cane Law,” Julie says. “The kids would be invited to share their story about why their cane was important to them and how it helped keep them safe.”
Julie also organized a t-shirt design contest for White Cane Safety Day. She would send free shirts to students with vision loss across the state and sell the other shirts to the public, with the proceeds going toward the Council’s White Cane Fund. Since retiring, Julie no longer organizes the shirt sale. Instead, the Wisconsin Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (WAER) has taken up that mantle and sold White Cane Day shirts to raise money for their scholarship program.
While MPS put a hold on events for a few years after Julie retired, the district is looking to mark the day again in 2025. Jesse Harmon, an O&M Specialist with MPS, says his students will be working with MilWALKee Walks to stage a crosswalk action at a busy intersection. Jesse will work with his students to all cross the street with their white canes at once to remind drivers to respect pedestrians. “One of our paraprofessionals crosses this intersection every day and struggles with it because of how busy and wide it is with no accessible pedestrian signal,” Jesse says. “We are working with the city to make the crosswalk safer, but this action will be a way to raise awareness of the issue and show the community that people with vision loss live in the area.”
The Chippewa Falls area has seen a number of different White Cane Safety Day celebrations over the years. Renee Kuester-Sebranek organized many of those events, which included everything from mayoral proclamations to cane walks to handing out keychains in the shape of a white cane. “They were big community gatherings more than anything,” Renee says. “It was important for us in that rural area to make people aware that there are people with vision loss in their community. These events help people know that our white canes signify independence, confidence and access.”
It doesn’t matter how you celebrate White Cane Safety Day; what matters is that the day is recognized and that people who are blind or low vision can move throughout their community safely and confidently. You can learn more about pedestrian safety and White Cane Safety Day on our website at WCBlind.org/Events/Pedestrian-Safety-Month-And-White-Cane-Safety-Day.