October 15 is White Cane Safety Day, a nationally recognized event to promote safe and welcoming communities for people who are blind or low vision. First recognized in 1964 when it was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, the day raises awareness of state White Cane Laws. In Wisconsin, that law states that drivers must stop 10 feet before a pedestrian who is using a white cane or guide dog. For more than a decade, the Council has encouraged state and municipal governments to issue White Cane Safety Day proclamations and urge them to promote pedestrian safety in their own communities.
Everyone is a pedestrian some of the time, but for the 31% of Wisconsin residents who do not drive, including people with vision loss, pedestrian safety is a critical issue that affects their lives every day. People with vision loss have the right to feel safe when walking to their job, to meet friends, or anywhere else they want or need to go. White Cane Laws, coupled with critical pedestrian infrastructure like sidewalks, curb ramps with tactile warning fields, and accessible pedestrian signals, are critical to making that happen.
Thank you to Governor Evers and local leaders in all of the communities that issued White Cane Safety Day proclamations this year:
Ashland
Chippewa Falls
Cottage Grove
County of Milwaukee
Delavan
Fitchburg
Green Bay
Greenfield
Janesville
La Crosse
Madison
Manitowoc
Marshfield
Menomonee Falls
Middleton
Monona
Oshkosh
Plover
Portage
Shorewood
State of Wisconsin
Stevens Point
Sun Prairie
Watertown
Waukesha
Wausau
West Bend
Whitewater
Wisconsin Rapids
You can learn more about White Cane Safety Day and pedestrian safety in general at WCBlind.org/Events/Pedestrian-Safety-Month-And-White-Cane-Safety-Day.