TULSA - White cane users with visual disabilities and sighted supporters will celebrate National White Cane Safety Awareness Day from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Oct. 15 with a walk through the heart of downtown Tulsa.
Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, will host this year’s event. SBVI staff invites participants to gather in Williams Green Park, 61 E 3rd St, in downtown Tulsa.
White Cane Safety Day was first established by presidential proclamation in 1964. The first white cane laws were drafted around that time. Today, similar laws exist in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia.
A proclamation from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will be read, marking the importance of the day. Participants using white canes and dog guides will then circle the park.
White Cane Day walkers will hand out cards with a summary of the Oklahoma law requiring drivers to stop for white cane users and a thank you to drivers stopping during the celebration.
Oklahoma law requires drivers to completely stop their vehicles 15 feet away from pedestrians who are visually impaired and identified by their use of white canes with red tips or dog guides. People who violate this law are guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to three months or $100 fine or both.
Oklahoma law also stipulates that only blind people may carry white canes with or without red tips, which are internationally recognized as mobility aids for people with vision impairments.
“An estimated 3.3 percent of the state’s population or 128,900 Oklahomans, all ages, report vision difficulties and may be potential white cane or dog guide users, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey estimates,” DRS Executive Director Melinda Fruendt said. “DRS serves Oklahomans who are blind, and we know there is strong connection between effective cane use, travel safety and reaching personal goals for employment and independence.”
In 2023, DRS’ SBVI provided career counseling, employment, technology, and training and job placement services for 1,168 Oklahomans and helped 109 find employment. Those who became employed earn an annual average of $29,186 and pay $4,378 in annual taxes.
Contact Jane Lansaw, 918-551-4920 or jlansaw@okdrs.gov, with questions about SBVI’s White Cane Safety Awareness Day.
For information about programs offered by SBVI, phone 800-487-4042 to reach the nearest office or visit https://oklahoma.gov/okdrs/job-seekers/sbvi.html.
(###)
###
For more information
Brett Jones
Communications Officer
Cell: 405-651-4594
