World White Cane Safety Day

Every year October 15 is celebrated as World White Cane Safety Day. White cane is a commonly used tool that assists blind, deaf-blind and visually impaired people to move from one place to another. The white cane does not only help blind people to move independently but has also become a symbol for the blind.

White cane is a long aluminum stick made up of two colors, white and red. 75% of the cane is white in color whereas 25% is red in color. Today, there are several models of white canes available in the market, for example, long cane and folding canes. In addition, there are developments happening in the area of electronic canes as well. These electronic canes would help the blind to detect the obstacles in their path and produce vibrations in the handle. This alerts the users to be careful while moving.
History

In the year 1970, the President of the International Federation of the Blind declared October 15 as International White Cane Safety Day.

Source: http://barrierbreak.com/whitecanesafetyday.php