[ampaterry]

Thank you!

Today is another recognized day. Almost a century ago, George Bonham of the Lions Club International, watched a blind man try to cross the street in Peoria, IL using a dark cane common at that time. The problem was obvious; the cane blended in with the pavement, and the motorists did not see it, not recognizing that this man was blind. Bonham came up with the idea that if the cane was white, drivers could see it more easily. The Lions Club painted this cane white, and immediately started promoting the use of white canes by the visually impaired.
The first ordinance giving the right-of-way to people using a white cane was passed in Peoria IL in December of 1930.
The United States Congress, on October 6th of 1964, passed legislation recognizing October 15th as White Cane Safety day.
The white cane, with the red painted tip or stripe, has become such a universally recognized symbol that virtually no one fails to realize that the person using it is visually impaired and should be granted the right-of-way. These tools are a great asset to the visually impaired, as they give them a degree of mobility that was simply not available to them prior to the universal recognition they afford.
I was born and raised in Pekin, IL, just a few minutes South of Peoria, and I did not hear a thing about that area being the one that saw the origination of the white cane as such a wonderful tool. The official recognition of this day should serve to ensure that everyone is aware of the meaning of the white cane, and cause them to ensure that these members of our society are given every chance to lead as normal a life as possible.

There will come a time when these tools are no longer needed, though.

Psalm 146:5-8 (KJV);
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

May God bless each one of you -