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White Cane - A symbol of independence for the visually impaired
National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH)
Extracted from Disability Update Oct 20-26, 2006
October 20, 2006

October 15 was White Cane Day and thousands of visually impaired people in Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating a simple but immensely important devise that is not only a symbol of visual impairment but also a symbol of independence for them – the white cane. Constituting about 24% of the estimated total of 1.3m people with disabilities in Zimbabwe, the visually impaired are the single largest group of people with disabilities in the country. For the generality of Zimbabweans, however, this important day passed unnoticed, vindicating, once again, the invisibility of people with disabilities in the social equation.

Referred to respectfully as a staff of independence, the white cane has brought ease and convenience to visually impaired people the world over by giving them the freedom to travel independently to their schools and workplaces and to participate more fully in the life of their communities. Armed with this handy and easy-to-use devise, people who are visually impaired are able to enjoy greater mobility and safety by determining the location of side walks, steps, uneven pavement, and other physical obstacles in their path. This has greatly boosted the inherent dignity of the visually impaired in addition to increasing their capacity for self-reliance – two key factors underpinning the development of any individual.

As a symbol of visual impairment, the white cane plays the role of identifier, serving to alert motorists and all road users to the presence of a visually impaired person on the roads. The use of the cane grants visually impaired pedestrians protection and the right-of-way from motorists – a very useful protection in light of the large numbers of cars that clog today’s city streets.

In addition to its utility value, the white cane empowers the visually impaired to participate fully in the social and economic life of the state and to engage in gainful employment. It also affirms the right to equal use of public facilities including the full and free use of the streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public facilities and other public places. The use of the white cane affords people with visual impairments with the mobility and means to claim and acquire full entitlement to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of the country’s various structures, institutions and transportation systems. These include common carriers, airplanes, motor vehicles, railroad trains, motor buses, streetcars, boats or any other public conveyances or modes of transportation, hotels, lodging places, places of public accommodation, amusement or resort and any other places to which the general public is invited, subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons.

Despite the numerous integration opportunities for the visually impaired that the white cane has ushered in, stigma and discrimination by society continue to be the biggest barrier to the attainment and ultimate enjoyment of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the visually impaired. This discrimination is most manifest in the area of employment, as evidenced by the experiences of Tsarayi Mungoni, a visually impaired professional.

Despite his incredible drive and impressive credentials – holder of an Masters degree in Business Administration, overall best student in the 2001 MBA programme, recipient of the Book Price and the Kingdom Financial Holdings price, holder of an honours degree in Social Work and overall best student of the semester in the post graduate degree in Labour Law that he is about to complete- Tsarayi Mungoni has yet to come to terms with the shocking reality of discrimination that has seen several doors to employment opportunities slammed shut in his face while being systematically passed over for promotion. His sin: he is visually impaired. In a world that is organized to meet the needs of the able-bodied at the expense of people with disabilities, this is the ultimate sin and forms the basis for a never-ending cycle of stigmatization and discrimination.

Mr Mungoni, who holds the post of Training Manager at the Management Training Bureau in Harare, recalls the time when he applied for a senior advertised post and was called for an interview. On noticing that Mr Mungoni could not see, however, one of the interviewers remarked: ‘Are you the one who is supposed to come for the interview?’ before dismissing the astounded Mr Mungoni with the glib explanation that one of the interviewers had been taken sick and they could therefore not proceed with the interview. Needless to say, other interviewees proceeded to be interviewed as scheduled.

Mr Mungoni is unequivocal about his vision for a discrimination-free society: ‘Despite numerous government initiatives, there has got to be more political will on the part of government to actively involve people with disabilities so that they become active participants in the processes that affect them. On a personal level, I would likely to compete with able-bodied people on equal terms. If I demonstrate competence, I must be enrolled and appraised on the basis of that competence.’

His feeling is that the plight of people with disabilities can only be alleviated by the adoption of cross cutting measures including the availing of resources to people with disabilities; the appointment of the members of the disability sector to key decision making positions; the putting in place of viable incentives like tax concessions in the private sector motivate it to employ people with disabilities; and increasing the number of people with disabilities in parliament through, for instance, the appointment of non-constituency Members of Parliament to cover all disabilities so that disability can have a stronger voice.

Although the invention of the white cane is shrouded in dispute, the origins of the White Cane Day suffer from no such ambiguity. In response to cumulative pressure from several state organizations and rehabilitation agencies serving visually impaired citizens of the United States, the congress signed into law a joint resolution of the Congress on October 6, 1964, authorizing the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day", which would be observed with appropriate ceremonies and activities. That same day, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed October 15, as White Cane Safety Day. Since then, White Cane Day has since acquired international recognition and visually impaired people throughout the world use the white cane.

The history of the cane as a walking and traveling aid date back to the biblical times, where the shepherd's staff was used as a tool for solitary travel, with the visually impaired using a variety of ‘canes’ and walking sticks to detect obstacles in their path.

The new role of the ‘cane’ as a symbol of visual impairment owes its origins to the invention of the motorcar, as visually impaired people sought to cope with the dangers presented by increased motor vehicle traffic when moving in the towns and cities. The invention of the white cane is widely credited to George A. Bonham of Illinois, a member of the Lions Club, who, in 1930, decided to paint cane sticks white after seeing the problems faced by a visually impaired man trying to cross the street using a black cane, which rendered him barely visible to motorists. In the United Kingdom, however, James Biggs of Bristol claims to have invented the white cane in 1921 following an accident in which he lost his sight. Forced to adjust to his surroundings and feeling bewildered by the volumes of motor vehicle traffic around him, Biggs decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists.

However, it was only in the 1930s that impetus for the recognition of the white cane as a symbol for visually impaired people began to mount. In France, Guilly d'Herbemont launched a scheme for a national white stick movement for blind people in February 1931. The resultant publicity caused the campaign to spread to Britain as rotary clubs started sponsoring similar schemes. The BBC added to the impetus by flighting radio broadcasts promoting the use of the white cane while the Lions Club International also embarked on a similar national programme. Government soon took note and the white cane began to benefit from the support of the legislature. From there, it was a short hop to international recognition and observance.

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