THE WHITE CANE
No permission to Reprint or Reproduce this Article in any form

We easily recognize a blind person by the white cane. The white cane is being used for many, many years by blind persons as an aid for moving around, by actually perceiving any obstacles in the way.

History dates back to about the end of World War I. Around 1921, a traumatized photographer from Bristol in an attempt to get comfortable with road traffic, painted his walking stick white, thus “inventing” the now well-accepted white cane. In the United States, Lions International Club started aggressive promotion of the white cane (1931), the right of the blind, which eventually was accepted, approved and recognized as “law” by various nations world wide.

The widely used white cane, popularly known as “Long Cane” varies in length, usually extending from floor to user’s breast bone. Interestingly, it is famous as “Hoover Cane”, named after Dr. Richard Hoover. Then there is a smaller version, Kiddie Cane, suitable for children as the name suggests.

Besides the basic design there also are variations, evolved essentially out of sheer physical demands of a blind person. For example, we have the white support cane. The design and structure of this white cane not only declares a person blind, but also provides support and stability (remember the old blind man crossing the street). Another popular version is the “folding” type white cane, facilitating easy storage, particularly in crowded buses, subway trains.

With advancements in technology, the white canes are manufactured out of a variety of materials, the popular being aluminium, graphite-reinforced plastic or fibre-reinforced plastic. White canes fitted with electronic audio-visual indicators are also being developed, thus enhancing the versatility of this icon of blindness.

While there may be variations in details of “rules of law” in different nations, the white cane essentially awards the “right of moving around” to a blind person, white cane being the symbol.