[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 202 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55935-55936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28222]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 55935]]

                Proclamation 7140 of October 15, 1998

                
White Cane Safety Day, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The white cane is both a simple tool and a powerful 
                symbol. For people who are blind or visually impaired, 
                it can be the key to greater mobility, giving them 
                information about their surroundings and allowing them 
                to travel safely whether crossing the street or 
                crossing the country. For those who are sighted, the 
                white cane shows that blind or visually impaired people 
                have the ability, the desire, and the right to 
                participate in every aspect of our national life. It is 
                also a reminder that, whether as pedestrians or 
                drivers, we should respond with care and courtesy to 
                people using a white cane. And for all of us, the white 
                cane symbolizes the independence every citizen needs 
                and deserves if he or she is to contribute fully to 
                society.

                Our annual observance of White Cane Safety Day gives us 
                the opportunity not only to celebrate the 
                accomplishments of those who use the white cane, but 
                also to renew our commitment to removing those 
                barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that prevent 
                people with disabilities from reaching their full 
                potential. Since passage of the Rehabilitation Act, the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Fair 
                Housing Amendments Act, the Americans with Disabilities 
                Act (ADA), and the Telecommunications Act, we have made 
                great progress in our efforts to ensure that all people 
                with disabilities enjoy equal access to employment 
                opportunities, education, public accommodations, 
                housing, transportation, telecommunications, emerging 
                technologies, and other aspects of our society.

                We still have a long way to go, however, before we 
                achieve the full inclusion, empowerment, and 
                independence of all Americans with disabilities. The 
                public and private sectors must work in partnership to 
                raise awareness of the rights protected by the ADA and 
                other laws, as well as the responsibilities and 
                obligations these laws mandate. It is crucial that we 
                pursue a comprehensive strategy to enable people with 
                all types of disabilities to obtain and sustain 
                competitive employment in our Nation's thriving 
                economy. Men and women with disabilities have much to 
                offer, and their energy, creativity, and hard work can 
                greatly strengthen our Nation and our economy. As we 
                observe White Cane Safety Day and acknowledge the 
                importance of the white cane as an instrument of 
                personal freedom, let us reaffirm our determination to 
                ensure equal opportunity for every American, including 
                people who are blind or visually impaired.

                To honor the many achievements of blind and visually 
                impaired citizens and to recognize the white cane's 
                significance in advancing independence, the Congress, 
                by joint resolution approved October 6, 1964, has 
                designated October 15 of each year as ``White Cane 
                Safety Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 
                15, 1998, as White Cane Safety Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States, government officials, 
                educators, and business leaders to observe this day 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

[[Page 55936]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-28222
Filed 10-19-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P