[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 42 (Monday, October 24, 1994)]
[Pages 2036-2037]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6741--White Cane Safety Day, 1994

October 14, 1994

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    At a time when nations around the world are embracing the blessings 
of democracy, human dignity, and freedom, it is fitting that Americans 
rededicate ourselves to protecting these rights for our own citizens.
    White Cane Safety Day provides a special opportunity to reflect on 
the many accomplishments and contributions of Americans who are blind 
and visually impaired and to heighten public awareness of the symbolic 
strength of the white cane. For blind and visually impaired persons, the 
white cane represents access, opportunity, mobility, and safety. For 
everyone in the United States, the white cane reminds us that having a 
disability does not diminish one's right to take part in any aspect of 
society. The independence the white cane provides enables wider 
participation in the work force, in commerce, education, entertainment, 
and indeed in all aspects of the human experience.
    We must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure full access for 
blind and visually impaired persons and for others with disabilities. 
Our continuing efforts to implement fully and to enforce the 
requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, section 504 
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act of 1975, and other statutes serve to guarantee access and 
opportunity.
    As we step up to meet the challenges of an increasingly fast-paced 
global economy, we must strive to foster the creative potential and the 
active participation of each one of our citizens. Only then will we 
truly enjoy the intelligence, energy, and initiative of every person. 
From exclusion to inclusion, from dependence to independence, from 
paternalism to empowerment--white canes across the country are marking 
the path toward success for all of us.
    To recognize the accomplishments of individuals who are blind and 
visually impaired and to acknowledge the white cane and its many 
contributions to our society, the Congress, by joint resolution approved 
October 6, 1964, 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, 1994, as White Cane 
Safety Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with 
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, as an expression of 
their support.

[[Page 2037]]

    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day 
of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and nineteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 1:37 p.m., October 19, 
1994]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on October 15, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
October 21.