Welcome to the official website for the Austin, Texas, White Cane Day celebration. Check back often to see what's been added. October 16 has been chosen for this year's White Cane Day events and celebration in Austin. If you are planning on attending the next meeting of the committee on May 10, pay particular attention to the meeting's location below.
The May 10 meeting of the White Cane Day committee will be in a different location. Our next White Cane Day meeting will be on Thursday, May 10th at 10:15 at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). It is very important that you arrive early as you will need to check in and get a badge. Please bring your Identification Card (ID/drivers license). The address to TSBVI is 1100 W. 45th Street Austin, TX 78756, limited parking is available in front of the building as well on the west side of the campus. The meeting will be in the second floor conference room. If you would like to teleconference into the meeting call: 1-877-226-9790 enter code 6813869. This meeting we will be dedicated to voting on the slogan, design and color of the White Cane Day t-shirt.
If you've missed a committee meeting or want to catch up on what's been going on, then check out the following list of meeting notes, all available in Microsoft Word format (.Doc).
Following are the sponsors for the 2011 White Cane Day celebrations and events in Austin, Houston, and Harlingen.
Description of the 2011 shirt (Word 2003 document, 23 KB) Image of the 2011 shirt (PDf format, about 1 MB)
On Facebook: Yes, you can now find White Cane Day on Facebook. Be sure to visit the official White Cane Day Facebook page and become a friend or fan of White Cane Day!
Below is a list of the media coverage that White Cane Day 2010 received, whether it be local, national, or international. If you know of a media outlet, whetehr it be print, radio/TV, or online, that has done a story on White Cane Day, send an email to the White Cane Day Gmail address, located at the bottom of this page, with the information.
On 8/19/08, the National Federation of the Blind issued the following press release. There doesn't appear to be any closing date on the offer, so it's assumed that it is open from now on. Read on for details on how you can get a free white cane.
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), has launched an initiative to ensure that any blind person in the United States and Puerto Rico who needs a long white cane will have one, regardless of their ability to pay. The NFB will provide a free cane to anyone in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico who is blind or has low vision and who uses or desires to use a white cane in order to travel independently. This historic initiative is the largest effort ever of its kind to provide white canes to individuals who are blind or have low vision.
The long white cane provides an effective means for blind students to get to school, blind adults to get to work, and blind seniors to remain active.
It is estimated that 109,000 of the 1.3 million legally blind people in the United States use a white cane. By supplying canes free of charge, this program provides the opportunity for all blind Americans to have a white cane and to participate fully in society.
The National Federation of the Blind will provide a straight, light fiberglass cane to any blind individual in the United States or Puerto Rico who requires the cane for personal use. Canes are available in the following lengths: 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, or 63 inches. Individuals may only request one free cane in any six-month period.
Click here to Apply for a free cane from the NFB.
Here are some sites with information on the history of White Cane Day and the white cane.
Here's the official 2011 State of Texas Proclamation for White Cane Day
View past shirts for White Cane Day
Need a cane? Here's a list of places that sell them:
If you have any questions or comments about White Cane Day, this site, or the Austin celebration/events, then email:
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