Welcome to the official website for the White Cane Day celebration. Check back often to see what's been added. Note that the date above is when the Austin White Cane Day events will be held. White Cane Day is recognized worldwide on October 15th of each year.
Orders are now being taken for the 2010 White Cane Day T-shirt. Note that if you fill out the online form, you must print it out and send it in with your payment. Or, you could fill out the form and email it to the White Cane Day Gmail address, and mail your payment. Either way, shirts will not be sent until we have received both an order form and a payment. Expect to receive your shirt in early October. It is currently not possible to submit the order form through a secure page on this site. Though that has been talked about, that is as far as it has gone. When sending in payment, be sure to read the part of the order form regarding what form of payment we accept, who to make it out to, and where to send it.
Important: Online orders must be made by 5:00pm central time Friday, September 10, 2010. Orders will continue to be taken in person until 5:00pm central time Thursday, September 16, 2010. Deadline for all t-shirt orders and payment is 5:00pm Friday, September 17, 2010. Any orders or payments made after this date will not be processed and money will be returned. No Exceptions!
After all that, here is the download link for the T-shirt order form (Word 2003 document, 42 KB)
View the 2010 T-Shirt image (PDF, 848 KB) or read a description of this year's shirt (Word 2003 document, 22 KB).
It's time to plan for the 2010 White Cane Day celebration and events. The meetings of the White Cane Day committee will be at the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, 4800 N. Lamar, in Austin, Texas. They will be held in the Main Lounge. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 7, at 10:15. Come and help make this year's celebration even better than last year.
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 Word 2007 format.
On Twitter: The hash or category tag of wcd10 has been created for anything relating to this year's celebration or events of White Cane Day, or anything else that is related to this day or related events. If you are on Twitter and you do some tweeting about White Cane Day, please put #wcd10 somewhere in the post so that it is listed in this category. It does not matter if the letters are lower case or not. Thanks. Depending on how this goes, it may be a recurring theme each year.
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 fan of White Cane Day!
Below is a list of the media coverage that White Cane Day 2009 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 using the link 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 2009 Presidential 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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