CASPER, Wyo. — With “White Cane Safety Day” approaching, the Wyoming Council of the Blind is working to raise awareness about what white canes are as well as things people, particularly drivers, should be mindful of in regards to blind and low-vision pedestrians.
The term “white cane” refers to the staffs or sticks that blind or visually impaired people sometimes rely on to help navigate. It is not uncommon for pedestrians relying on white canes or dog guides to encounter hazards when walking in Wyoming communities, Cheryl Godley, newly elected president of the Wyoming Council of the Blind, said on Monday.
A particularly frequent issue is drivers not watching for pedestrians when making right turns.
“We have to be so cautious,” Godley said. “It is so dangerous. They don’t give us the right of way.”
In addition to being aware of pedestrians, drivers should avoid creating distractions for people walking with canes or guide dogs, Godley said.
Blind and visually impaired people know how to read traffic to understand what is going on and when it is safe for them to cross intersections. Drivers sometimes yell out of their windows at people walking with white canes or dog guides, trying to tell them to cross streets. While this is sometimes done with good intentions, Godley said it isn’t helpful in the way people may think it is.
“It is very distracting to the person who is blind,” she said, adding that shouts can also be distracting to guide dogs.
People wanting to be helpful also sometimes get out of their car to stop traffic. Godley, who lives in Casper, said this happened to her recently while she was using a white cane. A person got out of their car in the middle of traffic, stopped other vehicles and told her she could cross the street.
This can be embarrassing to the person using a white cane or a guide dog and is also unnecessary since blind and visually impaired people are capable of understanding traffic patterns, Godley added.
While it isn’t necessary or helpful for people in cars to shout out of their windows or get out to block traffic, Godley said she thinks it is okay when another pedestrian encounters a blind or visually impaired pedestrian and offers some assistance. If pedestrians want to offer assistance, the important thing is that they ask the blind or visually impaired person first, Godley said. People will sometimes grab a blind person and usher them across a street without taking the time to ask whether or not the person wanted help, Godley said.
In terms of drivers, another issue is vehicles stopping in crosswalks when a blind person is attempting to cross.
“It happens all the time, believe it or not,” Godley said.
She was out with her dog guide the other day and had crossed the first lane of an intersection, but a vehicle was blocking the crosswalk in the next lane. Dog guides are trained not to cross if a vehicle is in a crosswalk, and Godley had to wait in the street until the vehicle backed up to allow her to cross.
Tom Lealos, vice president of the Wyoming Council of the Blind, said he knows someone who uses a white cane who was hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross an intersection in Lovell. The Wyoming Council of the Blind is working to collect information about such instances as it has plans to advocate for some changes to Wyoming’s white cane law, Lealos said.
“If there are episodes [blind or low-vision people] have had with a white cane or a dog guide, we would definitely like to hear from them,” Lealos said.
The state lacks some protections that are in place elsewhere, and while the Wyoming Council of the Blind has yet to decide specific changes, it is beginning the research and review process with the goal of bringing recommendations to the legislature, Lealos said.
While traffic safety is a big focus of White Cane Safety Day, Godley and Lealos also want to raise awareness about other situations.
Lealos was a low-vision person for many years before becoming totally blind. He would sometimes get bumped into by people at grocery stores.
As his vision deteriorated, he eventually decided to get training to start using a white cane and thought he wouldn’t get bumped into when using one.
“I thought my cane would prevent me from getting into a trainwreck, but it didn’t,” he said.
Issues like getting bumped into in a grocery store may stem from people simply not knowing what a white cane is or what it is for, Lealos said. That’s why he’s working to help educate people in general about white canes.
“I understand my cane, but they don’t,” he said.
During his low-vision journey, Lealos said he would sometimes ask people at the grocery store for help reading a label. While many people were helpful, others would sometimes look at him strangely as though he was faking something.
“It was amazing to me how different people reacted when they were around me,” Lealos said.
When he’s using his white cane and wearing shaded glasses, Lealos said people seem to more readily trust that his requests for help reading a label are sincere. People with low vision sometimes really need some assistance reading things or navigating, so if someone gets a question requesting such assistance, they may want to consider the request as being sincere, Lealos suggested.
Both Godley and Lealos talked about things parents and guardians can do to help educate their children about blindness and low-vision issues.
First, kids and people in general should understand that a dog guide is a working animal and they shouldn’t walk up and pet it while it is working. This can distract and bother the dog and the person it is helping.
While people should never pet a dog guide without asking, Godley said some blind or low-vision people who use guide dogs might be okay with their dog being pet if someone asks first. She said she thinks parents should teach their kids that it is okay to ask such questions provided they respect the decision of the blind or low-vision person using the guide dog.
“The handler has the choice to say yes or no,” Godley said.
When her dog guide is not working while she’s waiting in a line, Godley sometimes lets people pet it.
Parents sometimes hush their young kids if they ask aloud why a person is using a white cane or a dog guide, Godley said. However, children’s curiosity about people using white canes or dog guides is natural and she thinks parents should let their kids ask questions.
So long as kids ask in a courteous way, Lealos said he also thinks it is good to encourage questions. He suggested parents might teach their children to ask questions in a kind manner and offer to help a blind or low-vision person if they might need help with something like reading a label or a sign.
Lealos has gotten questions from kids at the church he goes to in Powell about how his white cane works. Like many of the white canes contemporary people rely on, his is collapsible. When kids at his church asked, he was happy to show them how it works.
If a child asks a question in a kind way, Lealos added that he thinks blind and low-vision people should show some courtesy on their part by taking the time to talk with them.
On the topic of traffic safety, Godley said technology installed at intersections that let blind or low-vision people know when it is safe to cross can be helpful, though she said some blind or low-vision people don’t like them as they prefer paying attention to traffic patterns in their own way.
Because blind or low-vision people have different levels of mobility, Godley said she thinks the crosswalk assist technology is valuable and she’s glad the City of Casper has installed it downtown. There’s also one installed at an intersection near her home that she regularly uses, “which I very much appreciate.”
People who are blind or low vision can contact Godley at cgodley@wyoming.com or 307-267-3544 or Lealos at 307-764-3664 if they have stories to share regarding their experiences navigating around Wyoming communities. The Wyoming Council of the Blind can also assist anyone who may be experiencing vision issues with finding resources.
“Sometimes people don’t know where to go for help,” Godley said, reiterating that the Wyoming Council of the Blind is happy to help.
Lealos penned the following regarding the history of White Cane Safety Day:
White Cane Safety Day – October 15
By Tom Lealos, Vice President
Wyoming Council of the Blind
The use of long sticks and staffs by blind and visually impaired pedestrians has evolved over the years. They are simply an extension of the arm and allow the user to identify upcoming hazards by utilizing theirsenses of touch and sound. These sticks, referred to as white canes in modern times, are used both as tools and symbols in the blindness community. White canes allow blind and visually impaired individuals to travel safely over all types of terrain and around unseen obstacles. They also serve as a symbol of the independent spirit exhibited by their users. With proper Orientation and Mobility (O & M) training, a white cane user can virtually travel safely in most any environment. Most white canes these days have a broad red band at the bottom which provides contrast for better public recognition.
The “white” cane was first introduced in France in the early 1920’s and into society in the United Kingdom by some rotary Clubs in the early 1930’s. Proactive ventures of Lyons Clubs International in Illinois and Michigan during the early 1930’s are attributed with starting white cane observances in the United States. Local and state-wide proclamations began to appear across the country identifying the white cane as the universally recognized symbol of blind travelers. Advocacy efforts on the part of many independent organizations and state vocational programs eventually culminated in our nations’ capitol in October of 1964 with a Congressional resolution and subsequent approval by President Lyndon B. Johnson declaring October 15 of each year as White Cane Safety Day. President Bill Clinton later reemphasized this in 2001 within his annual proclamation. Governors and Mayors also make similar proclamations in observance of White Cane Safety Day all across the country. White Cane Safety Day is also observed internationally on October 15 under the auspices of the World Blind Union (WBU) ,
The intent of these proclamations is to heighten the awareness of vehicular drivers when encountering pedestrians using white canes and/or dog guides on streets, roads, and highways. These pedestrians have the right-of-way in all cases. Their white canes and/or dog guides allow them to safely navigate their desired route of travel. They are in control and do not need extra help from drivers distracting them by honking or screamingunsolicited instructions. Hand gestures by drivers fall on “blind eyes” and demonstrate unawareness and lack of respect towards white cane travelers. Drivers are encouraged to be considerate and patient. Drivers of some of the newer vehicles that may be battery powered, which make no sound, need to be very cautious because white cane travelers do not even know you are there. Courteous drivers and alert white cane travelers can usually coexist with mutual respect and common sense.
State laws protect the rights of white cane travelers Everywhere. It is a misdemeanor for a driver of any vehicle to injure a pedestrian traveling with a white cane or dog guide. Penalties and fines are imposed for these offenses. The Wyoming Council of the Blind (WyCB) is currently studying our state’s White Cane laws in an effort to rectify and update the existing inequities found in statute and in Drivers Training Manuals.
Those of us within the blindness community do not think of ourselves as being disabled or handicapped. Yes, blindness is a disability. How we embrace and adapt to this disability is a testimony to our individual courage and resolve to maintain our independence. Our white canes allow us the necessary mobility to take a very important step towards this end.
