96-26836. White Cane Safety Day, 1996  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 202 (Thursday, October 17, 1996)]
    [Presidential Documents]
    [Pages 54077-54078]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-26836]
    
    
    
    [[Page 54330]]
    
    
    
                            Presidential Documents 
    
    
    
    Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 202 / Thursday, October 17, 1996 / 
    Presidential Documents
    
    ___________________________________________________________________
    
    Title 3--
    The President
    
    [[Page 54077]]
    
                    Proclamation 6941 of October 14, 1996
    
                    
    White Cane Safety Day, 1996
    
                    By the President of the United States of America
    
                    A Proclamation
    
                    In the summer of 1996, the remarkable display of 
                    athletic excellence at the Tenth Paralympic Games in 
                    Atlanta, Georgia, inspired viewers around the world. 
                    Athletes from across our country, including many who 
                    are blind or visually impaired, participated in these 
                    games. The tenacity and commitment to excellence that 
                    these athletes showed in Atlanta are rich resources for 
                    our Nation. From their performance in the Paralympics, 
                    and indeed from their many contributions throughout our 
                    Nation's history, blind and visually impaired Americans 
                    have demonstrated how much they have to contribute.
    
                    Individuals with disabilities, like all people, use 
                    many tools in their everyday lives, some simple and 
                    some technologically sophisticated. The tool most 
                    commonly used by blind and visually impaired people is 
                    the white cane. This basic instrument enables them to 
                    detect obstacles, steps, drop-offs, and changes in 
                    surface textures. The independence that blind and 
                    visually impaired people gain through the use of the 
                    white cane enriches their lives--and those of all 
                    Americans--by allowing them to participate fully in and 
                    contribute generously to our society.
    
                    Blind and visually impaired individuals make valuable 
                    contributions to our society and our economy. But they 
                    need more than the white cane to achieve their full 
                    potential; they also need equal opportunity and 
                    protection from discrimination. That is why we must 
                    continue to vigorously enforce the Americans with 
                    Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination 
                    against blind and visually impaired people and those 
                    with other disabilities, and ensures them access to 
                    services that all other Americans take for granted.
    
                    To honor the numerous achievements of blind and 
                    visually impaired individuals, and to recognize the 
                    significance of the white cane as a symbol of their 
                    freedom and independence in our society, the Congress 
                    of the United States, by joint resolution approved 
                    October 6, 1964, has designated October 15 of each year 
                    as ``White Cane Safety Day,'' and authorized the 
                    President to issue a proclamation in observance of this 
                    commemoration.
    
                    NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                    United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 
                    15, 1996, 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.
    
                    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                    fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord 
                    nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and
    
    [[Page 54078]]
    
                    of the Independence of the United States of America the 
                    two hundred and twenty-first.
    
                        (Presidential Sig.)
    
    [FR Doc. 96-26836
    Filed 10-16-96; 8:45 am]
    Billing code 3195-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
10/17/1996
Department:
Executive Office of the President
Entry Type:
Presidential Document
Document Type:
Proclamation
Document Number:
96-26836
Pages:
54077-54078 (2 pages)
EOCitation:
of 1996-10-14
PDF File:
96-26836.pdf