OLYMPIA – Secretary of State Steve Hobbs encourages participation in the White Cane Day Walk 2024 in Seattle on Sunday, October 13, to celebrate people who are blind and visually impaired.
The White Cane Day Walk will begin at 12 p.m. at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), 2021 9th Avenue, and will follow a route to Westlake Park, 4th Ave. and Pine, and will return WTBBL.
The White Cane Day walk is presented by several blindness organizations and service providers including the National Federation of the Blind of Washington, Washington Council of the Blind, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., and the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library. Representatives from these organizations and others will have resources and information tables starting at 1:30 p.m.
This day of awareness of the visually impaired was established on October 6, 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson signed a Congressional joint resolution to proclaim October 15 “White Cane Safety Day.” In 2011, President Barack Obama also proclaimed White Cane Day “Blind Americans Equality Day.” White Cane Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of blind and low-vision people.
WTBBL, a program of the Office of the Secretary of State, provides access to information and reading materials for people who are unable to read standard print material due to blindness, visual impairment, DeafBlindness, physical disability, or reading disability.
“Libraries are a gateway to knowledge and intellectual freedom for all.” Secretary Hobbs said. “WTBBL expands that gateway to those who have difficulty reading traditional print, empowering them to explore, learn, and grow. White Cane Day provides an opportunity to increase the public’s knowledge of the unique services WTBBL provides our patrons.”
WTBBL has proudly hosted White Cane Day events since 2021.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.