White Cane: Meaning, Types, Laws and White Cane Safety Day
A white cane is the long, mostly white cane that blind and visually impaired people use to find obstacles, steps and curbs ahead of them, and that tells drivers and other people that the person holding it can't see well. In the words of the first White Cane Safety Day proclamation, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964: "A white cane in our society has become one of the symbols of a blind person's ability to come and go on his own" (Proclamation 3622).
Key points
- Two jobs: the cane finds what is on the ground ahead, and it lets everyone else know the person has a visual impairment (Lions Clubs International).
- Not only for people who are totally blind: people with some sight use canes too (NFB).
- Three kinds: the long cane for travel, the shorter identification cane, and the support cane for balance (Wisconsin DHS).
- Red and white: US laws protect a white cane "with or without a red tip". Red and white stripes mean deafblind in the UK and some other countries, not in US law.
- White Cane Safety Day is October 15, set by Congress in 1964. Recent presidential proclamations call it Blind Americans Equality Day.
- White cane laws require drivers to yield to a person with a white cane. The NFB and Perkins say every state has one.
- Cane skills are taught by an orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist, at school or through the state's rehabilitation agency.
What does a white cane mean?
The white cane says two things at once. For the person who carries it, it is a travel tool: "Throughout the world, the long white cane is used by people who are blind or visually impaired as a tool for safe and reliable navigation," says Lions Clubs International. For everyone else, it is a sign: "A white cane alerts the rest of the world that the person holding it has difficulty seeing" (Wisconsin Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired).
Blind people's organizations describe it as a sign of independence, not of helplessness. "For blind people, the white cane is an essential tool that gives us the ability to achieve a full and independent life," writes the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). A 2010 presidential proclamation calls it "a symbol of dignity, freedom, and independence for individuals who are blind or visually impaired" (Federal Register).
Can someone who isn't totally blind use a white cane?
Yes. Most people who are legally blind have some sight, and some of them use a cane. The NFB's courtesy rules put it in the first person: "Remember – I may have some sight, but use nonvisual techniques and tools like a cane because it works best for me" (NFB). So a cane user who looks at their phone isn't faking. Wisconsin's state office adds that "Anyone with a visual impairment can benefit from learning the use of the cane, whether she be nine years old or 90" (Wisconsin DHS).
Types of white canes
There is no single official list, but US sources agree on three kinds (Wisconsin DHS; Perkins):
| Type | What it does | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Long cane (also called a mobility or probing cane) | Sweeps the ground ahead to find obstacles, steps and curbs. "Long canes provide the most protection to a blind traveler" | People who travel with the cane as their main tool |
| Identification cane (ID cane) | A short, light cane that mostly tells the public the person has a visual impairment. "Identification canes provide minimal protection" | People with some sight who don't need the cane to find obstacles |
| Support cane | Helps with "balance or strength in the legs"; a white one also identifies the person as blind or low vision | Visually impaired people who also need physical support |
AFB's VisionAware notes a case people often miss: "If you can't see well enough to know what is on the ground in front of you and you need a cane for support, you will need two canes" (VisionAware).
Folding or rigid?
"Long white canes come in two categories: ones that fold and ones that don't" (VisionAware). Folding canes fit in a bag, but VisionAware says they "tend to be less sturdy when compared to straight (non-folding) canes and don't provide the same amount of sensory feedback." Today's canes are "usually made from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber, and can weigh as little as seven ounces" (Perkins).
The NFB recommends a one-piece cane while you learn, and warns against using a folding cane to hide that you are blind: "Do not let yourself fall into the trap of thinking you are hiding your blindness by using a folding cane" (NFB, The Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane). Through its free white cane program, the NFB says it "has distributed nearly 100,000 free white canes since 2008." "Any blind individual in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico can request a cane for their personal use."
Cane tips
The tip changes how the cane feels on the ground. VisionAware lists the common ones (VisionAware):
| Tip | What VisionAware says |
|---|---|
| Pencil tip | "Good feedback and lightness" |
| Roller tip | "Rolls over cracks", but "Greater weight can add to wrist fatigue" |
| Marshmallow tip | "The thick tip won't get stuck in cracks easily." |
| Metal glide | "Very light; glides easily over cracks." |
"There is no one best type of cane tip," says Guide Dogs UK: the right one depends on how much you see, where you travel, the surfaces you meet and personal preference (Guide Dogs).
How long should a white cane be?
Sources give different rules, so the right length is something to settle with an O&M specialist. The idea behind every rule is the same: "The cane needs to reach a good two steps in front of where you are stepping" (NFB), so you have time to stop. As a starting point, the NFB's free cane program suggests: "For adult first-time cane users, we recommend measuring from your shoulders to the floor," and, for children and teens, "measuring from your chin to the floor" (NFB). Experienced travelers often prefer a longer cane.
How a white cane is used
The two basic techniques are constant contact and two-point touch. In constant contact, which many students prefer, "The cane tip is left on the ground as it sweeps back and forth across the body." In two-point touch, the person "arcs the cane from side to side, tapping it once on each side, in an alternating pattern" (APH). The arc covers the space the next step will land in. The method goes back to the 1940s: Richard Hoover, at Valley Forge Army Hospital, developed "a new method of employing the cane, tapping it from side to side in an arc in front of the trailing foot to identify obstacles" (US Department of Veterans Affairs).
The cane doesn't do the navigating. The person knows where they are going, listens to traffic and uses what they know of the route; the cane tells them what is on the ground. Learning all of that is the job of orientation and mobility training (see below).
The red and white cane
This is where US and UK practice differ.
- In the US: state laws protect a cane that is white, "with or without a red tip" (California Vehicle Code 21963; Maine's 1971 model law), or "white with a red tip" (New York). Lions Clubs say: "Sometimes the white cane has a red band or strip for the purpose of contrast" (Lions). We found no US law or national US organization that treats red and white stripes as a deafblind sign.
- In the UK and some other countries: red and white stripes mean the person is deafblind. "Pedestrians with a red and white striped cane however, are deafblind (with both sight and hearing impairments)," says Deafblind UK. Guide Dogs UK adds: "In the UK, a red band on any type of cane is a sign that the user has hearing loss as well as visual impairment."
- Internationally: the World Federation of the Deafblind approved the red and white cane in November 2022 "as the universal symbol of deafblindness for our organization." It notes that in some countries it is well recognized and in others "there is still much work left to do" (WFDB).
If you're driving and see a red and white cane, remember that the person may not hear you: "simply beeping your car horn at them won't necessarily alert them" (Deafblind UK). For how deafblind people communicate, see deafblind communication methods.
History of the white cane
- 1921, England. According to the Massachusetts state government, "James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol, England, became blind following an accident" and, uneasy with the traffic around his home, "painted his walking stick white to be more easily visible" (Mass.gov).
- 1930, Peoria, Illinois. George A. Bonham, president of the Peoria Lions Club, proposed a white cane with red on it so drivers would notice blind pedestrians; sources describe it as red-tipped or with a red band (APH; Mass.gov). Peoria then passed an ordinance "making it mandatory for motorists to yield the right of way" to people carrying the cane (AFB). A Peoria nonprofit dates these events to 1931 and 1932; AFB and APH say 1930.
- 1931. Lions Clubs International "voted to support the passage of white cane laws in every state" (AFB chronology). In France the same year, Guilly d'Herbemont launched a national "white stick movement" and "donated 5,000 white canes to people in Paris" (Mass.gov).
- 1944, Valley Forge. Richard Hoover, an Army sergeant who had taught at the Maryland School for the Blind, developed the long cane and its technique at Valley Forge Army Hospital, where the Army trained soldiers blinded in World War II. His cane "was longer, lighter, and a better conductor of sound than the wooden canes previously in use," and "The technique he pioneered remains the standard today" (VA).
- 1948. The VA opened the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Hines VA Hospital in Illinois, where the method was developed further (VA).
- 1964. Congress authorized White Cane Safety Day, and the VA published specifications for the long cane (AFB chronology).
White Cane Safety Day: October 15
White Cane Safety Day is October 15 of each year. The idea came from the NFB: "The National Federation of the Blind, in convention assembled on the 6th day of July, 1963, called upon the governors of the fifty states to proclaim October 15 of each year as White Cane Safety Day" (NFB, Marc Maurer, 1983).
Congress made it national with a joint resolution, Public Law 88-628, "Approved October 6, 1964." It authorizes the President "to issue annually a proclamation designating October 15 ... as White Cane Safety Day" (Statutes at Large). The same rule is in today's US Code, at 36 U.S.C. 142. President Johnson's first proclamation called on "all our citizens to make every effort to promote the safety and welfare of our blind persons on the streets and highways" (Proclamation 3622).
The name has shifted over time:
- Blind Americans Equality Day. The 2010 proclamation still said White Cane Safety Day. In 2011, President Obama proclaimed "October 15, 2011, as Blind Americans Equality Day" (Federal Register), and the 2022 proclamation says White Cane Safety Day "is recognized today as" Blind Americans Equality Day (Federal Register).
- White Cane Awareness Day. The NFB now uses this name, because "the emphasis of White Cane Safety Day has shifted over time away from safety, and toward independence and equality" (NFB). Some governors use it too, as New Mexico did in 2024.
White cane laws in the US
A white cane law gives blind pedestrians the right of way and tells drivers to stop or take care. "In all 50 states, the law requires drivers to yield the right of way when they see my extended white cane or guide dog," say the NFB's courtesy rules (NFB); Perkins says the same. The wording, the penalty and the details change from state to state; the American Council of the Blind keeps a state-by-state list.
Many state laws come from a model. "In 1966 Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, the founder of the National Federation of the Blind, drafted the model White Cane Law" (NFB). New Mexico's governor says the state, in 1967, became "the first state in the nation to adopt the model white cane law" (New Mexico Commission for the Blind). Maine's 1971 version shows what the model covers: blind people "have the same right as the able-bodied to the full and free use of the streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public facilities and other public places," and not carrying a cane or using a guide dog in those places "shall not be held to constitute nor be evidence of contributory negligence" (Maine Legislature).
Three examples:
| State | What the law says |
|---|---|
| California (Vehicle Code 21963) | A blind pedestrian with a white cane or guide dog "shall have the right-of-way." A driver who fails to yield is guilty of a misdemeanor: up to six months in county jail, a fine of $500 to $1,000, or both (California Legislature) |
| New York (Vehicle and Traffic Law 1153) | Drivers at an intersection or crosswalk must yield. "No person, unless blind or visually impaired, shall use on any street or highway a cane which is metallic or white in color or white with a red tip" (NY Senate) |
| Massachusetts (ch. 90, s. 14A) | When a blind pedestrian with a raised or extended white cane or a guide dog crosses, the driver "shall bring his vehicle to a full stop." Fine: $100 to $500 (Mass.gov) |
Two more points:
- No one is forced to use a cane. New York's law, for example, says it "shall not be construed as making obligatory the employment of the use of a guide dog or of a cane" (NY Senate). Even with a guide dog, cane skills come first: schools usually ask for orientation and mobility training before they match you with a dog (see guide dogs).
- Only people with a visual impairment may use one. Several states make it illegal for a sighted person to carry a white cane. Alaska's law, as compiled by the ACB, says: "A person who is not legally blind may not use a white cane" (ACB).
Orientation and mobility: who teaches cane travel
Nobody is expected to learn the cane alone. "Sufficient training with an Orientation and Mobility specialist can aid in successful cane use, technique and safety," say Lions Clubs International. Orientation means knowing where you are and where you are going; mobility means moving there safely.
What an orientation and mobility specialist does
An O&M specialist teaches blind and visually impaired people of any age to travel on their own: at home, at school or work, and in the community. In schools, TSBVI's description of the role says the specialist "Instructs the student who is visually impaired in the development of skills and knowledge that enables them to move purposely and to travel independently, based on assessed needs and ability," and uses tools such as "tactile maps, models, distance optical devices, adaptive mobility devices, and long canes" (TSBVI).
The cane is only part of it. Federal special education rules list what O&M covers for children, including using sound, temperature and vibrations to keep a line of travel ("using sound at a traffic light to cross the street"), using "the long cane or a service animal," and using remaining vision and low vision aids (34 CFR 300.34).
How to become an O&M specialist
The main credential is the Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), from ACVREP (ACVREP):
- Training: a university program in O&M plus "a 350+ hour internship under the supervision of an experienced COMS." ACVREP points to the AER website for the list of approved university programs.
- Recertification: "A COMS will recertify every five years."
- Who can do it: "A COMS may be blind, partially sighted or sighted." That wasn't always so: blind people "were historically not allowed to become certified to teach O&M" (NFB, JBIR). It is now one of the jobs blind people do.
There is a second credential. The National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC), from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, was "established in 2001" as an alternative to the COMS. It is based on Structured Discovery Cane Travel (NFB, JBIR).
The profession is younger than the cane. The first graduate program in mobility opened at Boston College in 1960, and the first O&M certifications were approved in 1969 (AFB).
How to get O&M training
- Children: O&M is a "related service" under federal special education law (34 CFR 300.34), so it goes in the student's IEP. It is the second area of the expanded core curriculum, and the teacher of the visually impaired refers students to it.
- Adults: start with the state agency for the blind or vocational rehabilitation. In Massachusetts, for example, "Consumers seeking O&M services should first contact their social rehabilitation or vocational rehabilitation counselor to initiate a referral," and training covers "travel skills with a long cane, orientation to new environments, and environmental assessments within a consumer's home, workplace, and community" (Massachusetts Commission for the Blind).
- Veterans: the VA has blind rehabilitation centers; the oldest is at Hines, in Illinois (VA).
What to do when you meet someone with a white cane
- Ask before helping. "If you think I might need help, please just ask me" (NFB). If they say no, that's fine.
- Don't shout or steer. "There's no need to shout warnings or try to physically steer us" (NFB).
- Talk to the person, not to whoever is with them: "Please talk to me rather than a companion."
- If you're driving or cycling, stop. "If you are driving or cycling and see someone using a white cane, you must follow the law and stop to give that person the right of way" (NFB).
- Don't assume they see nothing, or that they're faking because they see a little.
- With a red and white cane, remember that the person may not hear you either.
For more on daily life without sight, see how blind people do everyday things.
Where Braillito fits
The white cane and braille often arrive together: both are part of the expanded core curriculum at school, and both are part of rehabilitation for adults who lose their sight. Braillito, our app, covers the braille side. It teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. It is meant for anyone learning the code, such as adults who are losing their sight (learning braille as an adult) or sighted parents and teachers of a braille reader (learning braille as a sighted person).
Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.
Frequently asked questions
What does a white cane mean?
That the person holding it is blind or visually impaired. It is also their travel tool: it finds obstacles, steps and curbs. Drivers must yield to a person with a white cane under state white cane laws.
What does a red and white cane mean?
In the UK and some other countries, a cane with red and white stripes means the person is deafblind. In the US, laws protect a white cane with or without a red tip, and red and white stripes have no separate legal meaning.
When is White Cane Safety Day?
October 15 of each year. Congress authorized it in 1964 (Public Law 88-628), and President Johnson issued the first proclamation that year. Recent proclamations call it Blind Americans Equality Day; the NFB calls it White Cane Awareness Day.
Do all states have white cane laws?
The NFB and Perkins say all 50 states have one. The details differ: some require drivers to stop, others to yield or take all necessary precautions, and penalties vary. The ACB keeps a state-by-state list.
Can a person who is not totally blind use a white cane?
Yes. Many cane users have some sight. Some states do make it illegal for a person who is not blind or visually impaired to use one.
How long should a white cane be?
Long enough to reach about two steps ahead of you, so you have time to stop. The NFB suggests shoulder height as a start for adults and chin height for children; an O&M specialist helps you find the right length.
What is an orientation and mobility specialist?
A professional who teaches blind and visually impaired people to know where they are and to travel safely, including cane skills. The main certification is the COMS, from ACVREP, which requires university training and a 350+ hour supervised internship.
Can you take a white cane on a plane?
Yes. According to Perkins, citing the TSA, "it's legal to take a white cane through security at an airport," but "it has to go through the X-ray machine" (Perkins).