Advocates for the blind came with canes and guide dogs to the Lane County Courthouse on Monday afternoon for Eugene’s Sixth Annual White Cane Celebration.
The event featured speakers such as Mayor Jim Torrey, County Commissioner Anna Morrison, District 3, and other civic and community leaders. The Eugene Lion’s Club and the Oregon Commission for the Blind coordinated the event, which drew nearly 30 people and multiple guide dogs.
“We’re heightening awareness of the white canes … so we don’t get bumped off in traffic,” coordinator Pat Richardson said. She is among the 654 legally blind people living in the Eugene-Springfield area and has coordinated the event for the Eugene Lion’s club for six years.
White canes have been used by blind and deaf people for safety and guidance since 1931. Legally, motorists are required to yield the right-of-way to a blind or deaf pedestrian, Morrison said.
The original concept for a white cane is credited to James Biggs of England, a photographer who lost his vision in an accident. In 1921, he came up with the idea of painting his cane white so he could be easily seen at night. In 1964, the cause gained widespread recognition when President Lyndon Johnson designated Oct. 15 as White Cane Safety Day.
White canes and guide dogs are used by many of Oregon’s 6,903 legally blind residents, said Mary Feldman, Director of the Americans with Disabilities Act for the city of Eugene.
Torrey and other speakers said teaching children is the best way to promote heightened awareness for the disabled.
“The key is how children relate (to blind people) and guide dogs and the people they may know in the future who have a disability,” Torrey explained.
Bill Spiry, human resources director for the city of Springfield and a legally blind Oregonian, echoed Torrey’s sentiments.
“We need to take the opportunity to communicate our objectives (to children and their parents),” Spiry said. He added that when children are properly educated, they can be an asset for the blind community. “More than once I’d walk into an area and have a child look over and say ‘You know dad, you can’t touch that dog. … That dog’s working.’”
Blind people also spoke of traffic accidents that had happened or almost happened to them.
“A car sped by when I was trying to cross the street and ripped off the end of my cane,” Richardson said. “One more step, and it would have been me.”
Eugene resident Chuck Crawford, a veteran whose official status is “140 percent disabled,” has had similar experiences with prejudiced people.
“I’ve become a target for some kids — they’ve played chicken with me,” Crawford said. “I’ve had bus drivers tell me to look at the sign when I go up to ask them for directions, even when I have a white cane in my hand.”
Spiry has also experienced traffic altercations.
“Once, I was with (my seeing eye dog), and we were pushed three-fourths of the way into an intersection by a driver who wasn’t looking,” Spiry said.
Diane Bishop, Eugene’s bicycle program coordinator, said drivers should be more aware of the people around them. “We have a great responsibility,” Bishop said. “When we get into our car, we are operating a weapon. …We have to yield to pedestrians.
“The white cane is an effective reminder to motorists that the pedestrian is blind.”