White Cane Awareness Day is celebrated annually on October 15^th.  The day was established in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to raise awareness for those who are visually impaired and carry a white cane.   

It is why the Sarasota Police Department is proud to partner with Alert Today Florida, Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center, and the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) to educate the community on the importance of avoiding distracted driving to protect the most vulnerable people on our roadways: bicyclists and pedestrians.  (A photo from the event in 2020 is attached)

This event takes place in the middle of National Pedestrian Safety Month, a month that raises awareness and promotes education to help keep pedestrians, our most vulnerable road users, safe.  White Cane Day emphasizes and acknowledges the achievements of the blind and visually impaired.  On Friday, members of the Sarasota Police Department will work with Alert Today Florida, Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center, and the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) at Paul N. Thorpe, Jr. Park, 135 South Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, to highlight those who are visually impaired and to see a white cane demonstration at crosswalks.  Those who will be speaking before the demonstration about the importance of White Cane Day include:

• Officer Jason Frank with the Sarasota Police Department Traffic Unit,
• Melissa Wandall, NCSR and Campaign Ambassador Alert Today Florida,
• Cooper Vollmer, 10-year-old and White Cane Day spokesperson, and his mother Tina Vollmer.  Cooper is visually impaired and uses a white cane,
• City of Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody will read a White Cane Awareness proclamation,
• Richard “Rick” Wilkinson, Florida Council of the Blind,
• Nicole Mobley and Maddy Spencer, Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center.

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