Overcoming Barriers, One Step at a Time
October 15, 2021
When you think about it, a white cane is a pretty rudimentary tool. There’s nothing high tech about it. There’s not much by way of design or engineering to speak of. It’s just a long skinny pole. And it’s white.
Back in 1921, a blind man named James Briggs painted his walking stick white in order to have greater visibility on busy streets that were becoming more and more congested with automobiles.
The use of a white cane to signify that a pedestrian was blind soon gained acceptance in Europe and the United States.
In a similar way, dogs have been working together with humans for millennia. It was a natural fit to train dogs to travel with people who are blind in order to navigate obstacles and move freely and efficiently.