WHITE CANE WALK

Observer file photo/Stuart Hedstrom

The annual walk for White Cane Awareness Day will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at The Mill parking lot in Dover-Foxcroft, with participants supporting fellow community members with vision loss who use a white cane or guide dog. Walkers will meet back at The Mill when they finish. The white cane is a mobility tool used by individuals who are blind or visually impaired to travel safely, and those walking last year (pictured) from the courthouse parking lot down to the intersection of East Main and South Street and back had the opportunity to learn about independent travel.

The national observance has been held annually in mid-October since 1964, with the day celebrating the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence – the white cane.