CAB Celebrates World White Cane Safety Day

CAB STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION MARKING THE OBSERVANCE OF ‘WORLD WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY’

CAB statement on the occasion marking the celebration of White Cane Safety Day on Wednesday, 15 October 2025

The Liberia Christian Association of the Blind (CAB) joins the global community in observing White Cane Safety Day, which underscores the white cane’s vital role in enabling independent living for people who are blind or partially sighted.

While many visually impaired Liberians still face daily risks and barriers to safe, independent travel, CAB calls on policymakers, planners, engineers, and all stakeholders to ensure that the design and redesign of public infrastructure follows universal design principles—so that streets, transit, buildings, and public spaces are accessible to everyone, and the public is sensitized to the rights and needs of white cane users.

Inclusive social development must be our practice in reality, so that no one is left behind.

CAB’s August 2020 report, Amplifying Voices: Our Lives, Our Say—Learning from COVID-19 through the experiences of blind and partially sighted persons, highlighted that new public regulations (such as queuing layouts and distancing markers) often ignored accessibility. As one respondent noted: “These markers are not tactile, so I cannot feel them with my long cane, and my dog does not know to seek these markers out.”

We remind government and partners of their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)—particularly Article 9 (identifying and eliminating obstacles to access in the built environment, transportation, and public facilities) and Article 19 (the right to live independently and be included in the community). We further align with Sustainable Development Goal 11, which calls for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities. As Liberia advances its national agenda for inclusive development, delivering accessible infrastructure will remove many of the challenges currently faced by white cane users.

As we commemorate White Cane Safety Day, CAB urges the Government and all stakeholders to recognize the right of blind and partially sighted persons to travel independently and safely in a universally accessible environment; to ensure the availability and proper use of the white cane; and to encourage users to keep canes clean and sanitized for everyone’s safety.

For further information:
Visit CAB website at cabliberia.org

Signed:

Sir Beyan G. Kota,

National President/CEO, CAB

Lion's Club Marches With CAB 

Photo from 2018 parade (National Police Band Leads the Parade)