Skagit County commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 14, adopted a proclamation recognizing Oct. 15, 2025, as White Cane Awareness Day following presentations from the Anacortes Lions Club and the Washington Council of the Blind.

The announcement and accompanying remarks stressed the white cane’s role in ‘‘independence, mobility and safety’’ for people who are blind or have low vision and urged public awareness of resources and employment opportunities for visually impaired residents. Colette Arvidsson, president of the Anacortes Lions, and Andy Arvidsson, president of the Washington Council of the Blind, described outreach efforts to schools and communities.

The proclamation was moved and seconded on a voice vote; commissioners answered “aye,” and the motion carried unanimously, 3-0.

Colette Arvidsson, president of the Anacortes Lions, told the commissioners the Lions’ global cause includes preventing avoidable blindness and improving quality of life for people with vision loss. "It’s the independence, mobility and safety that that white cane represents," she said.

Andy Arvidsson, president of the Washington Council of the Blind, described learning mobility skills and the cane’s practical function. "White cane, to me, is a mobility tool. It’s like a GPS system in your car," he said, adding that the cane can detect curves, staircases and holes in sidewalks and that public understanding of the cane is often limited.

Other members of the local blind community spoke during the presentation. Fred Barnum, vice president of the Skagit County and Island County Council of the Blind, said the cane allows him to use Skagit County Transit and invited legally blind or low-vision residents to seek assistance; he provided a contact number during his remarks. Roger Felton of Anacortes described school outreach using a children’s book to help third-graders learn about white canes and blindness.

The proclamation text read in the meeting traces the White Cane Safety Day designation to a 1964 joint resolution of Congress and noted Lions Clubs International’s century-long work on sight-related services. The commissioners read the proclamation aloud and adopted it.

Commissioner Browning thanked the presenters and volunteers and said connecting children through school outreach helps spread awareness. The commissioners recessed to an afternoon briefing after the vote.

Proclamation action: moved and seconded, voice vote in favor, motion carries unanimously, 3-0.

Less critical details: speakers encouraged use of technology such as the Be My Eyes app and mentioned local volunteer programs and senior-center low-vision groups that meet monthly.