For the past 64 years the first week in February has traditionally been White Cane Week in Canada. The mission is to promote awareness about blindness and visual impairment.
The white cane, carried only by the legally blind, came into use in the early 1920s when Englishman Jim Biggs was blinded in an accident and painted his cane white to be better seen at night.
It worked well, drawing attention to his blindness and causing the public to offer him assistance.
Today it's an internationally accepted symbol of blindness. Nine provinces have legislated its use strictly to legally blind people.
Sharon Pratt, with CNIB in Prince George, is a white cane user, but says it wasn't easy to accept it.
For more information see The Citizen.
For the complete "smart-version" of the Prince George Citizen visit our Digital Edition
