To celebrate White Cane Day, visually impaired or blind students from the New York Institute for Special Education marched through the local streets as they proudly sported their canes and held posters on Tuesday, October 15, beginning their march by crossing Pelham Parkway and then walking almost two blocks to Williamsbridge Road.
Councilman Mark Gjonaj greeted students and had a proclamation made related to White Cane Day, which he read to the students. Following the parade, students participated in an O&M competition on the campus and a featured guest speaker.
White Cane Day has been nationally observed in the United States since 1964 to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, NY York Institute for Special Education, founded in 1831 as The New York Institution for the Blind, is one of the oldest and most respected schools in the nation that provides specialized services for children with disabilities. Located in the Bronx since 1924, NYISE provides quality programs for more than 300 students from New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester County and upstate New York, including more than 120 children from the Bronx, ages 3 to 5, who attend its preschool.
