Our Story

Video Transcript

Hello, and happy White Cane Awareness Day. We begin at the Edmund School in Burlington, Vermont, where the Vermont Association for the Blind was founded in 1912. Anne Connolly, a blind teacher of the blind, was hired that same year. She opened her first classroom in St. Albans, and the following year, a second classroom in Burlington—in the brick building shown here on the lower left. In these classes, students learned skills such as caning, weaving, typing, reading, and Braille, and Anne can be seen in one photo standing in the back row, turned toward her student.

In 1926, following a presentation in Burlington by Helen Keller, the Vermont Association for the Blind reorganized to expand its services statewide. Anne Connolly led that effort as the agency’s sole field representative. She traveled across Vermont, finding students, volunteers, and funding to establish classes. She was charismatic, an effective public speaker, a successful teacher, and media savvy in her efforts to raise awareness about blindness and visual impairment.

Anne Connolly made an impression everywhere she went. She showed the public how independent a visually impaired person could be with the right support and training. In 1929, she brought the first trained guide dog to Burlington. Her German Shepherd, Betty, was one of only nineteen trained guide dogs in the United States at the time. Betty represented the cutting edge of assistance and helped Anne achieve even more independence, astonishing Burlington residents as she guided Anne around town.

Anne Connolly was also the first person in Vermont to use a white cane. The new tool was given to her in 1931 by the Lions Club of Newark, New Jersey. The white cane provided her with another means of independent living, and white cane awareness in Vermont began with her. Newspapers educated the public on Anne’s cane and the rules of white cane use, and the use of the cane spread across the state over the next decade. White canes and guide dogs allowed people who were blind or visually impaired to be independent, secure employment, and pursue their personal goals.

Newspaper clippings and current images show Vermonters of all ages using white canes. Anne Connolly passed away in 1939, but her impact on Vermont continues. In 1949, Vermont passed the White Cane Act, establishing a right-of-way at crosswalks for those using a white cane or a guide dog, and prohibiting anyone other than blind or visually impaired individuals from using white canes.

As we reflect on the trailblazing efforts of Anne Connolly, we recognize today that the white cane is more than a traveling tool—it symbolizes the ability of visually impaired individuals to achieve their dreams and maximize their independence. They simply need the tools and training to do so. More than 100 years later, the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired continues the mission Anne Connolly began.