[blindkid] School cane O/M Issues

Sally Thomas seacknit at gmail.com
Wed Oct 21 11:28:08 UTC 2009


This would be funny to me if it weren't so sad.  I say funny because those 
are the exact same words my son's O&M used to describe his use of the long 
white cane.  I just told her that he was the one who was traveling with the 
cane and he was the one who needed to determine what provided him with the 
best information.  This instructor had my son terrified that he wouldn't be 
able to get to his classes in Jr. High without leaving class 5 minutes early 
(mostly so he would be out of the way of the other kids).  I drove him to 
the school and had him show me where his classes are and I timed him getting 
to the class farthest away.  When he heard that it only took him 2 1/2 
minutes to walk the length of the building and realized that he knew his 
entire schedule BEFORE school started, he calmed down.

With my son's O&M it is really a control issue.  She wants to be right and 
be the only expert out there.

Sally Thomas
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "L W" <mama2sally at yahoo.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 8:01 PM
Subject: [blindkid] School cane O/M Issues


> Thanks all for the advice. You guys rock. Today I got a phone call from 
> the O/M instructor. Basically she didn’t want Joli using the cane because 
> Joli wasn’t using it “properly” and it was “more of a hindrance than a 
> help.” She didn’t want her using it because she was using a touch 
> technique (tap, step, tap, step) and the O/M teacher wants her to use the 
> diagonal (dragging?) technique & the Staff shepherd style carrying 
> position. The O/M was concerned because Joli doesn’t know how to store her 
> cane or how to hold it while sitting. The O/M instructor said that the 
> touch technique that Joli was shown at the NFB was only supposed to be 
> used outdoors. I told her that it might be true but I had never heard that 
> before. The O/M instructor wants me to get somebody from the NFB to put in 
> writing that the touch technique Joli was shown there is suitable for 
> indoor use in a familiar environment like a small elementary school. I
> don’t know who to ask for this, and I don’t think it should be necessary. 
> The O/M did not want Joli using her cane till after she had learned the 
> diagonal technique. I am not familiar with this technique. Is it a good 
> technique? Right now, after some discussion, she said she would allow Joli 
> to use the touch technique until she learns the diagonal technique for 
> indoor use. At one point she said that for now Joli could carry her cane 
> but shouldn’t use it indoors. So I am wondering if I should resist this 
> diagonal technique and insist that she learn the technique she was shown 
> at the NFB or is the diagonal style useful indoors? She also said Joli 
> would be using her cane more in middle & high school. And that right now 
> she wants her to learn to use her vision to learn to trust her body so 
> that she becomes more aware of her environment. The O/M teacher said that 
> she herself when blindfolded could detect how close she was to wall by
> paying attention to sounds and because of awareness training. Not sure I 
> see the point of that.
> I am so looking forward to the upcoming Maryland convention. I hope Joli 
> can do some cane training there.
> Thanks for any advice.
> Lauren Wibbe
>
>
>
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