[blindkid] School cane O/M Issues

Brandy W branlw at sbcglobal.net
Wed Oct 21 13:47:31 UTC 2009


Hi, the  diagonal way of using a cane is useless in most situations. The 
only time I use it is when someone is guiding me, and I still want to be 
using my cane. Touch is fine and used by most in all settings. Some people 
slide their canes back and forth and that works too, but it is up to your 
and your daughter what works for her and keeps her safe. I bet any bord 
member would be willing to write you souch a statement. Good luck, bBran
Brandy Wojcik
Discovery Toys Educational Leader
www.playtoachieve.com
(512) 231-8697
----- 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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