[blindkid] O/M School Cane issues

[Bonnie Lucas]

My daughter, Aubrie, and I read your post and this is how both of us feel 
about the diagonal method. First, neither of us learned it until recently. 
We were not taught this technique by NFB folks. Though Aubrie's O&M 
instructor encouraged her to use it inside, she chooses not to. In 
discussing it, we both feel that it is not very reliable because you cannot 
pick up things on the ground directly in front of you. Quite frankly, it 
seems like a lazy way to use a cane because you just walk with the cane 
being pushed off to the side. I'm sure that it was invented so that when 
blind kids are traveling down a school hall, the sighted kids won't feel 
like they have to get out of the way of a cane going back and forth. If you 
are using the touch technique in a crowded area, putting your hand further 
down the cane makes it shorter while at the same time allowing the cane 
traveler to receive coverage on all fronts. To Aubrie and me, it's not 
rocket science, just very obvious.

Bonnie
 ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "L W" <mama2sally at yahoo.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 9:16 PM
Subject: [blindkid] O/M School Cane issues


Hi all
Thank you for your continued advice. The latest is that Joli’s mobility 
teacher has just started teaching her the diagonal technique. I asked Joli 
to show me how the O/M has her using the cane. It looks like she holds the 
cane in her right hand. It is crossed in front of her left hip with the tip 
maintaining constant contact with the ground. I asked her what happens if 
there was an obstacle on her other side, and she said she can switch hands. 
This technique seems really awkward to me as it looks like she can’t 
completely clear the space ahead of her without switching hands, which is 
tricky if she carrying anything. Of course it would be rare for her to 
moving around her school with both of her hands free. I was wondering if the 
NFB has any thoughts on this diagonal technique. Joli got her cane from the 
NFB and has been using the touch tap, step, tap, step technique they showed 
us at the NFB. Her O/M teacher says that the NFB touch
 tap technique is only for outdoor use. She didn’t even want Joli using her 
cane indoors until she had learned the diagonal technique. So far we have an 
understanding that Joli can use the touch tap technique until she learns the 
diagonal technique. I am not sure I want Joli using the diagonal technique 
and am wondering how the NFB feels about this technique.
I can anticipate that if I want this instructor to stop the diagonal 
technique and to instead teach & encourage the touch technique Joli has been 
learning, I going to have a fight on my hands. That is another reason why I 
am wondering if the NFB supports use of this diagonal technique.
Thanks for any advice,
Lauren Wibbe