[blindkid] white cane with walker questions

[Leah Roberts]

I haven't posted in a while due to moving and other life changes.
My son is 5 and legally blind from ONH. He also has right hemiparesis,
hypotonia, energy issues, etc.
His vision is mostly central/lower, and depth perception is a big issue.

He has been using an wheeled open-front Kaye walker at his preschool this
year and he is doing great with it. As he learned to use the walker, he
really needed both hands all the time just to be able to use it at all.
However, he's getting a little faster now and a little more curious.

When he gets to any line or color change, he is able to see those things and
he wants to know what they are. He can't tell visually whether a color
change is a large dropoff or just a change in surface. He asks an adult for
help. But in some of these cases he could pause and use a cane to feel
what's ahead. If it's not a dropoff, he could keep going without adult help.

I'm thinking about making a white cane available to him, at first mounted to
the walker so that he could stop and take it out and use it. I don't think
he has the strength to hold one in his hand all the time at this point.

I can get an O&M eval for him, but I'd like the opinion of this list too,
and I'd like the freedom to just order a straight cane now. When using a
walker, does the cane need to be any longer, that is, does the user have to
reach farther forward to get past the walker wheels? Or can I just measure
to his chin? Also, is there a significant weight difference between carbon
fiber and fiberglass? Looking at the lengths available, I'm guessing people
use fiberglass more often for little kids. But it needs to be light enough
to work with his lower arm strength.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Leah Roberts
mom to John, 5
Austin, TX