[blindkid] white cane with walker questions

[Richard Holloway]

With the long cane technique, the cane has a pretty good reach. I  
don't think going any longer would be a benefit and in fact would  
probably make the cane a bit awkward. Attached to a walker for  
transport, it is already going to be pretty tall so I wouldn't go  
longer than needed.

Carbon fiber is a bit lighter and has a slightly "crisper" feel. The  
difference is subtle, I'd expect especially so to a new user. Also,  
the last time I checked, the lengths seemed to alternate something  
like 36, 40, and 44 in fiberglass and 38, 42, and 46 in carbon fiber.  
(Not certain of the actual lengths, but they went back-and-forth in  
sizes between the two materials.) For adult sizes, they are available  
in either material. I'm typically sighted so therefore not a cane  
traveler. Personally I like the carbon "feel" a little better but  
again, I'm a total novice with using them personally. My daughter is a  
7-year-old, totally blind cane traveler. She doesn't seem to care  
which she has.

One thing that is probably more important than anything else is that  
while carbon fiber is light and very strong, it is less resistant to  
cracking when a cane gets whacked into or stepped on, and when  
fiberglass fails it seems to crack and splinter more slowly. Carbon  
fiber comes apart pretty fast if you step on it or it gets slammed in  
a car door. (Not that I'd expect fiberglass to look like new after a  
door sam either...)

The bottom line is he'll probably be well served by and happy with  
either. He may or may not benefit by the slightly reduced weight but  
he'll almost certainly have a longer lasting cane with the fiberglass  
option The important thing is you're getting a cane into his hands and  
enlarging his world in the process. Neither of the two is going to be  
a "bad" choice.

Good luck!

Richard



On Jul 18, 2010, at 2:01 PM, Leah Roberts wrote:

> 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
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