[blindkid] Stages of cane use?

Mon Apr 11 19:14:19 UTC 2011

Penny, 

The center of the body is right where she needs to keep her cane. If the cane is kept to the side, it will cause veering. Keeping the hand at her belly button will allow her to keep her arm relaxed and won't have to worry about future issues and will make for faster travel in the future. What kind of cane is she using? It might be that she is holding the cane to tight. If she is using a NFB cane, the lighter the grip the more information she will receive. If you want to email me off list, please email me at aphelps at bism.org

Thanks!  
Amy C. Phelps  
410-737-2642
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-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Penny Duffy
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 3:06 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Stages of cane use?

I would say just keep at it and alway remind them the proper away. Thats why I do with my daughter. She is a bit older.

I do have a questions myself...

My daughter is just learning how to do to the cane (she is 7)  and she is doing really well with it. Is good about using it but one of the issues she has is her O&M want her to hold the cane in the middle (near her belly
button) and not to the side.  She is really scared about doing this because
she has poked her belly a few times.   Does anyone have any tips?

--
--Penny
----------
Adventures with Abby - visionfora.blogspot.com

On Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 3:00 PM, Samantha Parker <sparkaspirit at yahoo.com>wrote:

> I agree with "tough love" in a safe way!  My 6 year old doesn't use a
> sweeping motion in front and wow...she misses things...all I have to say is
> "Bev, that's why I tell you..." and she finishes with "sweep your cane."
>
>
> --- On Mon, 4/11/11, Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:
>
> From: Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Stages of cane use?
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <
> blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Monday, April 11, 2011, 11:08 AM
>
> Merry-Noel and Brandy both make good points. Our daughter spent a good deal
> of time dragging the cane behind her for a while. No matter what, I'd remind
> him that you're glad he has his cane with him because if he starts leaving
> it or throwing it down then you have another battle to fight.
>
> When Kendra would fail to use her cane properly, apart from reminding her
> over and over, I'd sometimes  let her walk into things, trip, and sometimes
> even enhance the opportunity for her to have a minor crash. (That may
> overstate, but I would not always give her any verbal warning of something
> in her way for example.) Mind you, I was always poised and ready to grab her
> when she was very little before a major crash or fall. It sounds a little
> mean, but far better to have a few trips and falls when we're there to help
> than for her than to figure someone will always be around to guide her.
> Someday, we won't be there, and we know that.
>
> Ultimately, we could often make this into a funny discussion and avoid any
> crashes up front-- "Your cane is telling you what's behind you-- you already
> know where you've been. Don't you want to know what's in front of you?"...
> That sort of thing. Kendra uses her cane very well now, but at times she
> still "floats" her cane in the air and stops clearing her path properly.
> Then I may remind her that her cane is just telling her what's in the air in
> front of her-- not on the ground, but after that, I will let her trip
> herself on a curb or stair if it is in a fairly safe place (no cars nearby,
> nothing major to fall over if she stumbles). It is all sort of a calculated
> risk in "tough love" trying to let her learn from small mistakes to avoid
> huge ones later on.
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> On Apr 10, 2011, at 8:47 PM, Merry-Noel Chamberlain wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Marie,
> > Has Jack ever had O&M without using his eyes; aka using sleepshades?
> Perhaps I would try that.  If wearing shades is difficult for him - locate a
> dark room (a room that has no windows) and shut off the lights.  Sometimes I
> use a school gym.  I will play games in the gym such as Red-light,
> Green-Light with no light on.  We practice running in there, too.  This
> builds some confidance in the cane.  Also, tell Jack he needs to hold his
> head up when he walks because that is the proper posture.  By wearing
> sleep-shades he learns the cane lets him know things such as curbs and
> stairs.  Prase him (or the cane - smile) when you notice that his cane found
> something that his feet didn't find.  Walking faster helps quite a bit.
> > Merry-Noel
> >
> > --- On Sun, 4/10/11, Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> > From: Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
> > Subject: [blindkid] Stages of cane use?
> > To: "Blindkid email" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > Date: Sunday, April 10, 2011, 11:19 PM
> >
> >
> > I am getting very frustrated with Jack who is slowing down and using his
> feet rather than maintaining his rhythm and using his cane to find
> curbs/obstacles. Yet he insists on carrying his cane. Is this just a phase?
> Tips anyone?
> >
> >
> > Marie (mother of Jack, born May 2005)
> > Check out our blog at http://www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com for
> glimpses into our busy life with a boy who is busy growing and developing in
> his own way in his own time
> >
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