[blindlaw] Pimp My Cane

[AZNOR99 at aol.com]

>From my perspective (and that of NFB training centers), I use a cane for my 
 own purposes, meaning I use it to learn about my environment, navigate 
curbs and  stairs, avoid obstacles, and generally move through the world  
independently.  This aspect has nothing to do with how others recognize the  
cane, or else I'd be using an ID cane instead of a long white cane.  
 
However, we are lawyers afterall, and we therefore examine the laws quite  
literally.  Thus Joe's question is a good one.  Given that many of us  use 
the long white cane to navigate through our environment, using it as a tool  
to learn what's in our paths, wouldn't such a tool be effective no matter 
what  color it was?  I'd say it would, and Federationists such as Stacy, 
Mazen,  and Fatosh who runs the Nebraska Adjustment to Blindness Center would  
agree.  However, what are the legal implications of carrying a "long purple  
cane" under state "white cane laws"?  That's a terrific legal  question.
 
I think perhaps you misunderstand why the NFB takes the position it does on 
 audible traffic signals and differently sized currency.  Our position on  
hybrid vehicles should provide proof that we are not as rigid as you  
suggest.  In fact, we believe that certain situations may indeed  necessitate 
changes; for example, we lose our ability to travel safely and  independently if 
we can no longer gauge traffic through sound, as hybrid  vehicles eliminate 
that sound.  We can however use the sound of moving  traffic and other 
nonvisual techniques to cross streets (putting aside the issue  of hybrids) 
without audible traffic signals.  In fact, many of us feel they  alter the 
environment to the point that they are more hindrance than help.   Additionally, 
we've been folding money and using other nonvisual techniques for  literally 
centuries, and it's worked just fine.  Our point is that we would  oppose 
changes to the environment in which we live and do not wish others to  bear 
the burden of making changes for us whenever possible.  If a system we  use 
works, then why demand that limited government resources be spent on  
something that will just make us stand out even more despite the fact that we  
don't need it?  We'd rather those resources be spent on providing blind  
students with an education equal to their sighted counterparts, to reduce the  70+% 
unemployment rate for the blind, etc.
 
The long white cane is different.  We need it to travel safely and  
independently, and it doesn't alter the environment.  The government isn't  
spending resources to modify anything for us.  Yes, it is true that the  sighted 
world has to recognize what a white cane means.  But they also have  to yield 
to pedestrians as a rule anyway, so this is no large burden.  
 
I hope that answers some of your questions.
 
Regards,
Ronza
 
 
 
In a message dated 3/28/2010 5:51:13 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
stone_troll at sbcglobal.net writes:

I'm  following this thread, and I know a large percentage of the folks   
here are NFB members; I personally a not, nor any organization, for   
that matter.  I find a bit of hypocrisy in this discussion:   First the  
NFB rails against things like audible cross walk signals  and so on,  
claiming that the blind don't need them, that it's not  what the blind  
"want," whatever.  Same with identifiable  currency.  Now, however, I  
hear a bunch of the same people  saying, in effect, "I want to carry a  
symbol of blindness! I want to  proclaim my blindness to everyone so  
that they can alter their  behaviors appropriately in recognition of  
the fact that I'm  blind!"  I should think the true spirit of the NFB  
might be to  use a black cane and give no indication whatsoever of  
blindness,  except on a purely voluntary basis.  I just don't  
understand  this.

Mark BurningHawk
Skype and Twitter:   BurningHawk1969
Home:   Http://MarkBurningHawk.net/
Namaste!


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