[blindlaw] Pimp My Cane

Steve P. Deeley stevep.deeley at insightbb.com
Mon Mar 29 09:59:38 UTC 2010


Suppose you are running into people without your cane--they may think you 
are being smart, retarded or drunk.  People, guys in general, do not liked 
to be bumped.  That could cause you to be grabbed or punched.  At best, you 
certainly will get some stern looks.  Better to have people know you have a 
visual impairment.
Steve-- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark BurningHawk" <stone_troll at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 9:00 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Pimp My Cane


> I'm not quibbling with the white cane as a mobility tool.  However,
> recently a thread started here about carrying a white cane merely to
> identify oneself as blind, so as not to cause confusion when being
> unable to read name tags, etc., at a symposium or whatever.  It was
> put forth that canes should be carried, in addition to any value they
> may have as a mobility aid, merely to identify a blind person as
> blind, and to allow the sighted to give them a "handicap," in not
> being able to read name tags.  For this purpose, a sign declaring "I
> am blind, please act accordingly," would serve just as well, it seems
> to me, and the white cane then becomes a stigma-maker, not a tool.
> For purposes of this discussion, the "white," color of the cane
> becomes the "distress cry of the blind," or something; the identifying
> mark by which blind people are known and warn their surroundings that
> they are in fact in need of a handicap.  This is one reason why I want
> to use a cane that's other than white with a red tip.  It is very true
> that, even with my guide dog, when I wear sunglasses, I am often
> mistaken for a dog-walker, not a guide dog user.  It's like that old
> left-handed compliment, "No one would know you're blind, you do that
> so well."  That infuriates me when it's said to me.  It seems that
> some here are trying to avoid just this situation--being mistaken for
> a sighted person--when I should think that was the ultimate goal of
> any blind person--to blend in and not stand out.
>
> Mark BurningHawk
> Skype and Twitter:  BurningHawk1969
> Home:  Http://MarkBurningHawk.net/
> Namaste!
>
>
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