[blindlaw] Refusal To Use A Cane

[Mark BurningHawk]

Hi, Ronda:

Thanks for allowing me to agree with you and therefore (seemingly) moderate my stance.  I agree with you that, when done respectfully and with dignity, a sighted-guid situation can be made bearable and even advantageous.  However, this is a specific situation in which a known and trusted individual is being employed as the guide, and the protocol has been worked out before hand.  My objection comes when this method of travel is considered "pro from a," for blind people, and even insisted upon, as has been my experience numerous times in my sojourns among the "grey masses."  We teach our children never to trust or come in contact with strangers, and yet we teach our blind to rely on being towed along in the wake of someone they may barely know, and that it's okay that strangers should touch them and lead them places.  It's those types of situations, not instances like yours, that I was speaking against.

And, any individual who is not in charge of his/her guide dog is a greater menace than a cane user.  A well-functioning guide dog and person team means that the dog is taking the handler's commands and processing them intuitively to produce smooth travel.  In no way was I advocating that the caneless individual continue to go without a mobility augmentation.  I should think that one tumble down a flight of stairs should convince the individual of this…

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