[Blindtlk] international cane travel

Kelby Carlson kelbycarlson at gmail.com
Thu Oct 6 01:34:58 UTC 2011 

I have sometimes had the problem of NFB tips getting caught in 
pavement; also, sometimes it is harder to feel areas (such as 
seams at the end of driveways) that I need to navigate.  Am I 
just using the cane incorrectly?

Kelby



 ----- Original Message -----
From: "T.  Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 18:24:21 -0700
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel

To each their own, of course.  If it works, and you don't run 
into
things or people with it, it's a good length of cane for you.  I 
do
prefer the longer cane because I like to move fast without the
running into things.  I used to custom order extra long Ambutech
canes (without the silly red tip!), and then I learned that at 
any
length the NFB canes were so much nicer because they were so much
lighter!

As for sturdiness, the NFB canes have a baked on white coating 
that
will chip, but not as easily as the reflective tape gets messed 
up on
most other canes.  It's not reflective, of course, but who says 
the
cane has to be?  Trust me, drivers CERTAINLY DO see it without 
the
reflectivity.  And they'll have to be as blind as we are to miss 
a
white cane as long as I carry!  So, reflective tape is for the 
birds
as far as I'm concerned.

Regardless, I highly recommend carrying one of the new NFB 
telescopic
canes.  They're great in a pinch as a backup, way nicer to use 
than
the older models, and since even when I used the Ambutech canes I
used the adapter that takes NFB metal glide tips on it, so it's 
easy
to carry several spare tips on a trip or something, just in case.

Joseph


On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 06:33:19PM -0500, Kelby Carlson wrote:
I think it's primarily the reflecting tape on the outside of the 
cane
that gets warn, particularly on the bottom.  For whatever 
reason--I
seem to be unusual in this regard--I prefer the slightly shorter
AmbuTech canes' length.  I just find that the longer NFB canes 
are
less easy to use.

Kelby



----- Original Message -----
From: "T.  Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 16:27:03 -0700
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel

Depends on the cane.  Ambutech's rigid canes are tanks.  Their
folding canes are pretty tough too.  NFB rigid canes are tougher 
than
the Ambutech folders because they're rigid, but not as tough as
Ambutech's rigid canes.

The trend in NFB canes is lighter and lighter, which means more 
like
a fencing foil and less like a big caveman club.  This lets us 
use
the very long canes many of us now prefer, without the muscle 
strain.

Joseph


On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 06:20:39PM -0500, Kelby Carlson wrote:
A related cane question.  In people's experience, do NFB canes 
last
long than canes from companies like Ambutech? I just got a new 
cane
and rather prefer the folding canes with the golf grip, but they 
seem
to get beaten up awfully quickly no matter how careful I am.

Kelby



----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Miller" <brian-r-miller at uiowa.edu
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 19:04:50 -0400
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel

Hi John,

I've traveled all over the world, including many developing
countries, using
my NFB long white cane and have emerged relatively unscathed.  
There
are
certainly challenges, A couple of things to consider --

First, be sure you have a spare cane with you, even if it's a 
folding
or
telescoping cane, so in case yours breaks, you aren't stuck.

Secondly, be sure to bring extra cane tips, as you are likely to 
lose
one or
two as you traverse uneven terrain, and you don't want to be
scarmbling
around on the ground in chaotic situations looking for it.

Just take your time, keep your cool, and you should be fine.  It 
can
be easy
to get rattled by the noise, the crowds, the uncertainty, but you 
can
do it
with some common sense and an even keel.

Brian Miller



-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of John Davis
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 12:35 PM
To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org; blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindtlk] international cane travel

Hi,

I'm thinking of traveling abroad with some friends soon for a few
weeks.
I've never left the country before, but our plan is to see parts 
of
Asia and
Europe.

First, I use an NFB cane with the standard metal tip for travel
everywhere I
go.  I do use a combination of touch and slide technique 
depending on
the
situation.  I had never thought to ask this question until a 
friend
who went
to Africa over the summer told me that, being in a developing
country, the
roads and sidewalks look completely different from the suburbs 
and
cities of
the US! With that, I'm wondering If I'll have any trouble using a
cane in
some foreign countries? From what I've heard a lot of sidewalks 
can
have
huge holes and cracks everywhere and the like which might make 
using
a cane
hard abroad.  especially in more developing countries ...  
apparently
it's
quite chaotic and a total mess in some places even for people who 
can
see! I
ask because the NFB metal tip can succumb to rough spots and 
cracks
and the
like here on occasion, so I'm suddenly wondering If I'll have 
trouble
abroad.  I will be with a group of friends so maybe I won't need 
to
use my
cane too much on my own, but I thought I'd ask before I leave 
anyway.
Apologies if these are silly or the wrong lists to ask these
questions on.

Thank you

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