thanks so much for this info. i run a low vision support group & this will be interesting to them.<br>Eileen Torow<br><div style="font-family:Verdana"><br><br><br>On Sat, Oct 15, 2016 at 07:58 PM, Gary Allen via CT-NFB wrote:<br><br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(136, 136, 136); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex"><div><h1 class="page__title title" id="page-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:400;line-height:1"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">10 fascinating facts about the white cane</span></font></h1><div id="block-views-subheading-block" class="block block-views first odd" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="view view-subheading view-id-subheading view-display-id-block view-dom-id-7387cc86c80e2acf861170bd360fc8d0" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="view-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="views-field views-field-field-subheading" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="field-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.3"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">To celebrate National White Cane Safety Day, here are some little-known facts about the iconic white cane</span></font></h2></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="field field-name-field-news-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 16px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:600"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="date-display-single" content="2015-10-15T11:00:00-04:00" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><font size="2">October 15, 2015</font></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-byline field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;font-weight:600;width:345px"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;float:none"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><font size="2">BILL WINTER</font></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Tap tap tap. That’s the sound of independence.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">That’s the sound of people with visual impairments around the United States – and all over the world – using a white cane to confidently navigate to work, around their neighborhoods or to wherever their plans take them.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">There’s no better day to celebrate the power of the white cane than October 15 – <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/white-cane-safety-day" _djrealurl="http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/white-cane-safety-day" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">White Cane Safety Day</a>.  It’s the day set aside by the federal government to recognize the independence and skill of people who use white canes. It’s also a reminder that laws in all 50 states require drivers to yield the right of way to people with white canes, even when they’re not on a crosswalk.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">In honor of White Cane Safety Day, here are 10 quirky facts about the white cane:</span></font></p><ol style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Yes, it’s legal to take a <a href="http://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures" _djrealurl="http://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">white cane through security at an airport</a>, according to the TSA, but it has to go through the X-ray machine.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">White canes are white because of <a href="http://www.lionsclubs.org/resources/EN/pdfs/iad413.pdf" _djrealurl="http://www.lionsclubs.org/resources/EN/pdfs/iad413.pdf" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">George A. Bonham</a>. In 1930, Bonham, president of the Peoria Lions Club (Illinois), watched a man who was blind attempting to cross a street. The man’s cane was black and motorists couldn’t see it, so Bonham proposed painting the cane white with a red stripe to make it more noticeable. The idea quickly caught on around the country.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">White canes are going high-tech. Inventors in <a href="http://assistech.iitd.ernet.in/smartcane.php" _djrealurl="http://assistech.iitd.ernet.in/smartcane.php" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">India</a>, <a href="https://www.ultracane.com/" _djrealurl="https://www.ultracane.com/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">Great Britain</a>and <a href="http://handisco.com/en/" _djrealurl="http://handisco.com/en/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">France</a> have equipped white canes with ultrasonic devices that detect obstacles up to nine feet away. Vibrations in the cane’s handle warn users of potential hazards in their path.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_cane#History" _djrealurl="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_cane#History" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">standard technique for using a white cane</a> was pioneered in 1944 by Richard E. Hoover, a World War II veteran rehabilitation specialist. His technique of holding a long cane in the center of the body and swinging it back and forth before each step to detect obstacles is still called the “Hoover Method.”</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Most people who are visually impaired don’t use a white cane. In fact, only an estimated <a href="http://www.dsb.wa.gov/resources/dispellingmyths.shtml" _djrealurl="http://www.dsb.wa.gov/resources/dispellingmyths.shtml" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">2 percent</a> to <a href="http://www.whitecaneday.org/canes/" _djrealurl="http://www.whitecaneday.org/canes/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">8 percent</a> do. The rest rely on their useable vision, a guide dog or a sighted guide.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">There are actually <a href="https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/blind/whitecane/information.htm" _djrealurl="https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/blind/whitecane/information.htm" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">three different kinds of white canes</a>. There’s the standard mobility cane, used to navigate. There’s the support cane, used by people with visual impairments who also have mobility challenges. And there’s the ID cane, a small, foldable cane used by people with partial sight to let others know they have a visual impairment.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Unless you’re willing to “walk the walk,” you can’t become a certified Orientation & Mobility specialist. O&M specialists teach white cane technique to people who are blind, but to become certified, <a href="http://www.perkins.org/stories/magazine/oandm-specialists-walk-in-their-students-shoes" _djrealurl="http://www.perkins.org/stories/magazine/oandm-specialists-walk-in-their-students-shoes" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)" target="_blank">you must spend at least 120 hours blindfolded</a>, navigating with a white cane.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Today’s <a href="http://www.visionaware.org/info/everyday-living/essential-skills/an-introduction-to-orientation-and-mobility-skills/what-type-of-cane-should-i-use/1235" _djrealurl="http://www.visionaware.org/info/everyday-living/essential-skills/an-introduction-to-orientation-and-mobility-skills/what-type-of-cane-should-i-use/1235" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">modern, lightweight canes</a> are usually made from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber, and can weigh as little as seven ounces. Some white cane users prefer straight canes, which are more durable, while others prefer collapsible canes, which can be folded and stored more easily.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">White caning can be fun. The Braille Institute sponsors an annual <a href="http://www.brailleinstitute.org/cane-quest-home.html" _djrealurl="http://www.brailleinstitute.org/cane-quest-home.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">Cane Quest</a>, where youngsters aged 3-12 compete to quickly and safely navigate a route in their community using their white canes. The contest helps kids master proper white cane techniques and encourages independence.</span></font></li><li style="text-indent:0px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 14px 50px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-size:5px;line-height:1.4;list-style:decimal"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">In some states, it’s <a href="http://acb.org/whitecane" _djrealurl="http://acb.org/whitecane" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-color:rgb(5,13,158)">illegal for a person who is not legally blind</a>to use a white cane to gain right-of-way while crossing a street. Get caught in Florida, for example, and you’ll face second-degree misdemeanor charges and up to 60 days in prison. </span></font></li></ol><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"></p><center style="box-sizing:border-box"><p style="text-align:start;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;line-height:1.4"><font size="2"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><img alt="Infographic for Pinterest" src="blocked" _djrealurl="blocked"></span></font></p></center></div></div></div></div>
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