<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Hi, Everyone,<div><br></div><div>This is a wonderful question.</div><div><br></div><div>As I've been blind since birth, I knew of nothing else. People would ask me if I wished I had sight and my reply to them was that I don't miss what I never had.</div><div><br></div><div>I had an excellent upbringing by my parents and a great education at the Oak Hhill School for the Blind in Hartford, then went on to public high school in Waterbury for my senior year, while other students were sent to Weaver High School near Oak Hill and boarded there the entire week, then going home on weekends. </div><div><br></div><div>Before leaving Oak Hill, I had cane-travel there and when I went to my hometown school, I had further mobility lessons in order to learn my way around there.</div><div><br></div><div>I've used a long white cane for many years, and navigate extremely well with it.</div><div><br></div><div>I feel that this method of orientation is the best for me and it makes the general public very aware of how independently blind people could navigate.</div><div><br></div><div>Additionally, I have learned a great deal from other blind people in NFB and we will never stop learning from each other, no matter how old or young we are!</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks, Bri, for this great thought-provoking question. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!</div><div><br></div><div>Esther</div><div><br><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Sent From Esther's Amazing and Awesome iPhone 7+!</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Oct 15, 2020, at 12:23 PM, Brianna Rigsbee via CT-NFB <ct-nfb@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Hello everyone!</div><div>Today is White Cane Safety Day (and Thursday), which means it’s time for a thought provoking question. </div><div>What does being blind mean to you? And if you are a cane user, what does your cane mean to you?</div><div>I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!</div><div>Best,</div><div>Bri</div><br><div dir="ltr">Brianna Rigsbee<div>Executive Editor | The Federationist in Connecticut</div><div>editor.fedct@gmail.com</div><div>First Vice President | Connecticut Association of Blind Students, A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut</div><div><a href="http://www.nfbct.org/ct-chapters/connecticut-association-of-blind-students" style="font-size: 13pt;">http://www.nfbct.org/ct-chapters/connecticut-association-of-blind-students</a></div><div>bri.rigsbee96@gmail.com</div><div>(203) 751-0199</div><div>"You can't fly unless you let yourself fall."</div><div>"You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back."</div></div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>CT-NFB mailing list</span><br><span>CT-NFB@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for CT-NFB:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale%40sbcglobal.net</span><br></div></blockquote></div></body></html>