[nabs-l] Free NFB cane

[Jim Reed]

Do you suppose the 63 inch cane limit is a defacto way of making the Free White Cane Program a program for blind children and their parents? But if that is the case, why not just have an age limit? 



--- On Thu, 6/25/09, T. Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com> wrote:

From: T. Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Free NFB cane
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 6:12 AM

Jim,

We generally recommend nose-high canes.  A few use canes taller than they are, but only a few.  *grin*

I second your bafflement at the limitation in cane lengths.  It should go as high as 69" at least.  A lot of guys fall in the 65 and 67 range, and more than a few into the 69.

I'd go straight for carbon fiber myself, which the NFB doesn't give away for free.  They're light and they're strong.  I might be concerned about a graphite/carbon cane in the frigid winter (can become more brittle), but the straight canes seem to be tough enough at least for Denver.

Joseph


On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 11:10:58AM -0700, Jim Reed wrote:
> Hey all, 
> I'm wondering why the free NFB canes are so short? I mean, I'm only 6 foot 4, and an NFB cane isn't long enough for me. I could understand the NFB not having a long enough cane for me if I was like 7 foot tall, but I am not that tall, and I am certianly not that far out of the norm for the average height of American males,  
> I find the 63 inch limit particularly odd since the NFB (or at least nost NFB members) all seem to recomend canes that are at least as tall, if not taller, than the person using it. This means (based on NFB recomendations) that a 63 inch cane should not be used by anyone taller than 5 foot 3. As far as I can tell, nearly all American men, and most American women and teenagers are going to be taller than 5 foot 3, so why won't the NFB offer a free cane that is large enough for most of society to benifit? I'm sure their is a legitimate and rational (probably economic) reason as to why the NFB has choosen to not offer canes longer than 63 inches, and I'd be curious to find out what that reason is. 
> 
> Thanks, 
> Jim
> 
> "From compromise and things half done, Keep me with stern and stubborn pride,
> And when at last the fight is won, ... Keep me still unsatisfied." --Louis Untermeyer

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