[nabs-l] Pimp My Cane

[Sarah Jevnikar]

Hi all,
I used to decorate my cane for every season or holiday when I was younger
and I think it's a cool idea but I have different concerns.

I'm sorry; I feel like a party pooper but here they are.

Decorated canes are fun but what do they say about us? Unprofessional comes
to mind, as most of us are at the age where we're looking for summer or
full-time employment. But perhaps temporary decorations would be ok ...

Now on a different note, a cane spans from the belt area (and purse area
too, depending on your preference or length of strap) to a person's shoes.
So, which should it match? Belt/purse or shoes? Or should they all
coordinate?

Just something to ponder.

Sarah Jevnikar

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jedi
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 3:25 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Pimp My Cane

It seems to me the question we should be asking is why canes are white 
in the first place.

Originally, the cane was painted white as a way of telling drivers to 
stop for the blind. It was a member of the Lions Club that had the idea 
in the first place because he observed a blind man having difficulty in 
crossing a street because there was too much traffic. Now, we say that 
the white cane makes it easier to see us and so cars are required to 
stop. It is also worth noting that cars are supposed to stop for all 
pedestrians. So what we are saying is that blind people need more 
notice. Why? I agree that until electric cars make noise, they do need 
to stop for us because we can't hear them. But again, they should stop 
for everyone because no one can really hear them.

The white cane laws are civil rights laws that basically say that blind 
people cannot be automatically held accountable for any injuries that 
occur to them based on the idea that they should know better than to be 
out in the world in the first place. Are we now saying that if the cane 
isn't white so people know we're blind, then any accidents that occur 
as a result are our fault? White cane laws require that blind people 
should be treated as anyone else whether injuries occur or not. The 
white cane laws also say that a blind person shall not be discriminated 
against as we travel in the world. Really and truly, the laws were 
meant to protect the person, not the cane itself.

What I'm getting at is this. The white cane is currently a symbol by 
which the sighted recognize us by, and that symbol tells the sighted 
that they need to treat us a certain way. . Would things really change 
if we changed the colors of our canes? Or would attitudes have to 
change because now we're saying that it really isn't the responsibility 
of the sighted to look out for the blind specifically? What do you think?

Respectfully,
Jedi


Original message:
> Greetings,  Knowing some of the lawyers that I do, they could definitely
> make that argument stick in court.
> I don't blame you if you want to paint your cane, but your question should
> definitely be considered carefully before you do it.
> I do know someone who has a few support canes which happen to coordinate
> with her outfits, but her white cane is definitely still white.

> Have fun with your new one no matter what color it turns out to be.
> Maryann Migliorelli




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