[nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness

[Serena]

You should always use your cane when using sighted guide for the reasons you 
salready pointed out and, this might seem obvious, safety!  You can't simply 
rely on sighted people to be careful for you ... you have to be careful 
yourself.  I have a friend who's deaf and blind, so can't speak to tell me 
where to go.  as a result, I always use sighted guide with him because 
that's our only way to stay together.  I don't actually think of what we're 
doing as "sighted guide.'  I just think of it as how we communicate while 
walking, just part of our friendship.  I'm always as independent and safe as 
possible when we're walking and, if I'm ever not, he finds a way to tell me! 
**smile**


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gerardo Corripio" <gera1027 at gmail.com>
To: "BlindStudents" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 6:49 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness


> Hi guys: I'm curious as to is it fine to use a cane while going sighted
> guide with someone? for instance suppose the person whom I'm going with 
> has
> never done sighted guide with a blind person, thus doesn't know to alert 
> us
> of steps and the like. So I was thinking that if this technique is fine to
> use it can serve two purposes:
> 1.-Be able to go along sighted guide but at the same time being able to
> oneself find and sort obstacles the sighted person might not have the mind
> to let us know.
> 2.-Be able to start mapping in our minds the route following, thus make it
> easier to get to know the route by ourselves.
> Also I've got another subject on my mind, thus sending in the same email: 
> Is
> it normal that when using a cane I have conflict in using it? though I 
> know
> the cane is how we get around by ourselves thanks to a bad experience 
> while
> studying for a diploma in Humanistic Therapy some years ago in that when I
> wanted to use the cane again after some years of having it dusting, I held
> it in my hand but wasn't able to use it at ease because memories of the
> experience came flooding back. fortunately I've been able to work them out
> but am curious as to know if this has happened to you guys? It's a 
> conflict
> because for one I'm aware that the cane makes us unique as blind people 
> and
> lets us move around by ourselves but also because here in Mexico the blind
> aren't viewed as equals in some respects, thus when using the cane gives 
> me
> the feeling that lets blindness show even more, making the sighted people
> feel ill at ease; speaking from experience in another country when I know 
> in
> the US you guys don't have to cope with these things because of how 
> advanced
> you guys are in the work you've done all these years. some day I hope to 
> be
> able to be like you guys and really live by your standards, thus hoping
> these questions bring on a good discussion from which more than one might
> learn something new and enrich the topic of appreciating our roots brought
> on recently.
> Gerardo
>
>
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