[nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness

[Jewel S.]

Hi,

I use my cane while holding someone's arm all the time. However, I do
not consider it "sighted guide" so much as keeping with my friend who
knows the way...especially since the person who usually does this with
me is my legally blind boyfriend. I hold his arm for balance
primarily, and to keep track of where he is, as I have no peripheral
vision. As we walk, he might point things out to me that I would miss
with my cane no matter what (the mailboxes that stick out at
head-height, the wet branches in front of my face, etcetra). I use my
cane so he can concentrate on where we are going and things in front
of us. I find the curbs and steps on my own, and sometimes if the
light is too low, I find curbs and such for the both of us, as he is
not as good with the cane (lack of practice!).

I find that if I take someone's arm, I am far less likely to learn the
route. I have done entire routes on someone's arm that, looking back,
I couldn't tell you the first thing. This is partly because of my poor
memory, but also because when I hold someone's arm, unless I'm in
charge of navigation (which does occur sometimes), I let that work go,
and concentrate more on balance, what my cane is finding, and sounds.
I can enjoy myself a bit better this way.

Personally, I think holding someone's arm and using a cane at the same
time is perfectly fine. That's just my opinion, so feel free to shoot
me down, but that won't stop me from doing it myself! I don't like to
put all the responsibility on the other person, no matter how good a
guide they are...though there is one exception. My O&M instructor
would do sighted guide with me to get quickly to a location, and my
cane just got in his way, and he was very good at guiding (he better
be, since he teaches other people how to be sighted guides, too!), so
I allow my cane to remain at my side, ready to pull out if I should
need it, but I put my trust in him.

~Jewel

On 5/3/10, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
> As far as the cane issue goes, when I was about three years of age, I
> started learning how to use the cane.
>
> The only problem was that I would flat out refuse to use it until the time I
> was about five.
>
> The travel instructor finally said "Ok, you don't want to use it?  I'll take
> it from you."
>
> At that point, I tried and faled miserably to walk around without it!
>
> At the day's end, I did get the cane back, and have been using it ever
> since.
> On May 2, 2010, at 4:49 PM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:
>
>> 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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