[nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness

[Sarah Alawami]

Oh wow good story there. I used my cane starting at 5 as that's when I got one, the short ones that go up to the chest. I can see why now I was a slower travler. the longer canes have helped me with my travling,except when I accidently slam them int eh car door. lol

Tc all.

S
On May 3, 2010, at 8:58 AM, clinton waterbury 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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