[nabs-l] NFB and canes and travel

Mon Jan 20 01:30:31 UTC 2014

Pat,
While open palm can certainly be a bit awkward at first I think the principle of it would make more sense once you see just how line these straight canes are, in addition to the handles/Grits being completely different. My personal opinion is that, while constant contact might give you A whole bunch of extra information, certainly useful sometimes, The echo I get from tapping my cane is usually more important to me. I typically use a slide touch technique where I will tap my cane on the left side of my arc, then do more or less constant contact until the right side of my arc, then bring it back to my left where I again tap… I've done it enough where I don't even think about it anymore and can go to either two-point touch or constant contact exclusively if it ever seems needed… though Cindy's example of finding light rail tracks is the only situation which I regularly deal with where I pretty much use constant contact exclusively. I think that's an accurate statement, anyhow, I usually just do what seems natural to me at the time without thinking about it too much.
Best,
Kirt

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 19, 2014, at 6:17 PM, Patrick Bennet <patrick.bennet807 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thank you for all the nice responses, everyone. I find this
> fascinating. I've been looking more at the NFB website and reading the
> monthly newsletter. I must admit I've never given this any real
> thought before. I've never found the cane I use heavy or bothersome,
> but then again it's all I've ever really known. Until I started
> reading about it I didn't know people had preferences or that there
> were different types and styles. The philosophy component is different
> than what I'm used to. I've never thought about hiding my blindness or
> anything like that, but I've never looked at the cane as anything more
> than a useful tool that simply gives me information.
> 
> The light weight of your cane seems like a definite advantage here. I
> don't really understand the advantage of the two point touch, though.
> I guess logically, it seems that you get more information by sliding
> and/or would miss information in front of you if the cane only touches
> down at two points instead of constantly keeping contact with the
> ground. My gut reaction to some of your thoughts on small cars,
> classrooms and restaurants is that a nonfolding cane would indeed be
> cumbersome. But maybe that's more of an attitude adjustment than
> anything. If it's free, why not try it? I can only learn something
> new, right?
> 
> I also don't really understand the palm-up technique. I just tried
> gripping my cane with my palm facing the sky and it felt really odd. I
> had trouble figuring out how to swing and move it, although again that
> might just be because I've never used it before.
> 
> Thanks,
> Pat
> 
>> On 1/19/14, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Pat,
>> 
>> Great questions! I was a huge NFB cane critic, and I refused to use
>> one until I worked at a camp for blind kids and my folding cane tip
>> broke. I knew it would be a while before a new one would ship in the
>> mail, so I resorted to our cane bin of peoples’ old canes which were
>> all straight. By the time I got my new cane tip, I loved my NFB cane
>> and returned the tip.
>> 
>> I like NFB canes because they are lighter. Often, when walking for
>> long distances, my wrist would hurt, and I did not like that. I
>> thought it was just a side effect of using a cane, but I realized it
>> was a side effect of using a heavier cane.
>> 
>> I like the awesome feedback I get. The metal tip echoes well and picks
>> up fine differences in types of ground such as bricks vs concrete,
>> cracks in the sidewalk, etc.
>> 
>> Although I don’t use constant contact as a main technique, I do a
>> sweeping motion at a corner after I cross a street to survey it, and I
>> do not have trouble with this. The cane is lightweight, and I have
>> developed a method of using my cane where my arm stays flexible, so my
>> sweeping motion is smooth and doesn’t usually catch. I find that using
>> a 2 point touch technique is easier for me and gives me the
>> information I need, and I save the constant technique for when I need
>> to locate something very hard to define like light rail tracks
>> imbedded in the street. Furthermore, the cane’s lightweight quality
>> combined with a flexible usage allows the cane to bend a lot if people
>> trip over it. A lot of people think that NFB canes break more often,
>> and they might, but I have found that being relaxed while I use my
>> cane means it is quite bendable and resilient.
>> 
>> I had the same ideas about storing my NFB cane. I admit that in some
>> small cars full of people, it can be inconvenient. However, you can
>> store your cane along the side of the car, along the door, and
>> similarly beside the fuselage on airplanes. When I go to restaurants,
>> and if I am asked for my preference, I ask for a booth or a table
>> along a wall. I do find these types of tables easier for storing
>> canes. However, if I am at a table in the middle of a restaurant, I
>> lay it on the floor across the table and it rarely is an
>> inconvenience. If I am at a table in the middle and I notice a post or
>> some other structure against which my cane can stand, I will store it
>> there. When I got to theaters or to classroom settings, I lay my cane
>> on the floor. I might tell my neighbors that it is there just so they
>> know, but it is rarely an inconvenience to anyone. I have occasionally
>> had to ask someone to move their foot or bag to pick up my cane, but
>> it really hasn’t raised an issue for me. Like cirt said, the benefits
>> outweigh the negatives for me.
>> 
>> The philosophical component of using a straight cane is this. We don’t
>> like to hide blindness. We believe that it is respectable to be blind
>> and that we do not need to “fold it up” and “put blindness away.” In
>> my personal experience, back when I did not respect myself, I often
>> folded up my cane as soon as I could. Often, new acquaintances did not
>> know what my cane was and did not know how to ask questions about it
>> because it disappeared so often. Furthermore, I associated it with
>> embarrassment. By using a straight cane, I immediately make it clear
>> that I am blind. I can’t hide it anymore, and from practicing that, I
>> have gained more respect for myself, and I have become a lot more
>> comfortable with answering questions and a lot more confident. My
>> transition contained a lot more components than switching to straight
>> canes, but it was one of the most public displays that marked a
>> positive transition in my life.
>> 
>> I would encourage you to order a free NFB cane from our website,
>> www.nfb.org. You can get a free one and try it for yourself. When you
>> start to use it, feel free to ask us questions. At first, you will
>> think that it is too light and that you are going to drop it
>> constantly. But I promise that if you stick with it for a week, you
>> will get more of an idea of whether it works better for you.
>> 
>> I also have ordered a folding NFB cane. I always keep this in my
>> bookbag. Having a backup cane and backup tips is always smart, and
>> there are rare occasions like Cirt’s amusement park example in which
>> bringing your folding cane can be advantageous.
>> 
>> Great to meet you. Too bad you spell your last name incorrectly. :)
>> 
>> Cindy
>> 
>>> On 1/19/14, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Pat,
>>> I've had lots of experience with both styles of cane and I think it boils
>>> down entirely too personal preference. I like the rigid NFB cane because
>>> it
>>> is light, it is longer and I really rely on the metal tip, both for the
>>> increased tactile feedback and for the Way that it echoes off of
>>> buildings
>>> and such when I tap it. That echo is particularly valuable for me,
>>> Especially in new/unfamiliar places. The biggest downside to this cane
>>> is,
>>> of course, it's inability to folder collapse… but I haven't found this to
>>> be
>>> as big of an issue as some people claim it to be. At most, it's slightly
>>> annoying every once in a while, and the canes redeeming qualities more
>>> than
>>> make up for that in my book. There are also NFB folding (not telescopic)
>>> canes which I kind of like every once in a while for those rare
>>> occasions,
>>> like some amusement parks where storage really can become more than a
>>> slight
>>> inconvenience. However, if you're happy with the aluminum cane, and if it
>>> doesn't hinder your ability to travel wherever you want to go whenever
>>> you
>>> want to go there, I won't tell you Myway would be better for you just
>>> because it works better for me. However, if that's something you can't do
>>> efficiently most of the time, or if you are relying on unstable vision to
>>> do
>>> it, I would strongly encourage you to find a good center where you can
>>> learn
>>> structure discovery and at least give th Fiberglas straight cane a try it
>>> certainly works for me.
>>> Best,
>>> Kirte
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Jan 19, 2014, at 1:49 PM, Patrick Bennet
>>>> <patrick.bennet807 at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hey everyone,
>>>> 
>>>> I just joined the list. I have some questions about cane travel and I
>>>> hope you might be able to help me with this. Before I ask, I should
>>>> probably explain.
>>>> 
>>>> For years I received instruction in O&M through my school district. I
>>>> was given a folding cane with a standard rolling tip, which seems to
>>>> be pretty commonly ordered by most agencies and districts. I think
>>>> they come from a place in Canada .... but don't quote me on that. That
>>>> is what I've always been used to. They seem decent enough.
>>>> 
>>>> But, I've read some online literature from the NFB about cane travel,
>>>> including structured discovery (as opposed to routes) and a different
>>>> kind of cane you use that is lighter an uses a metal tip. I've also
>>>> heard about something called a rainshine tip. Maybe they are the same
>>>> things.
>>>> 
>>>> Anyway, I've always been taught to hold the cane with the palm of the
>>>> hand over it, with the index finger pointing down the flat side. This
>>>> allows the cane with a roller tip to stay on the ground, also called
>>>> constant contact. Is this not correct? From what I've read on the NFB
>>>> website, your canes have metal tips, which would seem harder to slide
>>>> over rough or cracked areas but would give more feedback. I also read
>>>> somewhere that the grip is supposed to be different. In short, I'm
>>>> wondering what the differences and advantages are. If so, I'd like to
>>>> learn more. I've already read that they are lighter. Do you use them
>>>> or hold them differently with another grip? Can NFB canes take roller
>>>> tips and use constant contact, and if not, why? Is there really that
>>>> much of an advantage to a cane that doesn't fold? I'm curious to learn
>>>> about the differences, because I've never heard about them otherwise.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Pat
>>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Cindy Bennett
>> Secretary: National Association of Blind Students
>> 
>> B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington
>> clb5590 at gmail.com
>> 
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