[nagdu] Telescoping canes

Sat Dec 5 04:48:42 UTC 2009

Tracy,
    My wife and I frequently joke about the telescopic canes "going Flacid". 
Nothing a little Viagra won't help! But, then again, one of the side effects 
is a sudden loss of vision! (sly grin)

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 9:05 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Telescoping canes


> The NFB stgore sells telescoping canes in a whole range of lengths.
> Independent Living Aids sells the little cane Tami was talking about,
> which is very short, but would suffice in a pinch and is very convenient
> to carry around as a backup.
>
> I carry a telescoping cane in my backpack in case of emergencies or
> whatever.  I like them for situations where I need the cane to get small,
> but I find that they sometimes telescope when I don't want them to, like
> when they hit a crack in the sidewalk.  The trick is to twist the parts a
> little bit when the cane is extended, which helps the thing not to
> collapse unexpectedly, though it still can sometimes.
> For that reason, if I am not concerned about the size of my cane when I'm
> sitting around, I prefer a straight cane.
> The telescoping cane is a lot less bulky than the folding cane.  But my
> husband has a very sturdy folding cane, which he prefers.  He likes it
> because it's really sturdy, for when people step on it. For me though,
> it's too heavy.
> HTH.
> Tracy
>
>> I keep hearing about these telescope canes. I have a solid one I got
>> through
>> the nfb and another one which I think you described a thinner one I use
>> for
>> formal events and such. Then I have another one which folds up into 4
>> pieces
>> and has an elastic cord running through it.  I am curious about the
>> telescope cane I keep hearing about. Tell me where I might be able to 
>> find
>> one please?
>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>> CEO/Founder
>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>> New York, New York  10004
>> www.myblindspot.org
>> PH: 917-553-0347
>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who 
>> is
>> doing it."
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
>> Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 8:27 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities
>>
>> Rebecca,
>>
>> You raise really great points.  It's easy to get caught up in the reason
>> why
>> to chose a guide dog.  But it gives a good perspective to hear a guide 
>> dog
>> user's reasons why she chose *not* to have a guide dog again.
>>
>> I can really see how a cane would be more useful in the situations you
>> describe.  Even without a squirming, stinky toddler, there have been a
>> couple of times I wished I had a cane to hand to find out what the heck 
>> is
>> all around me.  /smile/  My telescoping cane sort of blew up and no 
>> longer
>> telescopes, and it was a while before I got a new identity cane -- this 
>> is
>> a
>> tiny, skinny folding cane, very light and fragile, but it does fit in my
>> pocket or purse.  Only when it's in my current purse, which carries a
>> bunch
>> of junk but is totally impractically for someone with her other hand full
>> (I
>> can't carry on my dog shoulder because it falls off and bonks the poor
>> dog),
>> I can't just whip it out to use to investigate!  Usually where I start
>> feeling a bit lost and confused is public restrooms, where I really don't
>> want to touch anything to find what it is Mitzi is showing me.  /shudder/
>>
>> We will not talk about the porta potty incident.  I am still grossed out!
>> And I made it a point to stop procrastinating getting a "pocket cane."
>> /grin/
>>
>> Thanks for sharing.
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 9:34 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities
>>
>>
>> Thank you Meghan.
>> A couple other things which I failed to leave out of my earlier post.
>> I found that when I was using a dog, people expected the dog to just
>> know things. For example, I wanted a high chair for my daughter and when
>> I asked for assistance, the question was "Can't your dog find one"? She
>> could find chairs, but she couldn't distinguish between a high chair and
>> a big person chair. So, no, in this case, she couldn't do the task I
>> asked of her. When I used my cane, people were happy to help. The same
>> thing was true of diaper changing facilities. Some places have changing
>> tables in the rest rooms, some places hve tables that come down from the
>> wall, and some have nothing. Other places have "diaper changing areas".
>> My dog couldn't find the tables that fold out of the wall, and she
>> treated the kind that are standing like counters. I find changing a
>> diaper on the floor extremely painful and prefer to use a surface when
>> possible, though I also want to use the right surface if one is present.
>> The general attitude seemed to be "Won't the dog find what you need?" I
>> even had someone ask me once, when my daughter was having a red-zone
>> tantrum once "Why won't the dog calm her down"?
>> With a cane, I get none of this. People are willing to show me things,
>> sometimes a little too much, but at least they have the right attitude
>> even if it may be for the wrong reasons. And, wrong reasons don't much
>> matter when you've got a squirming kid with a poopie diaper stinking up
>> the joint.
>> The other thing is that you cannot ever leave a child alone. So if I got
>> into a situation where I had to decide which one I was going to take, it
>> was always the kid. I can remember once trying to get ready to go
>> someplace, my daughter was fussy, it was pouring down rain, and I just
>> couldn't deal with putting her down, getting my coat on, taking the dog
>> out to go park, and then getting my daughter ready. I'd already gotten
>> wet once taking the dog out at her regularly scheduled park break which
>> was about an hour before we were to head out, I didn't think she would
>> use the bathroom, and I simply didn't have it in me to take her out
>> again for an event that was unlikely to happen.  So, I left the dog home
>> and used my cane. Leaving my daughter home and taking the dog was not an
>> option legally or morally. We can debate all day if I morally was in the
>> right with regard to the dog, but I didn't do anything illegal. I left
>> water for her, I'd be home soon and she'd had a chance to go park.
>>
>>
>>
>> Finally, it's physically easier to use a cane with my daughter. She
>> likes to stop and look at random things, flowers, trucks, other kids,
>> lights, and my dog was getting frustrated. She didn't understand why we
>> didn't keep on moving. She would also get frustrated when I'd use my
>> hands to look for the forementioned changing tables. She would either
>> take me to the sink or the toilet, or she'd shut down and be like "Well,
>> if you don't want me to guide in here, then I just won't guide when
>> we're done either".I sympathize with the dog's perspective as nobody
>> likes to feel useless, but I also couldn't deal with it either. It just
>> took too much out of me.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Meghan Whalen
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 10:25 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities
>>
>> Thank you for this post.  I can tell a lot of time/thought went into it.
>>
>>
>> Thanks for sharing your thoughts Bebecca.
>>
>> meghan
>>
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