[nagdu] Leader's Accelerated mobility program

Wed May 25 16:57:01 UTC 2011

You may want to try the titanium folding canes from Ambutek. I have a bunch and love them. They don't telescope and are very lightweight. I noticed it instantly and am surprised at how heavy my old canes feel.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brenda
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 12:50 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Leader's Accelerated mobility program

I found holding my 52 inch ultralight Ambutech cane with the metal glide 
tip a few inches from the top helped avoid catching so that is why I 
thought I'd try a shorter cane.  My cane comes up to where my arm and 
shoulder connect.  I really do not want anything longer.I had a 
telescoping NFB carbon fibor cane, but I got water where the sections 
joined, it locked and we broke it trying to unjam it.  I loved that 
cane, it was so light I could feel everything, but it tended to collapse 
when travelling.  My current cane is a little heavier but not as bad as 
an aluminum cane.  nonetheless it is heavy enough to be annoying.  At 
Leader they wanted me to keep my cane low to the ground in a sweeping 
motion.  This worked until there was the slightest bit of texture or 
uneven sidewalks which I encounter a lot.  I like to tap my cane to get 
sound input and determine depth.  Tapping is harder on my wrist except 
for when I used my NFB telescopic.I know the NFB has a rigid cane, but 
that is not convenient for when stopping to eat etc.Based on all the 
advice, I may keep my 52 inch and not go shorter.

Well, cane travel is a prerequesite to getting a guide dog, but I don't 
want to annoy people by talking too much about it on this list.  I am 
learning a lot from all you nice people.

Brenda

On 5/25/2011 11:24 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
> Hi Brenda.
> Thanks for the info on the Leader program.  Glad it was useful.  You've
> got the right idea--take what you can use and let the rest slide. Though
> some of what you don't need now you might want later.
> My husband has low vision, gradually getting worse.  But even when it was
> better, he found a cane useful.  He could use it to check out things he
> wasn't sure about, and the cane lets people know he can't see well.
> Sometimes they treat him like an idiot because he's blind, but on the
> other hand they don't expect him to read signs and stuff.  They understand
> better why he's asking for help.
>
> I personally like a cane that comes up to about my nose.  It gives me
> sufficient stopping time.  I have an NFB carbon fiber cane I like pretty
> well.  It's light, and the tip is wide enough not to get caught on cracks
> and such.  Some people like the even wider marshmallow tip.
> My husband likes a heavy aluminum cane, with a skinny tip.  He tends to
> bang his cane around a lot, and the heavy one he likes can stand up to it.
> Anyway, if you can get access to a few kinds of canes, you can experiment
> and see what you like best.
> I'm glad to hear things are coming along for you.
> Tracy
>
>> Hi Tracy
>>
>> Yep, I'm the one that went to Leader for the AMP program because of the
>> minimal mobility training my State provided.  now is a good time for me
>> to get my mobility down solid.  I do feel it is very hard for me as I
>> have some remaining vision. It was hard to ask for help because I often
>> am treated like I don't need it even though I really do benefit from a
>> cane and some day a guide dog.
>>
>> I learned a lot at leader.  I needed concentrated practice crossing busy
>> streets, and I got that.  I still catch my cane a lot, and I felt they
>> did not address that well - they just said it takes time.  I was told to
>> pay more attention to what my cane was saying but that is hard when it
>> catches all the time.  I'm going to purchase a slightly shorter cane and
>> experiment with the different tips I have from the 2 canes I currently
>> have.  My mobility instructor from my state was good, he just was not
>> allotted funds/time to give me much training.  I am now combining all
>> the tips from the state-supplied instructor and leader to travel safely
>> and efficiently.  Kind of like a 12-step group - take what you want and
>> leave the rest.
>>
>> At Leader we also did a guide dog experience.  it was okay.  I walked
>> with a small dog and the trainer said right away the harness handle was
>>       too short and the dog walked slower than my pace. I had issues with
>> balance and I was trying so hard not to lead the dog which was hard with
>> this slow-walking guide. I did not want them to think I had too much
>> usuable vision for a dog.   It was a good experience and I will get a
>> guide when my pet passes on.  I realize this was just a brief
>> introduction to using a guide.  As I was the last person to go out (all
>> the totally blind were taken out first) and the miss match, I did wonder
>> if I was just an afterthought.
>> There was a thread recently about letting someone else use your guide.
>> If I had the opportunity, I would ask someone to allow me
>> to have another guiding experience with them present of course.
>>
>> Besides the badly needed traffic training I got the Kapten.  This device
>> would have been helpful for me all my life as a high partial.  I still
>> have nightmares of being lost and wondering around trying to find my
>> way.  My trips were always longer because i could not read street
>> signs.  The main thing is I have the Kapten now.
>>
>> I sure hope the word about the kapten gets out to high partials who are
>> often left out because they are expected to be able to see.  Growing up,
>> all the attention, information etc went to blind students/campers, etc.,
>> leaving high partials in the dark.  Wwe were never given the
>> opportunities and struggled to live in the sighted world with very
>> limited vision and no adaptive strategies - we could not accept who we
>> were as high partials.
>>
>> I really needed and benefited from leader's Accelerated Mobility
>> training (AMP).  I still do have usable vision to walk a straight line,
>> but I think somehow it is because I use my cane.  When i was a high
>> partial someone said I walked crooked lines but now that I use a cane I
>> walk straighter.  I still feel like my vision puts me in limbo.  I know
>> a cane and a guide dog will help me, but I don't think the instructors
>> think I need the help.  Hopefully the guide dog school I choose will
>> agree with me.
>>
>> I am glad to see the leader AMP program there for those of us that never
>> got the chance of having mobility training which of course you need
>> before you can get a guide dog.  I think many low partials could benefit
>> from leader's AMP program.
>>
>> Brenda
>>
>>
>> Brenda
>>
>>
>>
>> On 5/25/2011 8:26 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
>>> Hi Brenda.
>>> Are you the person who was having trouble getting cane training from
>>> your
>>> state, and so decided to go to Leader's cane program?  Did you get what
>>> you needed from it?  I'd be interested to hear your impressions, and I'm
>>> sure others would, too.  There are too many people who can't get the
>>> assistance they should from their states, and it would be good to know
>>> about other options.
>>> Sorry if I'm confusing you with someone else.
>>> Tracy
>>>> I went to the accelarated mobility program at Leader this early spring
>>>> and was given the Kapten.  I love it.  I like to put it in free
>>>> navigation mode and find out all the streets I cross that I never knew
>>>> the names of before.  They recommend you update it via the internet and
>>>> the Kapten's website, but I have never done that.  I suppose if I was
>>>> going somewhere new I would try to figure that out.  There is also an
>>>> automobile mode which may be nice for bus travel.
>>>>
>>>> Brenda
>>>
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