[Nfbf-l] [NFBF-Leaders] White Cane Opinion Piece in Florida Today

Tue Oct 16 14:47:04 UTC 2018

Thanks Bill. Sometimes I do come up with an interesting remark. :) 

Sincerely,
Camille Tate 

President, Melbourne Space Coast Chapter, National Federation of the Blind, FL 

Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind, FL 

Email: ctate2076 at att.net 

Phone: 321 372 4899 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbf-l <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Bill Outman via Nfbf-l
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 9:38 AM
To: 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Bill Outman <woutman at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] [NFBF-Leaders] White Cane Opinion Piece in Florida Today

I like the line about lack of eyesight contrasted with lack of insight.  

Bill Outman 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbf-l [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Denise via Nfbf-l
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2018 9:13 AM
To: NFB of Florida List for Leaders
Cc: Denise; NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] [NFBF-Leaders] White Cane Opinion Piece in Florida Today

We have White Cane Safety Day once a year, but I live it every single day. The day celebrates the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and will happen Monday this year.

I lost my vision in 2005 due to diabetic retinopathy. I am a student at Eastern Florida State College and hope to go to law school once I have finished a bachelor’s degree. I would like to go into disability rights because I have realized that misconceptions about blindness keep many blind and low-vision people as second-class citizens.
As a totally blind person, I have experienced many different things navigating our streets. I think it is important to explain to the sighted what it is like to use a cane.
I live on Wickham Road, about a mile from Eastern Florida State College. I have lived in the area for about eight years. I walk to many places along Wickham Road and will say that I have been lucky. While training to use my white cane, I was nervous, like I think most people with no eyesight would be, trying to learn to walk with a cane on a busy street. 

I use a cane with a rolling tip on the end. This is so the tip can slide over cracks or the natural dips between sections of sidewalk. With my cane, I can tell the difference between concrete, asphalt, tile or most other surfaces. I swing my cane from shoulder to shoulder and can detect obstacles in my path (including cars). The cane will let me know if I am too close to a curb or whether I have moved on to grass or dirt. 
Many of our sidewalks need to be fixed. Too often, I trip on sidewalks where the pavement is raised or uneven. I have broken two canes getting it caught on the sidewalk; some of Wickham Road needs improvement.
Parking lots and street crossings are perhaps the most stomach-tightening. I have found ways to get around walking through a parking lot without a sighted guide (this is when a blind/low-vision person holds the sighted person above the elbow to walk). But drivers are not paying attention when they enter/exit a parking lot or a parking space. 

Even with a sighted guide, I have nearly been hit by people backing out of parking spaces.
Crossing the street is even more treacherous. Most intersections have an audible “ped head” so we can find the button to cross the street. However, nearly all of them lack the audible voice telling when it is safe to cross or to wait. This is important because all the new, quiet cars make it difficult for the blind to hear when they can safely cross. None of that matters when a driver is not paying attention.
Once, while crossing Post Road at Wickham, I smacked right into a car turning left onto Wickham to go north. He pulled into the crosswalk in anticipation of making his left turn. Also, at that intersection, a lady wanted to turn right onto Post, so she started to turn, waiting for a break in the traffic going east. However, it was my turn to cross Post and she nearly ran me over because she was not paying attention.
This is how many blind and low-vision people are injured or killed each year when walking or crossing the street. Drivers are not paying attention.
Our lack of eyesight does not excuse a driver’s lack of insight. 
It all comes down to paying attention — on White Cane Day, and every day.
Our lack of eyesight does not excuse a driver’s lack of insight. 
It all comes down to paying attention — on White Cane Day, and every day.
Camille Tate, a Melbourne resident, is president of the Space Coast Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind and a member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida. She serves as a disabled representative to the local coordinating board for the transportation disadvantaged.

> On Oct 12, 2018, at 10:49 PM, Camille Tate via NFBF-Leaders <nfbf-leaders at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Greetings Florida:
>  
> In light of White Cane Day on October 15, I’d like to share an opinion piece I wrote for our local newspaper. It was published this morning on their website.
>  
> https://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/10/12/heres-how-blind-person-gets-around-brevard/1612956002/
> 
>  
> Sincerely,
> Camille Tate
>  
> President, Melbourne Space Coast Chapter, National Federation of the Blind, FL
>  
> Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind, FL
>  
> Email: ctate2076 at att.net
>  
> Phone: 321 372 4899
> _______________________________________________
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