[NFBMT] Meet the Blind Month and White Cane Awareness Day: Teach the World About What the White Cane Means to Blind People

[Rik James]

Let's discuss this.
What does the White Cane mean, I mean what does it mean now.
Does it mean anything different from when the first awareness day came about?

What is the progress?
Is there a way to measure it?
Is it symbolic more  than actual?

When people in my town see it, I can see changes. Some good, and some very much less so.
In some cases, very real, and hard to deny.  In the years when there was a summer program in Bozeman, the awareness was much much more prevalent.

Now in some ways I am only talking about the cane here. How did folks understand what it meant to see someone using it.
Of course the bigger issue is to what level does knowing about the cane to understanding anything about blindness, vision loss, and the assumptions, mystical mythifications, and so on. 

In terms of cane travel, I do not think I see any evidence at all in my community that there is a lot for people to become aware of, since few seem to be out there hoofing it. In some ways, safety concerns, do in fact, enter into the equation, due to attention distracted drivers, and so on.

Every truth has its secrets. Every secret has its own truth. Which one is believed the more?
The Federation philosophy, I think, is that we have to create a truth, in many ways, to combat the mythology, and to override the lowered expectations.
At the same time, we have to actually walk, as well as talk.  If we only talk, well we are not quite making our case as convincingly as we might and could.

This is just a midday rant, my friends.
I want to hear from you.
Discuss. 
What does it mean today, this long white cane?

It is October. Meet the blind month. Okay. Here I am. Talk to me. 
Next Thursday it is time for another phone conference. I may hear from some of you at-large members at that point. But remember, also, we have our guest, Peggy Chong, who will share her research, what she has learned of some early history of the Blind in Montana.

Go Rockies!
Go Indians!
Go baseball on the radio. The only way to enjoy America's great game, is on the radio!
Last night's 13-inning Wild Card game, it got me pumped up. I may have even waved my cane today at a few baseball fans. But how would they know it was about baseball?

At summer school, we always had a night with the All-Star game. Fond memories of those nights.

Rik