[NFBNJ] Free White Cane Program

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!

While I was reviewing the NFB website, I thought that the following 
information was worthy to forward to those on the affiliate distribution 
list.
Please review and share with others.
Keep well. Keep safe. Keep using your free white cane .

Warmly,
Joe Ruffalo

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The National Federation of the Blind has distributed more than 64,000 free 
white canes since 2008.

The white cane gives blind people the ability to achieve a full and 
independent life, allowing us to travel freely and safely. We started our 
free white cane program because we believe that no blind person should be 
without a white cane, regardless of his or her ability to pay for it.

  Your gift of a white cane could not have come at a better time for me! My 
wonderful wife of forty-three years, who has Alzheimer’s, has moved to an 
assisted living facility. The only place I could find to get a cane was a 
fourteen hour round trip for me and I can’t drive anymore. What you have 
done for me I will remember for the rest of my life.

Request a Free White Cane
To request a white cane, you can fill out our online application or mail a 
completed application to our office.

  a.. Free White Cane Online Application
  b.. Free White Cane Application (PDF); please mail the completed PDF 
application to Free White Cane Program, National Federation of the Blind, 
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Any blind individual in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and 
Puerto Rico can request a cane for their personal use. Requests can be made 
as often as every six months.

How to Choose Your Cane Size
The canes distributed through our free white cane program are straight 
fiberglass canes (i.e., not folding or telescoping). All canes are white 
with a loop on top of the handle and come with a cane tip.

For adult first-time cane users, we recommend measuring from your shoulders 
to the floor. The cane needs to reach about two steps in front of where you 
are stepping. The speed of your pace and length of your stride will make a 
difference. More experienced cane travelers may wish to have a longer cane, 
measuring at least chin height.

For children, teens, and young adults who are first-time cane users, we 
recommend measuring from your chin to the floor. More experienced cane 
travelers may wish to have a longer cane, measuring at least nose height.

Cane Travel Training
Because we are committed to ensuring that every blind person can acquire the 
training he or she needs to use the white cane, we are proudly affiliated 
with top-notch model training centers. The innovative training programs we 
have pioneered at these centers are increasingly being replicated by other 
rehabilitation agencies and providers.

For more information on cane travel and techniques, we invite you to read, 
"Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane: Instructions in Cane Travel for 
Blind People."

More Information
For more information, please contact us at freecane at nfb.org or 410-659-9314.


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