[blindkid] cane use and travel in familiar areas

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Fri Oct 16 02:50:50 UTC 2009


Ask the O and M instructor to write with his or her left hand! In other words, the guy or gal is nuts! If your child is using the cane properly, he won't have to trail walls! That's a good way to get vinched fingers if a door is opened and little fingers are in the wrong place while diligently trailing the wall!

Mike Freeman, President
NFB of Washington

----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Harper <sueharper at firstchurchgriswold.org>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 12:29:24
Subject: [blkid] cane use and travel in familiar areas

>
>
> Hi All,
> 
>      I know I am probably going to sound uneducated here, but I have a
> question for those whose children use canes and mental mapping, okay, two
> questions.  Here goes.
> 
>      My son learned to use his cane in his right hand.  He has done a
> remarkable job of adapting to cane travel for a 3 year old.  He also does
> extremely well with echo location and mental mapping.  Now the O & M
> instructor (I might add that we got a new O & M instructor on the first day
> of school.) wants him to switch cane hands.  He is right handed and the O &
> M want him to use the cane in his left hand, so he can trail with his right
> hand and then cane diagonally.  He is not really happy or cooperative with
> this change.  Is this something others have had experience with?  Is this
> something new?  Every picture I have seen of a child or an adult with a
> cane, it has been in their right hand.  I get the reason that he should be
> able to use both hands and walk on the right, but it seems a little bit like
> trying to make a lefty learn right hand stuff, only in this case it is
> making a right handed person into a lefty.  I also understand that the can
> is an extension of your hand.
> 
>      Second issue.  My son is learning trailing in the classroom.  However,
> he was headed straight for his cubby to get his coat and his aid interrupted
> him to go back and trail.  I thought it was quite remarkable that he has a
> mental map and knows where his coat is.  I should say that I am an advocate
> of discovery learning techniques.
> 
>      Help, what am I missing?
> 
> Blessings,
> Sue H.
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