[blindkid] O/M School Cane issues

[Patricia]

I don't really have advice per say, but have been following the thread with 
great interest. I am not affiliated with the NFB (being from Canada) and I 
know we do things differently over here but as a blind person I know that I 
had started out with the diagonal technique from kindergarten to about the 
second grade, when I learned the touch technique that you described and it 
was for outdoor/indoor use, at least when i learned it. So I don't really 
understand why your daughter isn't learning touch technique... I foundthat 
once I started travelling around my school more I had to ark and use touch 
technique or of course I would miss things. It seems only natural to me for 
Joli to do this as well.

My two cents in the matter.

Patricia

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "L W" <mama2sally at yahoo.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 6:16 PM
Subject: [blindkid] O/M School Cane issues


> Hi all
> Thank you for your continued advice. The latest is that Joli’s mobility 
> teacher has just started teaching her the diagonal technique. I asked Joli 
> to show me how the O/M has her using the cane. It looks like she holds the 
> cane in her right hand. It is crossed in front of her left hip with the 
> tip maintaining constant contact with the ground. I asked her what happens 
> if there was an obstacle on her other side, and she said she can switch 
> hands. This technique seems really awkward to me as it looks like she can’t 
> completely clear the space ahead of her without switching hands, which is 
> tricky if she carrying anything. Of course it would be rare for her to 
> moving around her school with both of her hands free. I was wondering if 
> the NFB has any thoughts on this diagonal technique. Joli got her cane 
> from the NFB and has been using the touch tap, step, tap, step technique 
> they showed us at the NFB. Her O/M teacher says that the NFB touch
> tap technique is only for outdoor use. She didn’t even want Joli using her 
> cane indoors until she had learned the diagonal technique. So far we have 
> an understanding that Joli can use the touch tap technique until she 
> learns the diagonal technique. I am not sure I want Joli using the 
> diagonal technique and am wondering how the NFB feels about this 
> technique.
> I can anticipate that if I want this instructor to stop the diagonal 
> technique and to instead teach & encourage the touch technique Joli has 
> been learning, I going to have a fight on my hands. That is another reason 
> why I am wondering if the NFB supports use of this diagonal technique.
> Thanks for any advice,
> Lauren Wibbe
>
>
>
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