[blindkid] modified NFB Cane

[Joy Orton]

Dear Marie,
Way to innovate! I hope this works for you and Jack.
Joy

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 12:29:41 +0000
From: "Marie" <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
To: "Blindkid email" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindkid] Modified NFB cane
Jack keeps having issues with essentially not using his cane on surfaces
with lots of cracks and grooves particularly grassy areas. I wrote to the
list about trying a different kind of tip. We were saddened to realize that
we could not just try a tip and would have to get a whole different kind of
cane. We decided to stick with the NFB cane we knew to be reliable and
sturdy. Then yesterday I had a little brainstorm. We don't want to add extra
weight to the tip just something to make it smoother to navigate cracks,
bumps, and grooves. BUT we did not want to lose feedback either. My husband
cut a small slit in one of those thin plastic ball pool balls. You know, the
kind you buy in a bag a hundred at a time? We push the metal tip through the
slit. Jack did a bit better keeping his tip on the ground and less up in the
air. We'll see how this works. If it doesn't work, it has cost us um, let's
see....nothing because we already had the balls.

Marie (mother of Jack born May 2005)
See glimpses of life with my determined son who is developing in his own way
at his own time at http://allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry