[Mn-abs] Freedom for the Blind
Kelby Carlson
kelbycarlson at usfamily.net
Thu Jan 6 16:04:29 UTC 2011
Steve,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful, well-considered and
articulate response to my questions. I'll be candid here. I've
been, for a long while, somewhat innoculated against the NFB
because of what some perceive to be their faults. (One of which
is lack of compromise and inflexibility.) It is obvious from
talking to people on this list and from beginning to read NFB
literature, that this is most definitely not the case. My
mobility training has been very good. Humorously enough, when I
was trained to use sighted guide as a child I have always been
trained to use my cane while taking someone's arm. I did not
even realize, until you said something, that blind people would
use sighted guide without the use of their cane. However, I have
begun to believe that I must decrease my use of sighted guide. I
want to be as independent a traveler as I can, and I believe
learning to follow independently is an important skill. I
attended the Circle of Life Science Camp in 2005, and gained
knowledge of doing this. Do you think beginning to practice this
more would be a good idea?
I actually decided to request a white cane this morning, and I'm
very excited to begin experimenting with it. I also applied for
a mentor on NFB link so I easily ask questions like this and
start to network. It's rather amazing how empowering taking
these simple steps can feel.
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com
>To: "Minnesota Association of Blind Students List"
<mn-abs at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:41:14 -0600 (CST)
>Subject: Re: [Mn-abs] Freedom for the Blind
>Keldy,
>To some degree, whether you use a folding cane or straight cane,
and even the length you use, is a personal preference. If you
have already given some
>thought, as you indicate, as to whether using a folding cane
hides your blindness, I think you are off to a good start.
>I remember clearly the day I decided I was going to no longer use
a folding cane as my main cane. It was winter, and I was
crossing Hennepin Avenue at
>Seventh Street in downtown Minneapolis. I even remember I was on
the south side of Seventh walking west. About half way across
Hennepin, my cane
>suddenly became noticeably lighter. A half second later, I heard
the clattering and rolling of small pipes on the surface of
Hennepin. It took a second for me
>to put the two observations together that my folding cane had
broken, and what I was hearing were the sections of my folding
cane hitting the street and
>rolling away from me. There I was, standing in the middle of
Hennepin Avenue during rush hour with a 12-inch piece of pipe in
my hand. Needless to say, I
>did get across the street, and some others assisted me in
tracking down the sections of my cane that I hadn't found myself.
I managed to temporarily get my
>cane to stay together until I got back to my college dorm.
>Even with this experience, though, I have used a folding cane on
several occasions since. Even the telescoping canes, which would
not have likely
>broken as did the one I described above, are much more likely to
be broken when people trip over them because the section nearest
the ground is thinner.
>This has happened to me on a number of occasions. Still, I do
keep a telescoping cane as a backup when I travel.
>Dave Andrews has described how to get a cane into and out of a
car, and he has mentioned placing it between the seat and the
window on an airplane.
>The fact is that the airlines probably would prefer it if we
would all use folding canes, but the regulations do permit canes
to be placed between the seat and
>the window if it can be made to lay next to the body of the plane
without sticking up. There is a bit of a trick to doing this,
too, but one masters it fairly
>quickly. I find if I get my cane situated right away that the
airline very rarely asks me about it. One compromise I make is
that if I can't get a window seat, I
>will still place my cane along the window but will use a folding
cane during the flight so I don't have to disturb the passenger
sitting by the window. The
>airlines have to live by regulations, too, so one should not feel
apologetic about using a straight cane as long as one knows what
to do with it. What airlines
>do not understand is that the time a blind person is on a plane
when traveling independently is generally a small part of our
total travel experience. Traveling
>to the airport, through security and to the gate and then doing
the same thing at the other end requires that we have a
comfortable and reliable way to
>travel.
>The other reason I like to have a backup cane when I travel is
that there have been occasions when my straight cane has been
dammaged by elevator
>doors and such. There are somethings that no cane will survive.
>While talking about traveling, I'd like to make a comment about
traveling with other people. You mentioned in another note that
you are traveling with your
>mother, for example. This can be another area where each of us
has to seek our own solutions. I have traveled with blind
persons who always walk by
>themselves, who can follow independently and have no problem with
that at all. Particularly in an airport, one often finds
themselves in the position where
>they have the cane in one hand and their luggage in the other.
Still, I personally find it somewhat difficult to travel and talk
to someone else at the same
>time. For the record, I can usually walk and chew gum. <smile>
I will often take the arm of the person I am traveling with, even
if they are as blind as I am,
>simply because it is easier for me to carry on a conversation
without having to think about where they are. However, when I
take the arm of another
>person, I do not follow the "Sighted guide" process of walking a
step behind them. Rather, I continue using my cane taking
responsibility for my own
>protection, regardless of whether the other person is blind or
sighted. If I am walking with someone and I trip on a curb, it
should be my fault and not theirs.
>Particularly with parents who tend to feel responsible for their
kids, and I say this not just as a blind person but also as a
parent, using a cane while walking
>with a parent can be a good compromise. I have also followed
others in an airport before getting rid of my bag by placing my
cane on the bag of the person
>walking in front of me. While this does not give me as much
information about what is in front of me, generally following
another person with a bag
>guarantees that my path is clear. This can be helpful when an
area is carpeted, reducing ones chance of hearing the other
person walk. Of course, if you
>are the person in the lead, this is not a concern at all, and
often that will be the case.
>As I have gotten older and my hearing less keen, I have gradually
used longer canes to give me more warning of objects in front of
me. I resisted doing this
>for many years because of the inconvenience of knowing what to do
with the cane when it is not in use. Mostly, I have found that
it just isn't the problem
>that I thought it would be. A responsible blind person will try
to be aware of whether one's cane is sticking out in an aisle at
a restaurant for example. We all
>make the occasional mistake along those lines, but I don't think
that my use of a straight cane gives me license to inconvenience
or endanger someone
>else. With a little care, this doesn't have to happen. There
may still be times when you may find a folding cane to be useful.
For example, some folding
>bleachers such as you find in a gym can make dealing with a
straight cane more of a challenge. However, I cannot honestly
remember the last time I really
>felt that I should have used a folding cane. The times when I
really want to fold one up just don't happen very often, and as
you can see, I've been stung
>by using a folding cane just often enough to not want to take the
chance.
>This is really great that you have brought this up on the list.
While I have a strong belief that my choices are right for me, my
hope here is only that you take
>my experiences into account as you chart your course. I believe
our ability to travel independently as blind people is one of the
most important skills in our
>success, and having a reliable way to do it is very important,
whatever that is. I view the occasional inconvenience of dealing
with a straight cane as being
>less of a problem than what many people deal with who have
contact lenses, for example. You learn to deal with the
occasional inconvenience in order to
>have a reliable tool to use to travel.
>Best regards,
>Steve Jacobson
> On Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:56:12 -0600 (CST), Kelby Carlson
wrote:
>>I was wondering if anyone else on this list has read Freedom for
>>the Blind by James Omvig. I am reading it now, and find much of
>>what it says very good; he articulates many things I have
>>believed my entire life and values my parents raised me with.
>>I'm almost to the section on the long white cane, and I have
>>wondered about this for some time. I understand the emotional
>>power of using a long cane and the statement it makes, but it
>>seems less than necessary from a pragmatic standpoint. I prefer
>>to have a cane that is able to fold not because I want to hide my
>>blindness, but simply for convenience. I'm rather tall, so
>>having a long cane that can't fold would make it very difficult
>>to travel in cars, at least I'm assuming so. (I can't imagine
>>the fits airlines could have over this.) Does anyone have
>>experience with this? I'm trying to explore options right now. I
>>want to get more involved with the larger blind community and I'm
>>fast approaching college. Any discussion on this would be
>>awesome.
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