INDEPENDENT TRAVELThe ability to travel from place to place safely and efficiently is one of the most important skills a blind person can learn. This is true because if you can't go anywhere it is difficult to accomplish much. Most blind people use a long white cane for independent travel. A smaller percentage of people use guide dogs. The long white cane is a tool which is used by a blind person to clear a path in front of him or her. The hand should grasp the cane as if you were shaking hands with someone, and the index finger and thumb should extend along the handle. The hand holding the cane should be held about waist high and centered in front of your body fairly close to the stomach with the arm resting comfortably against your side. The cane should be moved in an arc back and forth tapping once on the left side and then moved to the right side. The arc should be just slightly wider than the person's shoulders, so that the cane movement will protect your entire body from hitting any obstacle in the pathway. The cane movement should be controlled by wrist movement, not arm motion. When an individual is walking, the cane should always be in front of the foot that is back, and should hit the floor at the same time that the foot hits the floor. For example, as you step forward with your right foot, the cane moves to the left and hits the floor in front of the left foot. Then as you step forward with your left foot, the cane moves to the right and hits the floor in front of the right foot, and so on. This pattern insures that you will always have an extra step before you come to whatever your cane contacts. The basics of cane technique can be learned in a short period of time. The important thing then is to practice and to build confidence in your ability to travel by yourself. The combination of the sound and tactile feedback given by the cane, plus the other environmental information, such as the sound of the traffic, gives the blind person the information that is needed to travel safely and independently. You should be able to get assistance in learning cane travel from the rehabilitation agency for the blind in your state. You also may want to contact other blind people in your community, who will be happy to give you information and teach you what they know. Many people who are losing sight resist using a cane, because they imagine
that it represents dependence. They may be ashamed of being blind. Sometimes
a family member may object to the cane being used. However, the cane is
actually a symbol of independence since it is the means for a blind person
to travel safely wherever he or she may wish to go. |