The Cane and I

The Cane and I

Future Reflections
Winter/Spring
2005
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The Cane and I

by Judy Sanders
Reprinted from the Summer
2003 issue of the Minnesota Bulletin, a publication of the NFB of Minnesota.

Judy
Sanders

It all began when I was
ten. It should have started a lot earlier but that's easy to say now.

When my parents discovered
that their baby twins were blind they were devastated. What kind of future could
they envision for their children? To find out, they began looking for blind
adults from whom they could learn. They found two sources: a sheltered workshop
that gave blind adults very limited opportunities for employment and a blind
bowling league. They volunteered to drive people to the bowling alley. Unfortunately,
they did not learn much about what the future could hold.
My parents were practical
people; they realized the importance of allowing us to explore our environment.
The first thing to go was the playpen. We were encouraged to move around the
floor and see what we could find. I am told that I never crawled; I scooted
everywhere.
It was later that they
started investigating our choices for a good education. In the 1950's most blind
children were educated at schools for the blind. We were given a good foundation
in reading and writing Braille and in other academics; however, no attention
was given to teaching us how to travel from place to place safely and independently;
that is, until I was ten.
We learned about inside
safety. Trailing the walls and holding our hands in front of our faces for protection
from overhead objects was the first lesson. We all felt ridiculous hiding our
faces so we never used this technique except during our lessons when we had
no choice. To this day, I have not met a blind person who travels in this manner.
My first cane was a short,
crook-handled, aluminum cane. It was heavy and I never relaxed while using it.
For one thing, I only used it during lessons; no one made me use it at other
times and I was not motivated to do it on my own. In fact, I felt very self-conscious
when traveling with this cane. I knew people were staring at me. I knew that
some blind people made a living by begging on the streets and I had heard that
they carried tin cups with a picture of a white cane on them; I did not want
to be one of those people.
While telling me it was
not necessary for me to use my cane when traveling with other sighted people,
I was also told I was amazing for what I could accomplish with the cane. My
instructor was invited to speak to various civic groups and I remember being
asked to demonstrate the cane. I walked from my chair to the edge of the stage
and the audience gasped because I stopped just in time to keep from falling
into their laps.
Throughout high school
and college I used a folding cane and carried a purse big enough to hide it.
My college friends would meet me and take me from place to place. I now know
that my social life would have been much more satisfying if I had asserted my
independence. I would have been equal with my peers.
Upon graduating from college,
I was introduced to the National Federation of the Blind. People were talking
about going to a national convention in Houston, Texas, and I considered joining
them. I weighed the pros and cons of this journey.
Pro: I wanted a teaching
career and I knew I would have the chance to meet other blind educators.
Con: I would not know where
to go upon arrival.
Pro: I knew several people
who were going and I could stick with them; at least, I would not be alone when
we got lost.
The pro list won the day
and I had the time of my life! I cannot say that I magically transformed myself
into an avid cane user but I began thinking. I noticed what little effort it
took for blind people to get around this huge hotel. They even left the hotel
to explore the city. Why wasn't I doing these things?
In the next few years,
I came to know all that the Federation had to offer. My Federation friends have
given me far more than I can ever give back. With respect to the cane, I have
come to value my freedom to come and go as I please; I can take pride in saying
to my sighted friends and colleagues that I will meet them somewhere. I now
travel thousands of miles each year alone and don't think twice about it.
Times have changed. Not
only do we have an organization for parents of blind children but because of
the National Federation of the Blind there are now *adjustment-to-blindness
training centers operated by blind people to teach the use of the cane and make
the students proud. Blind people are equal partners in today's society and the
cane is one reason why.
I now travel with a lightweight,
fiberglass cane and it stands straight and tall. My purse is no longer needed
to be a cane holder and I can smile at the people who might be staring at me.v
*The
NFB operates three adjustment-to-blindness training centers: BLIND, Inc., the
Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind. All three
of the centers also operate summer blindness-skills programs for children and
youth. For more information, contact:
BLIND, Inc. (Blindness:
Learning in New Dimensions, Incorporated)
Shawn Mayo, Director
100 East 22nd Street
South
Minneapolis, Minnesota
55404
Phone: (612) 872-0100
or
(800) 597-9558
Fax: 612-872-9358
[email protected]
Colorado Center for the
Blind
Julie Deden, Director
2233 West Shepperd
Avenue
Littleton, Colorado
80120
Phone: (303) 778-1130
or
(800) 401-4632
Fax: 303-778-1598
[email protected]
Louisiana Center for the
Blind
Pam Allen, Director
101 South Trenton
Ruston, Louisiana 71270
Phone: (318) 251-2891 or
(800) 234-4166
[email protected]
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