Independence Market Corner
The NFB Independence Market is the conduit through which our organization distributes our literature about blindness and how to adapt to living successfully with severe vision loss. Our members and friends use our literature to share our can-do approach to blindness to encourage other blind people and to educate the general public about the abilities of the blind.
Through the Independence Market the NFB also makes available some products, which enhance the independence of blind and vision impaired individuals. Perhaps the product which has the greatest impact on the independence of blind people is the long white cane. Once someone has learned to use the long white cane effectively, that blind person can travel safely and comfortably both in familiar and unfamiliar places. The freedom gained from such independent mobility has a tremendous effect on the self-confidence of blind people. It is, therefore, not surprising that the white cane has become a symbol of our independence and self-reliance.
Over the years the NFB promoted longer and lighter weight canes, as our members found the longer, lighter canes easier to use. The additional length provides users more advanced warning of obstacles in the environment, giving them the confidence and competence to walk at a faster pace. Knowing that one's longer cane will detect the top of a flight of steps with enough reaction time to approach the first step with ease contributes to a blind traveler's sense of safety and security. The NFB recommends that a cane is long enough that it reaches between the chin and the nose of the user. Some people who walk very fast prefer even longer canes. The NFB also pioneered the use of canes for young blind children, even toddlers. If young blind children already have canes in their hands when they start walking, then the cane becomes a natural tool to explore their environment. And once such early cane adopters reach the self-conscious teen years, they have already internalized the knowledge that using the long white cane enables them to move around safely and independently.
The NFB Independence Market sells several types of long white canes ranging from rigid ones to telescoping and folding ones for all ages and sizes from toddlers to tall adults. All our light-weight canes are hollow and made either from fiberglass or a carbon fiber composite.
The Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane, written by longtime member Tom Bickford, is a good introductory guide for those unfamiliar with using a long white cane as a mobility aid. This book gives good tips for using a long white cane in various everyday situations. The text is available on our website at https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/books/CFCANE/canetc.htm. The book can also be obtained in Braille or print from the Independence Market free of charge. Audio copies may be borrowed by NLS patrons from their local library for the blind.
For more information about the products and literature available from the Independence Market or to request a catalog in Braille or in print visit us online at https://nfb.org/independence-market. You may also contact us using email at [email protected] or by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Our staff will be glad to assist.
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