A long cane, the primary mobility
tool for the visually impaired
A white cane is used by many
people who are blind or visually impaired. Primarily it aids its user to
scan their surroundings for obstacles or orientation marks, but is also helpful
for othe1 Types2 History3 Legislation about canes4 Comparison
to guide dogs5 ChildreLong Cane: This "traditional"
white cane, also known as a "Hoover" cane, after Dr. Richard Hoover,
is designed primarily as a mobility tool used to detect objects in the path of
a user. Cane length depends upon the height of a user, and traditionally
extends from the floor to the user's sternum. Some organisations favor the use of much
longer canes.[1]
- Guide Cane: This is a shorter cane - generally extending from the floor to the user's waist - with a more limited mobility function. It is used to scan for kerbs and steps. The guide cane can also be used diagonally across the body for protection, warning the user of obstacles immediately ahead.
- Identification Cane (or Symbol Cane in British English): The ID cane is used primarily to alert others as to the bearer's visual impairment. It is often lighter and shorter than the long cane, and has no use as a mobility tool.
- Support Cane: The white support cane is designed primarily to offer physical stability to a visually impaired user. By virtue of its colour, the cane also works as a means of identification. This tool has very limited potential as a mobility device.
- Kiddie Cane: This version works the same as an adult's Long Cane but is designed for use by children.
- Green Cane: Used in some countries to designate that the user has low vision while the white cane designates that a user is blind.[2]
Mobility canes are often made from aluminium, graphite-reinforced
plastic or other fibre-reinforced
plastic, and can come with a wide variety of tips depending upon
user preference.
Folded long cane
White canes can be either
collapsible or straight, with both versions having pros and cons. The National
Federation of the Blind in the United States affirms that the
lightness and greater length of the straight canes allows greater mobility and
safety, though collapsible canes can be stored with more ease, giving them
advantage in crowded areas such as classrooms and public events.[citation needed]
History
A variety of cane tips. A = Pencil
Tip, B = Bundu Basher Tip, C = Ball Race Overfit Tip, D = Rubber Support Cane
Tip, E = Pear Tip, F = Rural Tip, G = Jumbo Roller Tip
Blind people have used canes as
mobility tools for centuries,[3] but it was not until after World War I that the white cane was introduced.
In 1921 James Biggs, a photographer
from Bristol who became blind after an accident and
was uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, painted his
walking stick white to be more easily visible.[citation needed]
In 1931 in France, Guilly d'Herbemont
launched a national white stick movement for blind people. On February 7, 1931,
Guilly d'Herbemont symbolically gave the first two white canes to blind people,
in the presence of several French ministers. 5,000 more white canes were later
sent to blind French veterans from World War I and blind civilians.[4]
In the United States, the
introduction of the white cane is attributed to George A. Bonham of the Lions Clubs
International.[5] In 1930, a Lions Club member watched as
a man who was blind attempted to cross the street with a black cane that was
barely visible to motorists against the dark pavement. The Lions decided to
paint the cane white to make it more visible. In 1931, Lions Clubs
International began a program promoting the use of white canes for people who
are blind.
The first special white cane
ordinance was passed in December 1930 in Peoria, Illinois granting blind pedestrians
protections and the right-of-way while carrying a white cane.[citation needed]
The long cane was improved upon by World War II veterans rehabilitation
specialist, Richard E. Hoover, at Valley Forge Army Hospital.[6] In 1944, he took the Lions Club white
cane (originally made of wood) and went around the hospital blindfolded for a
week. During this time he developed what is now the standard method of
"long cane" training or the Hoover Method. He is now called the
"Father of the Lightweight Long Cane Technique." The basic technique
is to swing the cane from the center of the body back and forth before the
feet. The cane should be swept before the rear foot as the person steps. Before
he taught other rehabilitators, or "orientors," his new technique he
had a special commission to have light weight, long white canes made for the
veterans of the European fronts.[7]
On October 6, 1964, a joint
resolution of the Congress, HR 753, was signed into law authorizing the
President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day".
President Lyndon Johnson was
the first to make this proclamation.[8]
A folding support cane
While the white cane is commonly
accepted as a "symbol of blindness", different countries still have
different rules concerning what constitutes a "cane for the blind".
In the United Kingdom, the white
cane indicates that the individual has a visual impairment; with two red bands
added it indicates that the user is deafblind.
In the United States, laws vary from
state to state, but in all cases, those carrying white canes are afforded the right-of-way
when crossing a road. They are afforded the right to use their cane in any
public place as well. In some cases, it is illegal for a non-blind person to
use a white cane with the intent of being given right-of-way.[9][10]
In November 2002, Argentina passed a
law recognizing the use of green canes by people with low vision, stating that
the nation would "Adopt from this law, the use of a green cane in the
whole of Argentina as a means of orientation and mobility for people with low
vision. It will have the same characteristics in weight, length, elastic grip
and fluorescent ring as do white canes used by the blind."[2]
In Germany, people carrying a white
cane are excepted from the Vertrauensgrundsatz (de) (trust principle), therefore meaning that other traffic
participants should not rely on them to adhere to all traffic regulations and
practices. Although there is no general duty to mark oneself as blind or
otherwise disabled, a blind or visually impaired person involved in a traffic
accident without having marked themselves may be held responsible for damages
unless they prove that their lack of marking was not causal or otherwise
related to the accident.
Comparison
to guide dogs
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While a guide dog, the other major mobility aid for blind
people, can interact more with the user and the environment, making them more
useful in certain locations, white canes are alternatives for reasons of price,
care, and in some cases, allergies. Despite the high profile of guide dogs,
however, most blind people still use canes at least sometimes, and many still
use canes entirely.
Children
and canes
In many countries, including the UK,
a cane is not generally introduced to a child until they are between 7 and 10
years old. However, more recently canes have been started to be introduced as
soon as a child learns to walk to aid development with great success.[11][12]
Joseph Cutter and Lilli Nielsen, pioneers in research on the
development of blind and multiple-handicapped children, have begun to introduce
new research on mobility in blind infants in children. Cutter's book, Independent
Movement and Travel in Blind Children,[13] recommends a cane to be introduced as
early as possible, so that the blind child learns to use it and move around
naturally and organically, the same way a sighted child learns to walk. A
longer cane, between nose and chin height, is recommended to compensate for a
child's more immature grasp and tendency to hold the handle of the cane by the
side instead of out in front. Mature cane technique should not be expected from
a child, and style and technique can be refined as the child gets olde
Cane (medical device)Hoople
(mobility aid)
·
Nichols, Allan (1995), Why Use the Long White Cane?, archived from the original
on 2010-03-30
·
·
Rollano, Eduardo D.; Oyarzún, Juan C. (27 December 2002). "Personas con Baja Visión". Información
Legislativa y Documental (in Spanish). Argentina: The Government of Argentina.
Retrieved 31 Mar
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