No white cane needed! What do I mean? Well, in spite of the image of a blind person
walking along with white cane stretched out in front, there are also multiple
times when I have no need of the cane at all.
The picture of the blind man walking with his cane stretched out in
front of him leaves out some relevant pieces of the picture. For starters, it is not only men who are
affected with blindness or reduced vision. Women and children are part of the blind population.
A small percentage of people who are
blind choose to use a guide dog instead of a white cane. And as I have written in a previous post,
some people choose to use a coloured cane instead of the traditional white one.
This week I have been thinking of the many
times when I have no need of a cane at all. My hand isn’t welded to the handle of a cane.
I am able to move around my house without the aid of a cane. Right now I am
sitting at my computer and using both hands on the keyboard. No cane needed for this. Last week I had coffee with my friend, Peter. Peter is completely without sight but we both
managed to drink our coffee and have a pleasant chat at an outdoor cafe while
our canes were folded up and lying on the ground beside us.
A cane is useful to be sure, but it is
really only used for certain activities – mostly those involving mobility. I am
reminded of a time when I was going through airport security. As I bent over to retrieve my belongings from
the storage bin, one of the security personnel rushed towards me, unfolded my
cane and handed it to me. “Here,” he said. “You will see better with this.”
How
I was to see better by holding my cane in addition to retrieving my jacket and
backpack from the bin, I am not sure. Still,
the young man was doing his best to be helpful and I was grateful for his
consideration, if not somewhat puzzled by his assumption about the abilities of
my cane.
With this post, there is a picture of Peter
and me sipping our coffee.
 |
| Sue and Peter having coffee |
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