Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!203!11!Vixen.*
From: Vixen.*@f11.n203.z1.fidonet.org (Vixen *)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: A NEW CANE
Message-ID: <9961@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 1 Feb 90 20:30:26 GMT
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Index Number: 6575

Hi,

Well, when I went to my first NFB meeting, I decided to get a new long
cane because my aluminum folding cane is rather bent up and was
sticking quite badly.

My new cane is an NFB cane and is made of fiberglass and is a rigid
cane and I do like that it is very very light and my wrist doesn't tire
as quickly on long walks like it did with my aluminum cane.

Also, they decided tha my last cane was too short because I still
stumbled too much while using it, especially considering that I do have
some usuable vision. Anyway, one of the NFB officers and I went out and
"worked" for a little while and I noticed that the added length really
made a difference!

My friend and guide Kris says (laughingly) now I walk almost too fast
and I am always getting out ahead of him! He says   it's very
noticeable how much faster I walk now and that I seem to be
concentrating less and just "going". You know, I think he is right too,
I think my other long cane was too short!

The only thing is, I do miss not being able to fold it up and getting
it the heck out of my way! It seems like there are so many places where
I feel like I shouldn't just lay it on the floor, like in school or
something, because someone might trip over it or slip on it! My NFB
friends say that I shouldn't even think about it and that sighted
people should just watch out for it on their own.

Well, I have learned very quickly that members of my chapter of NFB are
very much into independence and letting you know that they are not
ashamed of their blindness or visual limitations, but neither am I.
However, I kind of feel that if I am "always" making sighted people
watch out for my cane (especially when not walking!) that then I am
letting my disability become an obstacle to them! That does bother me.
I feel like I am infringing upon them. So, I am having difficulty
dealing with a cane that I can't just fold up and put in my purse, lap
and et cetera.

Keepin' the faith!

.                         Vixen

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