A white cane

The reason that I would not use a red and white cane was that I found there were not many people aware of what the red and white cane was used for, people knew that a white cane indicated that the person carrying the cane was blind or what we would say severely vision impaired to-day but did not know that a person carrying a red and white cane was deaf as well as being vision impaired. Many people have stopped me to ask how I have managed with the white cane, mostly by people who are vision impaired and because it has been suggested that they should try using a white cane. The first white cane that I had was a guiding cane, a folding one; a straight cane that can be folded into four sections and held together by an elastic chord.   White cane is used by vision impaired people as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to sighted people.  Courtesy is just as important, as carrying a white cane lets others know that you have a sight problem and warns them to be careful.  I understand why some vision impaired people are reluctant to use the white cane because I did not want to use mine at first, mainly because I could not accept being registered as a blind person when I still had some vision and I did not think that I needed it.

The first time I went out carrying my cane, it was not long before I folded it and put it in my bag explaining that I did not need it while I was with my husband, Ronald. It was some weeks before I went out with it again and I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable and worried about being seen by relatives, friends and neighbours. I found that no-one took any notice though some of my friends and relatives expressed admiration at my courage and it did take courage to go out especially when carrying a white cane for the first time. I was even told that I looked well with the white cane and though I knew that they were trying to help me, I did appreciate their encouragement. The white cane , like my hearing aids soon became part of me and it went everywhere with me making me feel safe, this was much better than bumping into people, falling down steps or tripping over kerbs resulting in some people probably thinking that I was clumsy or drunk.

You may be interested in how the white cane was developed though blind people have been using their canes for centuries; the white cane was not introduced until after the First World War. In 1921, John Biggs of Bristol who was a photographer became blind after an accident and because he was uncomfortable with the amount of traffic surrounding his home, he painted his walking stick white to make it more visible.  Ten years later in 1931, Guilly d’Herbemont of France launched a national white stick movement for blind people.