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.

Registered as a "Blind Person"

A social worker for the blind visited me at my home and after a chat, I was asked to register as a partially sighted person but I refused on the grounds that I did not consider that I was at that stage or was I being stubborn? The social worker continued to visit me even if it was only to ask how I was, I went to help with the talking newspaper and enjoyed helping out and meeting the other volunteers.

One day while shopping in town, I fell and badly grazed both my knees and you would never had guessed but the social worker turned up at my home the next morning before going to work, to see how I was doing! I told the social worker that I have had a bad fall but I had a feeling that she already knew and again, she asked me if I would go for registration so that she could help me. I agreed to go probably because I was feeling very vulnerable at that time; this led me to my being registered as a “Blind Person” and not as a “Partial Blind Person” as I expected. I was horrified and would not accept the label “Blind Person”, a blind person cannot see anything and I still had some vision so how can I be registered as a “Blind Person” was the argument that I used. It was just words that were hurting me, nowadays it is sight impaired (Partially blind) and severe sight impaired (Blind), a more acceptable description and does not make you feel that you are heading for the scrap heap.

The social worker wisely kept out of my way for a few weeks and I had no contact with her until the day that I received an invitation to the Derby Branch of the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of which I was a member to attend a meeting the next day at Derby. Their quest speaker was Mary Guest, a founder member of the Society with special interest in deaf people with retinitis pigmentosa. I really wanted to attend but realised that it was not possible as at the time we did not have a car. Later that day, I received a phone call from one of the volunteers at the Talking Newspaper and this was followed by a call from my social worker who arranged for some transport to take me to Derby.

I enjoyed the meeting and afterwards was able to discuss my difficulties in accepting my registration as a blind person with Mary Guest, she was very understanding and I have always appreciated that time she gave me. The next day, I went to help out at the Talking Newspaper and saw my social worker who asked if I was ready to talk and after replying that I was, followed her to her office. After thanking my social worker for arranging the transport, we discussed the meeting. The social worker offered me a white cane plus a red and white cane but I explained that I would never use the red and white cane but would use the white cane when I was ready.

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 indicated, people know that a white cane indicates that the person carrying the white cane is vision impaired but did not know that a person carrying a red and white cane was deaf as well as being vision impaired. I believed that I would feel more secure using the white cane rather than the red and white cane. At the time, it was the correct decision for me.