#25 White Cane (continued)
Here are 3 interesting facts from the Perkins School for the Blind about white canes.
- Most people who are visually impaired don’t use a white cane. In fact, only an estimated 2 percent to 8 percent The rest rely on their usable vision, a guide dog or a sighted guide. Millie would not understand this fact. “I wouldn’t go out of the apartment without my white cane. People don’t understand how helpful they are.”
- There are actually three different kinds of white canes. There’s the standard mobility cane, used to navigate. There’s the support cane, used by people with visual impairments who also have mobility challenges. And there’s the ID cane, a small, fold-able cane used by people with partial sight to let others know they have a visual impairment.
- White canes are going high-tech. Inventors in India, Great Britain and France have equipped white canes with ultrasonic devices that detect obstacles up to nine feet away. Vibrations in the cane’s handle warn users of potential hazards in their path.
Here’s the website for the Perkins School. www.perkins.org In the top right hand corner is a search engine. Type in “white cane” and pages of info come up. Lots of good info on the site.
Items can be purchased on the Perkins website. Under Daily Living Products, you will find Home & Personal Care with a selection of items that are not available in all catalogs. http://www.perkinsproducts.org/store/en/22-home-personal-care
For example, you will find a mug that plays music when it is time to stop pouring. Millie always used a mug with white on the inside so the color of black coffee contrasted with it. The mug is $10.95. Not sure if it goes in the dishwasher.
The orange bumps with adhesive backing seem more visible than the adhesive tape pieces that Millie used. 25 bumps are $2.65.
Under Watches/ Clocks is a small clock with a big aqua button for the time. The cost is $20.
By the way, still no phone call from Be My Eyes. They must have lots of volunteers.
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Readers – Have any of you signed up for Be My Eyes, either as a volunteer or to ask for help?