Yes I Can Blog
#24 White Cane
Thursday, January 30, 2025 by Deb Vellines
Before I talk about Millie and how her white cane helped her mobility, I want to give an update regarding Be My Eyes (see previous blog). I called the phone app and volunteered! Much to my disappointment no one has called me for assistance. They have many more volunteers than they do help-seekers. I would love to help someone “see” something and will be sure to report what kind of help they ask for. Check my previous blog if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Now, speaking of white canes – Millie thought of her cane as a security blanket. She didn’t leave home without it.
“I love to walk and with the help of the cane, I know where the sidewalk is uneven, if something is in front of me on the sidewalk, and where the intersection is. Also, people see the white cane and offer me all kinds of help.”
This last advantage was terrific because Millie didn’t appear to be blind.
Some people are shy to use a cane, thinking “People will know I’m blind.” So what? Many people already know if you are blind. Using a cane shows your independence!
Millie learned how to use her cane when the low vision therapist visited in her apartment and offered all kinds of kitchen and living hints (see blogs 13 and 14). The instructions for the white cane were only part of what Millie learned that day.
If you Google “using a white cane” or “white cane instruction” or “you-tube with a white cane” you can see demonstrations of its use. It’s best to have a mobility therapist teach the use of the cane, but these references can help to review the teachings.
Here are a couple of excellent web sites.
- http://www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/professional-development/experts-guide/deanne-jackson-video/1235 This video is on the American Federation of the Blind website. A very uplifting film, entitled from Despair to Hope. A lot of Deanne Jackson’s hope centers on the use of her cane. Scroll down the page for a transcript.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPiPXGn4nno An ad appears at the beginning and in the middle, but they can be skipped. Lots of detail in this 23 minute YouTube. The cane they use to demonstrate is not always the fold up kind. For example, they demonstrate how to get a cane in and out of the car. This is not a problem with the fold up cane.
Another walking tip: When walking with a blind person, let them hold your elbow, rather than you hold their arm and trying to guide them where to go. “I like to follow someone,” Millie said. “People always like to hold on to my arm and guide me. Not good. Better if I hold on to their elbow.”
Previous Posts
#78 Challenges at a Party
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#77 Alexa
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#76 Charles Bonnet Syndrome
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#75 Surviving without Driving
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#74 WayAround Tags
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#73 SYFOVRE eye injections
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#72 You Are Not a Burden!
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#71 Anger
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#70 Self-Confidence
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#69 Bright Focus Chats
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#68 Zoom Meeting Suggestions
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#67 Living Well with Low Vision by Prevent Blindness
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#66 The Hadley School for the Blind
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#65 AIRA
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#64 Fanny Crosby
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#63 Derek Daniel and Life After Sight Loss
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#62 – 8 Hints for Cell Phones
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#61 Retinal Implants
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#60 EyeSmart
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#59 Voice Commands
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#58 Grocery Shopping
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#57 Eye Appointments and COVID-19
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#56 Social Distancing
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#55 Be My Eyes Update
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#54 Blind Beatitudes
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#53 Seeing AI
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#52 Research & Development 2019
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#51 Yes I Can – Another 25
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#50 Yes I Can Times 25
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#49 Blind Parents
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#48 Audio Description at the Movies
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#47 3 Inspiring Blind People
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#46 Drug Update
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#45 Do You Volunteer?
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#44 5 Pinterest Pins
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#43 – Four Reference Books
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#42 Trust Instead of Worry
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#41 Depression
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#40 eSight 3
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#39 Bioptic Telescopes
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#38 – CentraSight
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#37 – 11 Bathroom Hints
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#36 Public Restrooms
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#35 Helen Keller Quotes
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#34 Six Tips to Choose Sunglasses
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#33 Another Be My Eyes Call
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#32 Be My Eyes Call
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#31 Quiz Answers
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# 30 Quiz re: Sunglasses
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#29 Phone Apps Help Low Vision
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#28 News
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#27 – 9 More Ways to Help
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#26 – 9 Ways to Help
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#25 White Cane (continued)
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#24 White Cane
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#23 Be My Eyes
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#22 Dry Macular Degeneration Trials
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#21 Search Clinical Trials
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#20 Clinical Trials
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#19 Eye Injections (continued)
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#18 Eye Injections
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#15 Systems of Sight
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#16 Update on Systems of Sight
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#17 Knowledge is Power!!
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#14 Household Hints
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#12 Reduce the Risks of Macular Degeneration
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#13 Kitchen Hints
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#11 Beecher Binoculars
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#9 Volunteer Work
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#10 Talking Books and Magazines
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#8 Handicap Parking Permit and Restaurants
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#7 Visual Magnifying Machine
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#6 Amsler Chart
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#5 Handling Money (continued)
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#4 Shopping and Handling Money
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#3 I Have Low Vision Button
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#2 Sharing Items to Help
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#1 Welcome and Support Groups
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