When I first wake up each morning, I raise my magic white cane over my head and slowly wave it in the air three times. Then I just cast a magic spell with it that will enable me to “see” my world using it. Ha, ha. No. Just kidding. It’s not really magic; it only looks that way.
Truthfully; I believe the cane really does have the potential to release magic, the magic that is trapped inside all blind travelers if they choose to use it. I know it felt like magic the first time I held my cane. Just imagine that …
Many people have asked me, “How do you do that?” As though I were doing something very mystical when I’m out in public navigating with my long, white cane. I guess there was a time when I didn’t get it either. It seemed like magic to me as well. Let me give all of my readers the courtesy of trying my best to describe how I do it.
The best and simplest way I can think of to help you understand is this; imagine being able to extend the reach of your hands down to the ground so that you are able to feel the ground in front of your feet. That’s it in a nut shell. We “see” with our hands and our canes extend the reach of our hands so we can see further. There are several ways in which we do this. This is basically what we are doing with our canes but there is much more to it than this description I’m going to give. As I’m describing to you how I use my cane, keep in mind that I am a trained professional. Please don’t try this at home, winking face.
First, you want to make sure you are covering the entire area where you are about to place your foot so you don’t miss-step. You want to try to swing your cane from left to right so that your cane is tapping on the opposite side from where you are stepping. As you swing it from side to side you want to allow it to hover just over the surface of the ground so as to see any obstacles in your path. You also want to make sure your arc is wide enough to cover your entire shoulder breadth. I was taught to tap about two inches on the outside of each shoulder. This rule of thumb has worked well for me. Something different might work better for someone else.
My point is this; there are many different techniques to do the same thing with a cane. I know I have changed up what my O and M instructor showed me to make it my own. I have also taught myself techniques in a pinch that have worked well. Like revolving doors; how do you use one as a blind person? This was one thing I had never been taught so I had to develop my own revolving door technique the first time I happened upon one.
Once you have the basics of cane travel down you can do these kinds of things with skill and grace. It’s just a matter of a little training and a lot of practice. You have to practice all the time. You want to make your cane part of who you are. It should be the last thing you grab on your way out the door and the first thing you put away when you get home. It is your eyes and you need to take care of it and protect it. At least, this is how I’ve come to view my cane. I have literally decided to view my cane as my strength. If I don’t have it; I’ll be like Samson after Delilah was through with him.
I remember the day I realized I had overcome my blindness. I walked out my front door and suddenly I felt nude. I stopped dead in my tracks; wondering what was wrong. Suddenly I realized that I had left my cane in the house. Once it became such a part of me, I knew I had it licked. It was truly part of me at last.
The white cane gives a blind traveler the ability to literally go any where he or she wants to completely independently. Get it? The individual doesn’t have to wait on or ask for assistance from a sighted person if they have a cane in their hand. It is the cane that makes us independent; not dependent. Realizing this truth was a big part of the journey for me.
In a very real way; the long, white cane really has magic powers. With it, I can literally go anywhere I want to. Without it, I’m confined to one place.
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