Oh boy, does this happen to me! Especially when I’m at the subway station. People have even tripped over it!

The thing is, as the blind person, it’s not my responsibility to keep idiots from tripping over my cane. *I’m* the one who can’t see.

I do my best to stay on the proper side of the sidewalk, etc, but when it comes down to it, I’m not responsible for their ankles getting tapped by accident if they’re not paying attention to the *long white cane* that practically glows in the dark and stands out for the sighted to see from yards/meters away. I’m also not responsible if they don’t move out of the way and crash right into them. Sure, I have some usable vision, but I can’t always see people, or even people-shapes until they’re a foot or two in front of me, and if I’m walking, already moving, that’s too late if they haven’t noticed me, my cane, its movement as I swing it, or the tapping sound it makes as I approach.

I always apologize when I bump into someone, because I try to be polite, but it’s still on the other person.

I’ve also been sweared at more times than I can count when I bump into someone, and I think that’s just unfair. They usually slink away without an apology once they realize I’m blind. Like disappearing will make up for yelling at the blind person they were too self-absorbed to notice...

I’m sorry if this turned into a bit of a rant. I hate when sighted people do dangerous things like vault over my cane while they’re running for the train. It could end badly in so many ways, and it’s scary.

TL/DR: yes, this happens to be all the time.

Sighted person: Runs, jumps, trips, falls flat on their face (yes, this actually happened at a subway station.)

Hilarity ensues. I'm left with a broken cane which was covered in duct tape by an awesome station employee.

I'm not blind, so perhaps I can give some perspective. Many times I have almost tripped over a cane when getting on or off the subway. I constantly look around for thieves and watch corners. This means I don't tend to look down as often and am scanning people rather than looking closely at them. I have almost stepped on a cane once and also almost tripped on one a few times, in all cases I have hopped over the cane or out of the way.
With so many people around, it's often difficult to see a person is using a cane until it's too late.

This issue has only been in crowded situations. I guess I have a fear of bumping into someone's cane and screwing their rhythm. Would it be best to just let it hit me?

The greatest is when someone jumps over your cane and they don't quite make it. Then, you get that great feeling of your cane bending, and no matter how hard you try, you will never get that thing perfectly straight again.

I always tell my kids to walk in a purposeful fashion when using their canes. If you hit someone once with your cane, it's not a problem. If you hit the same person ten times with your cane, maybe you're being rude. Still, it's insane what people think is acceptable when interacting with someone with a visual impairment. My personal favorite is when someone sees a person with a cane coming and remains totally quite and still. Thanks man. You really helped out with that one. How hard is it to say hello?
You might be a little at fault if you are stopped and just standing with your cane out instead of in staff position, especially in a busy area, but overall the cane always gets right off way. Hoping over canes is super rude.