Blind and Visually Impaired Community
↑
37
↓
The holiday season is making me glad I started using my cane (self.Blind)
submitted by codeplaysleep
Background: I'm 41, I've been legally blind since birth due to ROP - no left eye, only central vision in my right, with poor visual acuity. My eyesight has worsened slightly over the years due to other issues (glaucoma, cataract), but mostly stayed about the same. Lately, though, it's seemed like my nystagmus has gotten worse. It just feels like I get overwhelmed by too much visual stimuli these days and I get this weird feeling of claustrophobia even if I'm in an open space that just has a lot going on, visually. I feel like I can't process all the visual input quickly enough, so a few months ago I decided to start using a white cane
I've had O&M training in the past, but it was years ago so it took me a bit to get back into practice and I felt super self-conscious about using my cane at first. I hated it for all kinds of rational and irrational reasons ranging from standing out to foolishly feeling like I was admitting defeat or something.
But now it's November and the stores and restaurants are all super freaking crowded and... I'm not bumping into people. People aren't getting mad at me if I accidentally cut them off. I'm not tripping over curbs that I don't see because it's dark at 5pm. I get the occasional odd look, but I haven't been injured or yelled at once. It's *great*.
I still feel a little self-conscious in some situations, but much less so than I did at first. I'm starting to feel less like I'm waving around this symbol of my blindness for the world to see and more like I'm.... kind of bad-ass for having this awesome skill of being able to navigate the world with this tool that (proportionally) not many people know how to use. It's like having a low-key super power.
I've had O&M training in the past, but it was years ago so it took me a bit to get back into practice and I felt super self-conscious about using my cane at first. I hated it for all kinds of rational and irrational reasons ranging from standing out to foolishly feeling like I was admitting defeat or something.
But now it's November and the stores and restaurants are all super freaking crowded and... I'm not bumping into people. People aren't getting mad at me if I accidentally cut them off. I'm not tripping over curbs that I don't see because it's dark at 5pm. I get the occasional odd look, but I haven't been injured or yelled at once. It's *great*.
I still feel a little self-conscious in some situations, but much less so than I did at first. I'm starting to feel less like I'm waving around this symbol of my blindness for the world to see and more like I'm.... kind of bad-ass for having this awesome skill of being able to navigate the world with this tool that (proportionally) not many people know how to use. It's like having a low-key super power.
RJHand 7 points 3y ago
Been completely blind my whole life and that's always how I've felt. Its pretty cool to have it, makes you stand out more.
razzretina 6 points 3y ago
You are bad ass for having your cane and cutting through the crowds!
When I went to San Diego Comic Con, a friend who hadn't spent much time with me in person spent all weekend kind of hovering and panicking around me. Finally there came a day when we needed to get to an event really fast and I told her to get behind me and keep up because I wasn't going to stop. She sounded skeptical and then I took off into the crowd with my cane. When we got where we needed to go she said she'd never gotten through that convention center so fast in all the years she'd been attending. :D So rock that white cane and go where you need to go on your terms! It's just a tool in your arsenal.
When I went to San Diego Comic Con, a friend who hadn't spent much time with me in person spent all weekend kind of hovering and panicking around me. Finally there came a day when we needed to get to an event really fast and I told her to get behind me and keep up because I wasn't going to stop. She sounded skeptical and then I took off into the crowd with my cane. When we got where we needed to go she said she'd never gotten through that convention center so fast in all the years she'd been attending. :D So rock that white cane and go where you need to go on your terms! It's just a tool in your arsenal.
codeplaysleep [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Haha that's great. I've never been to SDCC, but I've been to Gencon a few times. I'm definitely taking it next year (I definitely could have benefited from it this year and didn't have it).
blackberrybunny 3 points 3y ago
Hi! Same here!!! It IS like having a super-power. Man, that cane can part a crowd like the way Moses parted the Red Sea!! Especially if you have an NFB cane, that has the metal tip. That 'tap tap tap' gets people's attention and then they realize you are blind and buddy, they move outta your way!!
I'm Molly. I'm 51 and like you, was born legally blind due to R.O.P. I feel your pain, your struggles!! My eyesight got worse with age, cataracts, etc. vitreous gel separating... I FINALLY went to the Louisiana Center for the Blind in the late 90's and finally had my first experiences using a white cane. They taught me O&M and independent skills. It was the best 6 months of my life!! Being that everyone used a cane, and there was about 50+ of us, it was easy. I wasn't so self conscious. I loved it!! I still have my original cane. I'm sentimental that way. Then I got a telescopic cane, which can be shortened to about a foot long, for easy carrying. I don't always need my cane. But if I go somewhere strange, especially at night, I have it with me. It is like a beacon to let others know you are visually impaired.
Embrace that cane! Whack people in the ankles with it if they give you trouble and then say, "Ooops, sorry, I didn't SEE you!" hahahaaha. Yes, I have done that. And I've been hit in my own ankle by my fellow's canes and damn, that metal tip does hurt! But truly, you HAVE got to embrace your blindness. Don't let it be a hinderance. I know it's hard. And frustrating. And not fair.... but we DO have some amazing abilities. Have you ever noticed how when you are using your cane and you walk by, say, a utility pole near the sidewalk, how you can HEAR it? You can hear that the damn pole is there because of the echo's off of that cane tip tapping. It is the neatest thing! You can 'hear' bushes or walls, or other obstacles. It is amazing. You and I, we have it easier than the totally blind, because my dear, we ARE lucky enough to see some things. We have an advantage. So hang in there! Feel free to PM me if you ever need to vent. :-)
I'm Molly. I'm 51 and like you, was born legally blind due to R.O.P. I feel your pain, your struggles!! My eyesight got worse with age, cataracts, etc. vitreous gel separating... I FINALLY went to the Louisiana Center for the Blind in the late 90's and finally had my first experiences using a white cane. They taught me O&M and independent skills. It was the best 6 months of my life!! Being that everyone used a cane, and there was about 50+ of us, it was easy. I wasn't so self conscious. I loved it!! I still have my original cane. I'm sentimental that way. Then I got a telescopic cane, which can be shortened to about a foot long, for easy carrying. I don't always need my cane. But if I go somewhere strange, especially at night, I have it with me. It is like a beacon to let others know you are visually impaired.
Embrace that cane! Whack people in the ankles with it if they give you trouble and then say, "Ooops, sorry, I didn't SEE you!" hahahaaha. Yes, I have done that. And I've been hit in my own ankle by my fellow's canes and damn, that metal tip does hurt! But truly, you HAVE got to embrace your blindness. Don't let it be a hinderance. I know it's hard. And frustrating. And not fair.... but we DO have some amazing abilities. Have you ever noticed how when you are using your cane and you walk by, say, a utility pole near the sidewalk, how you can HEAR it? You can hear that the damn pole is there because of the echo's off of that cane tip tapping. It is the neatest thing! You can 'hear' bushes or walls, or other obstacles. It is amazing. You and I, we have it easier than the totally blind, because my dear, we ARE lucky enough to see some things. We have an advantage. So hang in there! Feel free to PM me if you ever need to vent. :-)
codeplaysleep [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Haha yes, that metal tip on tile floors certainly lets people know you're coming. Thankfully I haven't had to whack any ankles yet, but if the need arose... I'm not sure I could resist. ;)
Hearing the difference in your surroundings based on the changing audio feedback from the cane is pretty neat. It's something I don't think a lot of sighted people think about when they think of people using a white cane, but it's certainly noticeable once you learn to listen for it. It's so neat.
I was in a darkroom one time, the part where you couldn't even have the safety light on, and someone dropped a film canister. It bounced and rolled around for a good long while and when it finally stopped, I was able to pinpoint exactly where it was at. "Hearing" things with the cane is kinda like that, though I'm not nearly as good at it yet.
Hearing the difference in your surroundings based on the changing audio feedback from the cane is pretty neat. It's something I don't think a lot of sighted people think about when they think of people using a white cane, but it's certainly noticeable once you learn to listen for it. It's so neat.
I was in a darkroom one time, the part where you couldn't even have the safety light on, and someone dropped a film canister. It bounced and rolled around for a good long while and when it finally stopped, I was able to pinpoint exactly where it was at. "Hearing" things with the cane is kinda like that, though I'm not nearly as good at it yet.
blackberrybunny 1 points 3y ago
I don't think sighted people even KNOW about audio feedback from the cane tip. I've been legally blind my whole life, and even I didn't know about this until I started using my first cane in the late 90's. I had O&M training and was wearing what they called a "sleep shade" every day, ALL day, so I was completely blind. That cane was amazing. And when I realized I could hear things, the light poles, for instance, I felt like I had some kind of super powers! It was IN-TENSE, let me tell you!! Blew me away. Now when i use my cane, I am also using my limited vision, and I don't pay attention to the audio feedback like I did when I was completely blinded by the sleepshade.
xmachinaxxx 1 points 3y ago
Awesome! I wish I had the confidence(?) to use a cane. I feel like I'm in limbo about it. I'm about to turn 42 and became legally blind this past year. I'm going through O & M training right now but I still feel very self conscious about using a cane. I think I don't need one yet because I can see shape of obstacles in front of me even though it's blurry.
My vision loss is due to diabetic retinopathy so it affects my central vision. I can no longer drive because I can't read signs etc. In public I don't "look" blind but I cannot read menus unless handheld and the lighting and glare of things can make a huge difference.
I struggle with telling myself I'm not "blind enough" to use a cane but while shopping, I have to move slowly and deliberately, bringing items up to my face to read labels and such. I know people probably look at me strangely and get mad but I wouldn't know because i can't see their faces. Lol. So part of me thinks it could be useful to use a cane even if it's only to let others know I AM visually impaired.
Edit: added words.
My vision loss is due to diabetic retinopathy so it affects my central vision. I can no longer drive because I can't read signs etc. In public I don't "look" blind but I cannot read menus unless handheld and the lighting and glare of things can make a huge difference.
I struggle with telling myself I'm not "blind enough" to use a cane but while shopping, I have to move slowly and deliberately, bringing items up to my face to read labels and such. I know people probably look at me strangely and get mad but I wouldn't know because i can't see their faces. Lol. So part of me thinks it could be useful to use a cane even if it's only to let others know I AM visually impaired.
Edit: added words.
codeplaysleep [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I was super self-conscious about it at first. It took me months to get up the courage. I think a lot of people who are visually impaired probably struggle with the question of whether or not they're "blind enough." The majority of the time I don't "need" my cane in the sense that I **can** get from point A to point B, but there are some things I've noticed about using the cane anyway:
* I don't accidentally cut people off or bump into people, because they see my cane and realize I may not be able to see them. If this does happen on occasion, people are generally more understanding. - This is huge.
* I can make better use of what vision I do have, because I'm not constantly looking at the ground to make sure I don't trip over anything.
* The vast majority of people don't stare or say anything or react in any way at all, really, except maybe to step aside if I'm coming by. Most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to care what someone else is doing. The one comment I did get recently was when I set the cane down on a counter folded up and the cashier asked what it was. I explained, unfolded it to show him, and it was deemed "neat" and that was that.
* My cane skills get better every time I use it, so if there ever comes a day where I do need to rely on the cane more than I do now, I'll be a lot more prepared. To me this was another big reason to go ahead and start using the cane. I'd rather be learning this at 41 and have a couple of decades of practice than suddenly learning it at 60 because I have no other choice.
* I haven't injured myself! No more walking into things on my blind side and no more missing a curb or twisting an ankle in a pothole I didn't see. This is especially evident at night, since my vision is so much worse in the dark.
* I walk a lot faster now, I guess because I'm not second-guessing myself on whether that next step I'm about to take is safe or not. I didn't realize I was subconsciously being more slow/cautious, but apparently I was.
Can I generally get around without a cane? Yes, but it's easier, faster, and safer with one.
* I don't accidentally cut people off or bump into people, because they see my cane and realize I may not be able to see them. If this does happen on occasion, people are generally more understanding. - This is huge.
* I can make better use of what vision I do have, because I'm not constantly looking at the ground to make sure I don't trip over anything.
* The vast majority of people don't stare or say anything or react in any way at all, really, except maybe to step aside if I'm coming by. Most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to care what someone else is doing. The one comment I did get recently was when I set the cane down on a counter folded up and the cashier asked what it was. I explained, unfolded it to show him, and it was deemed "neat" and that was that.
* My cane skills get better every time I use it, so if there ever comes a day where I do need to rely on the cane more than I do now, I'll be a lot more prepared. To me this was another big reason to go ahead and start using the cane. I'd rather be learning this at 41 and have a couple of decades of practice than suddenly learning it at 60 because I have no other choice.
* I haven't injured myself! No more walking into things on my blind side and no more missing a curb or twisting an ankle in a pothole I didn't see. This is especially evident at night, since my vision is so much worse in the dark.
* I walk a lot faster now, I guess because I'm not second-guessing myself on whether that next step I'm about to take is safe or not. I didn't realize I was subconsciously being more slow/cautious, but apparently I was.
Can I generally get around without a cane? Yes, but it's easier, faster, and safer with one.
crayonearrings 1 points 3y ago
Thank you for this. ❤️
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.