Hey there my dudes! I have been waiting on a white ID cane since eighth grade when I was first offered one. They never got back to me so I managed on my own. In recent years my vision has plummeted into blindness from low vision so I revisited the idea and decided to try the cane.


Now the original reason I never asked about the cane when I never recieved it was because I was an eighth grade girl, and as of then I was very focused on how my peers saw me. I struggled to accept the idea of walking around with an item that was basically writing "blind" on my forehead in big black letters. I put my social image before my quality of functionality and independance for years, and I regret that decision everyday.


I wanted to share this with you because I know how awkward or scary getting a cane can be for some people. It feels like admitting you cant do things on your own, or announcing to the world you are disabled when thats none of their business right? And one of the worst parts (at least for me) was the fact that none of my sighted family, friends or therapists could understand the emotional turmoil I was going through. I was told that I was experiencing teenage angst about something silly but the reality was and is that being a blind teenager comes with a lot more weight in some ways. You miss milestones like getting your beginners drivers license with all your friends when you turn 16, you dont get to enjoy star gazing with your crush and imagine yourself as the protagonist of a love story (because there are no love stories about disabled people that arent inspiration p0rn) or participate in classroom discussions or projects without gaining unwanted attention because you do things differently, etc.

Growing up visually impaired I was constantly reminded that I was different. Loudly, in front of everyone. All my classmates knew me in that way. They didnt know I speak several languages or play an array of instruments, because my image is and always has been- the blind kid. It often felt like no one wanted to know more than that, which led me to the conclusion that my blindness was a deterrent for connection. Through middle school I strived to escape that image by learning how to not look disabled, to the point that now if I dont show people my CNIB card, they dont believe me when I tell them.


So, when I was at the peak of being anything but the blind kid, I was about to be handed a magical time traveling stick that would send me back to being nothing more than that. And that hit hard.


The point of all this, is that I am about to recieve my first white cane. And I am thrilled. Am I terrified? Yes. Very much.


Dont be ashamed of doing things differently. Dont be scared to "look blind" Don't let your disability be the deep dark secret you avoid revealing to someone. My blindness is a part of me. I am not defined by it, but it helped me to become the person I am today, and I am not ashamed of that. You are worthy of loving yourself, even all the imperfect parts ❤


P.S Give me advice on what to name my cane!!!