Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Use of the cane for navigation (self.Blind)
submitted by Iwantmyteslanow
I myself am not blind but I have friends who are, how easy is it to get uses to using a cane and what bad habits do people commonly develop with it?
snow671 3 points 2y ago
O&M training covers how to properly use a cane. There is more than one technique for it - none of them are wrong, everyone will know what works for them. I don't recall bad habits being mentioned aside from posture and not jabbing people who won't move.
KillerLag 5 points 2y ago
Oh, there are definitely some wrong techniques. I once had a client who was swinging his cane **over** his head.
snow671 3 points 2y ago
Hello new social distancing technique!
Iwantmyteslanow [OP] 3 points 2y ago
I see, my friend always managed to hold his a few inches up and my ankle seemingly was magnetic to the end of the cane
matt121134 3 points 2y ago
Not so much a habit but in certain situations it's very easy to mistakenly stab yourself in the stomach. It's pretty easy to avoid once you get the hang of it but it isn't always fun. 😀
KillerLag 2 points 2y ago
It depends on where you are. In Canada, some of the provinces help cover the cost of the cane.
One common bad habit is not scanning far enough. Generally speaking, the person wants to scan about an inch past their shoulders. That way, the client can scan enough to cover their own width. If someone doesn't scan that far, then they can clip their shoulders on things.
One common bad habit is not scanning far enough. Generally speaking, the person wants to scan about an inch past their shoulders. That way, the client can scan enough to cover their own width. If someone doesn't scan that far, then they can clip their shoulders on things.
Iwantmyteslanow [OP] 2 points 2y ago
I see, how do low hanging objects affect people, I find I hit at least one or two when I walk at night usually signs as I'm tall
Iamheno 1 points 2y ago
O & M took roughly12 hours for cane, 40 hours for dog. My O&M instructor did mention “cane etiquette“ the one I’ve witnessed most often is an overly wide sweep. There’s no need to clear a space wide enough for a car, you simply need to clear enough space to pass through safely roughly 2-2.5 feet.
CloudyBeep 1 points 2y ago
Those time indications seem awfully low to me. Where did you receive your training? Guide dog training typically takes 4 weeks for the first dog.
Iamheno 3 points 2y ago
Cane training was 6 2-3 hour sessions with a week break in between each where I was expected to practice the skills I learned that week on my own and the demonstrate said skills at the start of the next lesson. It culminated with a 3.5 mile urban route where I was dropped off at one corner of my “box” and given verbal directions to my ENDEX. I was observed, at a distance, on my route by my O & M instructor the entire route. I did have a 2 hour refresher course in the winter, so I could learn winter cane skills as well as I live in a snowy environment, we also planned routes for my return to school. The 2-3 hours together, each time, also included our travel time to different locations, so roughly 12 hours total training. All of it was from Michigan BSBP, in Kalamazoo, MI, right at WMU, my cane instructor is a retired proses sore who taught O&M. (Since you want credential). In his words I am a “robust traveler” and I find a light NFB collapsible cane to my most liking as I travel fast and it won’t jam up on me when it hits obstacle.
My dog is from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. We did home training. MyO&M for this came, with the dog, to me. We trained twice dailyMon-Sat for 2 weeks, each session was 2-3 hours, sometimes shorte, again with car travel time includEd in the time. Same set-up, see, learn, do.
My dog is from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. We did home training. MyO&M for this came, with the dog, to me. We trained twice dailyMon-Sat for 2 weeks, each session was 2-3 hours, sometimes shorte, again with car travel time includEd in the time. Same set-up, see, learn, do.
CloudyBeep 1 points 2y ago
You're obviously a quick learner. I was asking because there are many people going around claiming to be guide dog trainers who know nothing about how to train guide dogs, and if you had been the victim of such a person, I would have offered you some help.
Iamheno 2 points 2y ago
Thanks! Yeah, itryto buckle down when things are important. Mypoochis supposed to be run trained also, sadly COVID put an end to the training opportunity. I think we’re past the point we can now, I’ve had her for 2 years.
DrillInstructorJan 3 points 2y ago
Maybe it depends what you mean by cane training. I have had a reasonably bright person get the basics in a couple of hours but then you have to add on road crossings, trains, shops, other people's houses, techniques for learning new routes, and then learning as many routes as possible. Until someone is doing longish routes on their own I don't feel like they've quote learned cane travel unquote, and learning new routes is, well, basically the rest of your life.
By the time you have taken into account travel plus the billion other things you need to know how to do I always say this is like a degree level qualification and it takes about as long to be any good at it. They say it takes ten thousand hours to get good at something and this is not something anyone wants to get good at, but once you've done it, like that diploma on the wall, it's yours for life.
By the time you have taken into account travel plus the billion other things you need to know how to do I always say this is like a degree level qualification and it takes about as long to be any good at it. They say it takes ten thousand hours to get good at something and this is not something anyone wants to get good at, but once you've done it, like that diploma on the wall, it's yours for life.
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