I think we’re just few and far between. Like, I know I have a colleague who is a guide dog handler that lives in the same neighborhood as me, but I’ve never run into her (and a guide dog is even more noticeable than a cane).

I passed someone else with a cane on the weekend, and I’m sure that’s the first time I’d seen another cane user in the wild in a year or more (I’m not counting work interactions because I work at an organization for the blind).

Maybe 2% of the population is blind. Many people who are blind don’t use a cane (I don’t know numbers). There’s also a decent segment of the blind population who are older, and may not get out as much. Heck, there’s a segment of the younger blind population that don’t get out much either (eg people new to sight loss still learning how to navigate safely). Essentially, we’re the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Plus, there are probably other cane users out there that I don’t notice because they just don’t get close enough to see the cane. I’ve got good vision for a blind person, but that’s still not great.

I’ve only seen one other person with a cane in my whole life and it was a couple months ago when I was being driven past a bus stop in my new neighborhood. Dude with a cane up to his nose and a lady with a dog but I couldn’t tell if she was a lady with a dog waiting with the blind guy or she had a guide dog and was getting on the bus too.

My great grandmother was the first blind person I ever met and she used a support cane when she went out. If I remember correctly, it was green, not white. Other people I’ve known were blind did not use a cane at all.

I have a theory that cane adoption may have to do with whether you adapt your blindness to your lifestyle or adapt your lifestyle to your blindness. I’m not going to stop doing the things I want to do because I’m losing vision so I pick up whatever tools I need to continue as if nothing has changed. Other people just change their activities to accommodate their vision loss like going out less, only going out when others can go with them and drop hobbies because they feel they are no longer attainable.

I'm blind 24/7 but I'm only out in public with a cane a couple hours each week.

Only around 2%-3% of blind people actually use a cane. Apparently, more (5%) use a guide dog, which surprised me to be honest.
I've never noticed a cane user. I should add that I'm only 16 and can't say I go out loads, so to be fair haven't had a tonne of opportunity. I mean obviously I go out but you know what I mean. I have seen (rather be told by a friend) that we've walked passed the odd GD user.

Also, I think a lot of blind people choose not to get a cane, even if they really need one. Some don't feel they need it, some only use it at certain times, some feel like embarrassed or would prefer to keep their disability on a lower profile, etc. It's unfortunate, but true.

I see cane users maybe once every 1.5 weeks here in New York City. Some places are better environments for the blind, and NYC is one of the few places you can actually get around without driving.

Since you live in San Francisco are you connects to Lighthouse for the blind? I live in the Bay Area and am a volunteer and summer staff member who is visually impaired with a guide dog. Come join us for some programs!!

I dislike using mine. I lose an arm when I use it making everything that much more difficult.

I see one other person in my town of 60,417 people.

I see more canes in New York City, but I’m often near Visions which residential facility for the blind.

I think I'm hogging the sightings even within NYC because i have come across no fewer than six people with canes (& at least one dog) in the last three months or so, despite never going near Visions or any similar, two of whom were sharing the same disabled seating section on a bus with me. It's random I guess !!

I think u/Tarnagona is right, they are spread, so you you rarely see them. I’ve heard of guide dogs and canes, but I’ve never seen them in person being used. I would love to because I potentially might try to get a guide dog someday, but I doubt I’ll see them in use ever in person.

Unless I know I am going somewhere unknown/crowded I leave it.

For me, it's less about navigation and more about signaling to others that I am blind.

I live in a town with a major school for the deaf and blind but I rarely see anyone with a cane or using ASL.

It's rather strange.

I live in a town that most of you would call 2 streats and a parkinglot but i come acros blind people with canes almost weekly.
Smal side note i don't live near a facility spesifically for the blind.

Blind people are a tiny minority of the world so it makes sense I rarely run in to other blind people here in Los angeles county and mostly avoid them anyway. Hahaha! So yeah, there’s not a lot of blind people compared to sighted people which is why so much of the world is not made for us or have us in mind. Blind people are very small piece of the pie so there’s no surprises.