CNIB Pushes Buttons in Favour of Canes
October 30th, 2006 | by MadHacktress |Canada’s National Institute for the Blind says the white cane is a good enough symbol for all its clients, thank you very much. But Libby Thaw, founder of the CheckeredEye Project, states that for the majority partially sighted people the cane is not a tool and is mostly only used as a symbol of their sightlessness. She says there’s room for more than one symbol at the table.
I am inclined to agree.
My uncle is legally blind and a member of the CNIB. He doesn’t require a cane but is mostly unable to read fine print or labels without bringing them very close to his face. We kid him about getting ink on his nose as he reads the newspaper.
For my uncle it has been a life-long issue and is not something that causes him a great deal of trouble. He is a sheet-metal worker, employed in the Family Business, and a farmer. He cannot drive legally, though he does drive the tractor on the farm and up and down the roads. He drives very cautiously (you can tell it’s him behind the wheel).
It seems to me like the white cane for someone like my uncle is… going too far. I see it like handing out wheelchairs to everyone and abandoning the use of crutches altogether.
The CheckeredEye Project issues pins which are worn by partially-sighted individuals in order to help them facilitate understanding in their daily lives. Using my uncle as an example, he would have a very hard time picking out a specific type of Campbell’s soup on a shelf, given that all the cans look very similar. As a time-saving move he might ask a clerk, or a passer-by which cans are mushroom.
While most people would answer the question without a second thought, it adds a layer of comfort for the individual that is helpful in those situations. The cane would quickly make the situation misunderstood, however, as my uncle needs no assistance to walk around. If he were holding it in his arm, after asking the question and picking out his cans, he would just merrily walk away dragging the cane behind. The good Samaritan would be confused or, even, think that they had just been duped.
I hope that the CheckeredEye Project catches on and, eventually, the pins become as well known as the white cane. I think that, for the partially sighted and the rest of us at large, this will be a much easier approach to spreading awareness.
Entry Filed under: In The News, Pure Opinion
Yuppers… I could not agree more.. My grandfather was “legally blind”. It was not a life long thing though… He always hated having people help him with things and treating him like he was totally blind. I really like the pin idea, and it would be great if it took off. The only problem I see with it, is that it may not be visible enough to the average stranger, and in todays society where people are more and more keeping to themselves and ignoring others, it could mean that when a partially sighted person asks for help the “good samaritan” may just walk by without a thought. Time will tell.. I still think it is a great idea