My long cane and I

You may be aware from one of my posts on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram that I have recently bought a new long cane and made the decision to have a coloured one. It was something that I thought a lot about and followed a good number of online discussions about the pros and cons of a coloured cane vs a white cane. On one hand, many people say that a long cane should be white because it is a recognised symbol of visual impairment whereas a coloured cane may not be linked to sight loss. Ironically though, even with an all white long cane, people still asked me what it was for. White is reflective which is a safety aspect to consider. The other viewpoint is that choosing a particular colour/s for your cane allows you to personalise it and express your own individuality. It's also fun!

I see my long cane as way of expressing my individuality and saying 'this is an aspect of me and I like colourful things'. I don't mind being being a bit different with my choice of cane colour. It wasn't always this way though, when I was growing up I just wanted to fit in and be like everyone else. My wheelchair, thick glasses (before they became fashionable) and crutches separated me from my peers. I really didn't like my individual image and lacked confidence and belief in myself. This was before the time of social media, society is now openly more inclusive and expresses more positively about the wide range of diversity in the world - we are all individual in our own way and it doesn't matter. Our differences make us unique and this is a positive thing.

As my sight worsened in my late teens, I was introduced to a symbol cane. This is a short cane used to indicate to others that you have a visual impairment. I felt so self conscious and didn't use it much at all. Then I progressed onto a long cane. I still felt very aware of looking different but because it was serving a practical purpose I used it. The turning point with feeling more positive about how I look to others came when I had my Dog for the Disabled (now Dogs For Good) assistance dog, Rowan, and became more independent. This led to gradual growth in confidence and now I don't mind how my different aids make me look a bit different. 

The coloured canes I looked at are made by Ambutech and I ordered it from the RNIB. It did take about six weeks to be delivered because these canes are made to order in Canada. I looked at the different colours and although my favourite colour is purple (which they had), I decided to go for pink because the handle stood out and I knew that when I drop it I will be able to find it more easily. I used to find that with a standard white cane with a black handle that if I dropped it I would then find it hard to see it, especially if I dropped it in shops where the cane blended in with the floor. I did decide to alternate with pink and white for the main sections of the cane because I can see the positive side of having a white cane (as mentioned at the beginning of this post) and I wanted to have have a reflective section.

There are a couple of improvements that I would make. Firstly, that the cane roller tip broke within two months of using it. This is a lot shorter than previous cane tips that typically lasted five months and my 'high mileage' cane tip. Do have a look at my earlier post on 1st August 2018 if you would like to read more about the different tips. I am now back to using the 'high mileage' tip. I also find it incredibly hard to fold the cane by myself because I do not have the strength to pull the sections apart. This is because the joints taper which means they tighten the more the cane is used. My previous cane (also an Ambutech) had straight joints and I could fold it independently.

I have already got some nicks out of the pink tape (it's been dropped a few times and I did run over it once!) but it will hopefully last a good number of years. I've had a few positive comments about the colour but not as many as I expected. I think that's a good thing and hopefully is an indicator that it's me as an individual that they see first rather than my sight loss or wheelchair. Overall, I really love my stripy pink cane and it makes me happy each time I use it - it feels like a part of me.