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• Wife is really coming down on me now...
• Posted: 2011-02-21 15:19:06 By Stephen P
• I'm 29, diagnosed at age 12. Recently I've had two hits to the head within nine days. The first one was on a pipe sticking off a local grocery store in broad day light, the result, concussion on the left side. The second nine days later (this past friday) was me trying to avoid running into a display in a cafeteria (I work at a middle school) and I walked into a steel divider for the doors, result, a gash next to my right eye.
  
  She's really been getting on my case about being careful, but I can only be so careful you know. She's on me about the white cane. Well I'm not willing. I work at a local middle school minutes (walking of course) from my house and I'm just not willing to be shouted out by the children who see me on a regular basis inside or out of work. Granted this year I'm in a self contained special needs program, the children still know me and I'm just not willing ot hear the yelling anymore.

• you cane is not the enamy but the freind
• Posted: 2011-04-04 17:28:08 By jenna s
• i'm 23 and have sight problems since i was 8 but only got dianised last year with BBS. i got a highting sich, mad of metal and lenght changes. and i am so glad i got it helps me so much i think the most helpfull thing is that our people are a wear of me and are so helpfull im not blind i can see somestuff but it helps and makes me prod of myself i can hold my head high. I dont have to worry about herting my self and can still be independent. so i would say go for a cane but not a white cane i works just as well if you use it the same people know that your sight is bad or have no sight you can weep it in a harf circal or if your on a suface you dont know you can tap it to know if there are any uneven surfaces hope this helpless j

• Posted: 2011-06-11 13:29:17 By Marlene B
• If you are always running into things with no explanation do you think the kids are not going to notice...they are probably thinking all kinds of weird things about you anyway. If you "fessed up" OF course....you dont want to do it for the "sympathy", but you are in a postion of leadership with middle schoolers. They are all trying to fit in too.... You might set a better example to them by "fessing up" and showing them that people with disabilities can and do accomplish many things....like being a teacher

• 40 w/ RP too
• Posted: 2011-09-08 14:38:04 By Sharla L
• Stephen, listen to Marlene. I have also resisted the cane. I have a middle schooler and I use it when I visit her school, mostly because my tunnel vision is such that I'd take out a kid or two if I didn't! I agree with you, I don't like the attention brought by the cane. But, I have decided the identification is worth it! Without the cane, when we run into things, we are looked at as clumsy, drunk, stupid, etc. When we use the cane, we are looked at as blind yes-but independent!! We I have not been using it and run into people, I get some hateful comments. Apologizing with "I didn't see you" only receives "watch where you're going".
  
  Set the example for your kids, edcuate them, help them learn compassion. And save your poor head!! Ha! Good luck to you Stephen!

• Posted: 2011-10-30 10:10:39 By Patrick C
• I just typed out a HUGE reply, but the browser messed up. I'll make this one shorter.
  
  I agree with everyone here. I feel you should use your cane. It's better the draw attention to yourself by using your cane than it is by running into things. People are more understanding when they see someone with a cane than they are when they see someone running into things/people, and tripping over things.
  
  Since I started using my cane, people have been much more understanding. I really didn't want to start using mine, but I got tired of all the rude comments I got by people because I struggled with something, or ran into or tripped over something that a normal person would see.
  
  As someone else said, educate the kids. There needs to be more education and awareness about visual impairments. There's not a lot of it. The more people that are aware and understand, the better.
  
  Think about this, you hit your HEAD twice in nine days. What if the next time you hit your EYE on something, or it gets poked with something that you don't see, and you lose ALL sight in that eye, or both? Are you really willing to take that chance because you don't want people seeing you with a cane?
  
  So, of course, I'm in agreement with your wife. I think you should start using your cane. But that's just my opinion.

• Mobility
• Posted: 2012-03-09 06:01:38 By Corey F
• It looks like it has been a year since you posted your message about not being ready to use a cane, how are things going? I am 37 with RP and am a high school counselor in a school of 1400 students. I have gone through the same emotions and resistance. I started using a cane about 4 yrs ago and was blessed with a guide dog last summer. These two things have had more of an impact on how others view me than anything else. I hear from other teachers and parents how important the example is for the students and feel that kids need to see that visual impairment or blindness is just an obstacle to overcome and doing it alone was not working for me either. I am so thankful for better mobility and have become much more accepting of my condition and independent since I started using the cane and now with my guide dog. Please let me know if I can help.
  Corey
  coreyfancher@gmail.com