Teaching cane travel: a blind professional's perspective.

The notion that blind instructors are at a disadvantage compared to sighted ones when teaching orientation and mobility (O&M) to blind people is one of the greatest misunderstandings in the field of blindness. There are, admittedly, differences in the two approaches, but these difference--philosophical as well as practical--seem to be based on different techniques employed by sighted versus blind instructors.

Until I learned to use a cane successfully, I may have taken the opposing view. I grew up in Knoxville, Iowa. I attended both the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton and Knoxville High School, the local public high school in my hometown. From childhood through my high school years I never had a cane in my hand. I believed that canes were for blind persons who were less capable than I. My attitudes were no better than most sighted people, as I then reflected the common belief that blind people are really not very capable when it comes to independent mobility. Although well-trained blind persons overcome this myth, it nevertheless persists among most sighted people who have not undergone extensive sleepshade training.

Sleepshade training is a technique used by many instructors and university training programs. A black mask or covering is placed over the eyes of the student. Because the student's vision is thus completely obstructed, he/she is able to thoroughly learn the alternative techniques for travelling safely and independently. If a person has progressive eye disease, training with sleepshades requires him/her to prepare more effectively for the future, when his/her sight will be completely lost: the student must rely completely on the other four senses, rather than depend solely on limited vision. When a person is legally blind the natural tendency is to rely upon his/her minimal vision, even though a blind person with 10 percent or less vision is unable to complete tasks in the same visual manner as a fully sighted person. Based on my observations of students training in a variety of settings, using sleepshades seems to be the best way one can learn to trust alternative skills enough to use them and to become an independent cane traveller.

After my high school graduation, I became a student at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, where I was introduced to the long white cane, long enough to come up to my chin. I was taught how to use this cane by a sighted instructor who had undergone extensive sleepshade training. It was immediately obvious to me that this cane was not just a symbol of blindness but was, in fact, a tool that could be used to achieve true freedom. I have been a user of the long white cane for more than 30 years; and, as time has passed, the length of my cane has increased to the point that it is now as tall as I am. Some may find this fact curious; however, as one increases in both skill and confidence, one's walking pace naturally increases. Thus, one needs more stopping distance in which to react to potential obstacles, and the increased length affords that distance.

After attending the Iowa Commission for the Blind, my training was in the field of special education, with emphasis on teaching mentally disabled persons. I taught blind, mentally disabled individuals in a state hospital school for a number of years. I have been teaching cane travel for the past 12 years--3 years at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland in Baltimore and 9 at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Rust on, where I am currently employed.

In my view, the major differences between blind instructors and sighted instructors are those of philosophy, and these differences give rise to the differing techniques used by blind instructors and by sighted instructors and cause some of the problems encountered by blind instructors.

Let us begin with what we call ourselves: cane-travel instructors, as opposed to university trained (AER certified) orientation and mobility specialists (O&M). In my opinion, cane-travel instructors are teachers who believe that they are teaching already mobile persons to travel independently by using the long white cane. I teach other blind people how to use the cane properly to locate obstacles and to detect other environmental cues. The technique is straightforward and simple and is one of the easiest tasks for most students to learn. However, developing problem solving skills and building self-confidence seems to be most difficult for students to accomplish. O&M specialists frequently spend a great deal of time teaching pre-cane techniques, sighted guide techniques, and protective methods. In contrast, most blind instructors teach through a "discovery" method of learning, which is designed to challenge students to problem solve. Blind instructors also serve as excellent role models, and because they use canes on a daily basis, blind instructors can share personal experiences with their students.

As a blind traveler and a blind instructor, I believe there are two important keys to being a good independent cane traveler--self-confidence and problem-solving skills--which, interestingly, are also important for persons learning to drive an automobile. Most teenagers cannot wait to drive, but when they sit behind the wheel for the first time it can be frightening. The same is true with a blind traveler: the first time he or she goes out on the street with a cane it is very frightening, because it, too, is unfamiliar territory requiring the use of undeveloped skills. The sound of traffic and the thought of potential harm can be overwhelming to many blind travelers, just as being behind the wheel of a fast moving vehicle is to many young drivers. In both cases, they return from their first trip and all is well--or at least it was not quite as bad as they thought it would be. Each subsequent trip becomes less frightening. As time passes, the drivers, as well as the blind travelers, build confidence until they truly believe in themselves.

Most people, blind and sighted alike, tend to do and become what others expect of them. If their instructor has high expectations for them and they, consequently, have high expectations for themselves, they learn they can travel everywhere, mostly unassisted.

A good blind traveler believes in his or her ability to negotiate obstacles and expects to take on travel challenges throughout each day. Most sighted people, unless extensively trained under sleepshades, do not believe that a blind person can traverse the many unfamiliar hazards that he or she might encounter daily. Yet, since a blind instructor is used to facing these challenges, he or she will expect and encourage students to do likewise.

The next key is problem solving skills, important for drivers and blind cane travelers. Can the person learn to use his/her entire environment to stay oriented or, if confused, to become reoriented? We teach drivers to always be watching, with their eyes constantly moving. The good driver will be looking for landmarks, signs, traffic patterns, and traffic cues. We also teach blind persons to use all their senses and their minds to process information from everything around them for the same purpose: the sun as a directional tool; traffic cues; traffic patterns; sense of smell; familiar and unfamiliar sounds; and landmarks found with the cane. All of these skills--listening, feeling sun, locating objects with a cane, and quickly assessing the situation--must be taught. Who knows these skills better than a person who depends on them daily for normal, safe, and efficient travel? This is not to say that every independent blind person can teach cane travel. It is, however, true that a capable teacher who is a good independent cane traveler by normal practice, can impart skill and knowledge to another blind person.

It is very important that the blind instructor go on travel routes with any new student for the first several trips, then observe the student very closely, especially at key trouble spots. There are those who would say that having to do so much walking is a problem for a blind instructor. A sighted instructor can watch the new cane user from a distance or hop in a car and observe the student in air-conditioned or heated comfort, while the blind instructor is out there with the student in all types of weather conditions, mentoring and tracking the new cane user. The blind instructor, since he or she is right there, can much more easily and quickly communicate with the student when necessary. Initially, it is imperative that constant communication occurs to let the student know the types of landmarks to look for, reminders to listen to traffic, how to cross parking lots, and so forth. Therefore, what most sighted specialists would feel is a problem, I consider an advantage. Many of these skills must be reinforced more than once, sometimes more than just orally. Often a hands-on method works best. The blind instructor is there to give immediate help and advice.

The biggest problem that sighted specialists perceive for blind instructors is that we cannot see the environment in front of the student to protect him or her from tree limbs, construction, or other barriers. Both the blind and sighted cane instructor plan travel routes that will be used for teaching travel techniques to the new cane user. It should be noted here that much travel in our daily lives follow highly known routes--to work, to school, and to shopping areas--that become fairly predictable travel routines to blind cane users. I do not believe these occasional obstacles to be a big problem. Again, it is my opinion that this is a philosophical difference: Sighted O&M specialists generally are abstract and theoretical or have a protective attitude toward blind students, whereas blind instructors teach by using concrete, practical, and realistic approaches and examples.

Sighted specialists seem to believe that blind people need to be protected and are not able to do much really independent traveling. Blind instructors are independent cane travelers, and there is no doubt in their minds that blind students can be taught by other blind persons to be just as good, or better than, the instructor. Realistically, occasionally there will be a branch in the way and a blind traveler might bump it, or there might be construction along the way. The student must learn how to identify these things and how to deal with them. It is an advantage to travel in real-life situations during training in order to learn to use problem-solving skills. If a blind student is protected from real-life experiences, he or she will certainly not be able to travel independently. This is true because the protective, sighted instructor will not prepare the student to handle these environmental threats, and the student will then believe these obstacles cannot be handled by a blind person. If students face these things during training they will learn that they can face and master any travel situation that might come their way, at any time.

Blind students at first are frightened and need much encouragement. Knowing that other blind persons are using canes to capably and efficiently move about can make a big difference in the mind of the frightened student. When confronted with new situations, all of us, blind and sighted, look for role models. The blind instructor can be that role model to the new student.

To state my views succinctly: The biggest problem facing a blind cane travel instructor is a misunderstanding of alternative methods of teaching cane travel and the almost constant discrimination by sighted peers. Blind cane travel instructors are told they cannot do the job, in spite of their competence in using the white cane and the many successful independent cane travelers they have taught. While some blind people overvalue the convenience of vision and are unaware of the power of methods used by blind people, most blind people prefer being taught by a blind instructor, because they have confidence in their instructor's ability and they know their instructor's skills are tried and true and are used daily by thousands of other blind people.

Being constantly criticized and told that you are limited in what you can do because of blindness can become a real problem. However, the proof that you do know what you are doing is witnessed in the success of the many blind independent travelers taught by blind instructors. This argument is supported by comparing the travel skills of the more protected and sheltered blind persons taught by sighted O&M specialists. I am again not saying that cane travel instruction, as a profession, should be limited to blind instructors. I am saying that we, as blind persons have very valid methods that should be looked at on their own merits. The alternative methods used by blind instructors are just as sound as the usual prescribed certified methods of cane travel instruction advocated by sighted O&M specialists.

Finally, an ongoing problem for blind instructors is that they are not fully certifiable by the Association of Educators and Rehabilitators of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Because our methods are different, blind instructors are barred from the higher financial benefits paid by many of the state and private agencies to sighted O&M specialists. I look at some of the advertisements for O&M specialists and the money looks wonderful. I and other blind instructors cannot obtain these jobs simply because we do not meet the requirements set up by sighted O&M specialists (who teach in college and university programs), although we have helped hundreds of blind people to achieve true travel independence.

I realize this article does not discuss problems blind instructors have in teaching cane travel. This is because after searching my mind and heart I honestly do not believe there are many problems that we, as blind instructors, fail to share with sighted instructors. I have been as honest as I know how to be in discussing my cane training methods, based on my 12 years of teaching these methods both in a metropolitan city with buses and subways and in a small town with cabs and walking. The most prevalent problem encountered by blind cane travel instructors is the dichotomy in the philosophy of blind, noncertifiable instructors with that of most sighted, certified instructors. If this discrepancy in philosophies could be eliminated, there would be more candidates to fill vacancies in cane travel instruction, and the availability of more cane travel teachers would provide more opportunities for blind people to learn independent cane travel.

Ms. Hill is a cane travel instructor at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston, LA.