Hello! I came across your site and survey while doing a search for white cane information. (I was asked to speak at a white cane luncheon, and needed more info) I am really excited about your site. It seems packed with helpful info. I am a teacher of Visually Impaired and O&M in Florida. My responses to the questions are below. Have a great day.

According to the author, blind students are not developmentally ready to do a coordinated, complete touch technique until between the age of 12 to 14. Do you agree with this position? Why or why not?

Answer: No. I taught the touch technique to a student in the 5th grade, and he did great.

Many students naturally drop the cane down and to the side rather than keep it centered. Should we continue to insist as a profession that centering is a major goal of training? Should we modify our approach or expectation?

Answer: I insist on centering the cane, if the student has the ability. Many of my students have additional disabilities, (C.P.)

How do you teach centering? Have you had great success teaching centering to students?

Answer: I just saw in an article where there is a "T" bar that can be used to help the student keep the cane centered. I feel keeping the cane centered is very important for future travel, and orientation techniques. I often have a verbal statement that indicates the student needs to keep it centered. It allows the student to correct his technique quickly, without much notice of me "correcting" him.

NFB and mobility colleges have a divergence of opinion about how long a cane should be. What is your position on this controversy?

Answer: I have been using the sternum method, but find that it is sometimes too short. I just read that it can be measured between the shoulders and chin area. I think it depends on the stride of the student. One of my students has a very short step, so I don't give her any extra cane length. But I do have students that have long strides, and I feel they need the extra info the cane can give. I think the rule is coverage should be 2 steps ahead.

The author puts forward the idea that "proper" cane skills might be part of a Saber Tooth Tiger curriculum? Do you think there is a proper set of cane skills or are we being too closed (professionally)?

Answer: No, I think there needs to be some "proper" cane skills to be uniform as a profession. Especially when children are concerned. If they have one O&M teacher teaching them one technique, and then move and find another O&M teacher with totally different techniques and what she feels is proper, then the child is confused and literally has to start over again.

At the end of this section, the author offers a list of outcomes (with the cane) that should be complete (or addressed) by certain grade levels. Do you concur with this assessment, or would you order the outcomes differently?

Answer: I agree with all the outcomes addressed. However, I feel it depends on the student. I have mostly visually impaired students who have other disabilities. The main objective I have for them is to stay safe, and be identified as being blind or visually impaired. The cane accomplishes both these objectives. For my other students, these outcomes are very obtainable, and I would almost go further in teaching them the touch technique. (I have by the 6th grade).