RSBC Unseen Podcast | Overcoming Long Cane worries | S.04 E.11

We sat down with our habilitation officer Rosie, to talk about how she works with young people who are starting to use a long cane. With insights from three cane users, we talk about common fears and misconceptions people have when thinking about using a long cane.

Transcript

Juliette Parfitt  0:08  

Hi, welcome to the RSBC unseen podcast. My name is Juliette. I work here at RSBC, and today I'm going to be chatting to Rosie about her work as a habilitation specialist. Rosie, how you doing?

Rosie  0:19  

I'm good. Thank you. How are you?

Juliette Parfitt  0:20  

Not too shabby. Tell us, for those that don't know, what is a habilitation specialist?

Rosie  0:25  

So a habilitation specialist is somebody that works with a child or young person from the age of zero 25 with a vision impairment on anything, mobility, independent living skills, orientation, so basically anything day to day. So it could be from cooking to dressing skills to road safety or long cane training, yeah, anything to help them become as independent as possible.

Juliette Parfitt  0:50  

So today we're going to be talking about long cane training. We've got a few young people who we chatted to. We're going to be dropping some audio clips from them in, and I'm going to be putting some questions to Rosie all about it, just to give anyone who's not sure a sense of what it's like when young people first start learning to use a white cane, some feelings they might have around it, and just sort of general tips and advice and all that good stuff. So without further ado, let's dive straight in. So we've got three young people that we spoke to for this, and they're going to introduce themselves to us now. 

Nailah  1:20  

Hi. My name is Nailah. I've been using a white long cane since November and a symbol cane since I was eight. I'm 16 years old, and I'm from East London.

Scarlett  1:29  

I'm Scarlett. I'm 15 years old, and I live in southeast London. I've only been using a cane for the past one to two months. 

Asha  1:37  

Hi, My name is Asha. I'm 24 years old, and I'm from London. I was born with a visual impairment. However, I've only been using the cane for almost two years, and I'm having a positive experience of it.

Juliette Parfitt  1:52  

So we put a few different questions to our young people, and they were kind enough to share their thoughts with us. The first question we asked them was, what did you know about long cane training before you started, and was there anything you were nervous or worried about? And here's what they had to say.

Asha  2:05  

So before I started officially using the long cane, I didn't really know much about it. And I think the reason why because I never thought I would use the cane. I didn't really bother to look into it. And I know that sounds really ignorant, but I just I was really anti the cane because I was really scared. I think my main concerns was just being perceived by the public, and what if I see someone I know and they're going to judge me, or what if people laugh at me? That was my, definitely, my main concern. And I know, looking back, I shouldn't have thought that, because I shouldn't care what people think. And at the end of the day, the cane does really help me.

Scarlett  2:43  

Um, before I started cane training, it was a very negative thing because of all the stereotypes, and I didn't really know much about it. And I was quite against it. I went through quite a lot of denial before it. I didn't know much about it, but I did just know, like, the basics.

Nailah  3:00  

Um, I was also quite like, I refused to use it, and I just thought that I had enough sight that I didn't need it. But yeah, I just didn't want to feed into stereotypes with people.

Juliette Parfitt  3:10  

So these guys seem to feel quite like, open and positive about starting to use their cane. But actually, Rosie, do you get much resistance from young people when you're starting to talk about and look at doing cane training with them? 

Rosie  3:23  

Yes. So it was really lovely to hear such positive responses and people being really kind of optimistic about using the long cane. But actually it is really common for a young person, in particular, if they start the training at like, an older age, they can kind of feel like, Oh, well, I don't I haven't needed it for so long already. Like, why would I need it now? And you know, you can come have to sort of battle through all this sort of emotional side of coming to terms with, well, why do I need the long cane? But it is quite normal as well for someone to not need it all the time, and sort of have to discuss those sort of reasons first before even introducing the long cane. 

Juliette Parfitt  3:58  

Do you think young people actually realise they don't need it all the time. Because I think it's still not that well known. It seems very binary, like you use a cane, or you don't use the cane. And I wonder if that's something they like internalise, like, do you have to do quite a lot of work sometimes to be like, Hey, not all the time, just if you need it.

Rosie  4:13  

Yeah, 100% I think there's a real stereotype with long cane training and sort of just general use of using your long cane, of the you know you should only be using it if you know you are registered as severely sight impaired, and then they should be using it all the time, every single moment, when actually that's not necessarily the case. You know, some people that might be registered as just sight impaired might only need to use it potentially when you know they're going to a new environment, or it's really busy, or depending on their vision impairment, if it's a really bright day, and that's when they find it more difficult, difficult navigating certain spaces. You know, that's when it might be best for them. But actually, if they're in maybe their office space or at school, that's really familiar to them, they they might not need to use it. And I think it's really important to reinforce that it's really sort of individual to that person.

Juliette Parfitt  5:01  

I mean, when I first started using my cane, I only used it in the dark because I didn't need it the rest of the time. And actually, that kind of, like, blew my mind a bit. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. I'm open for this, because it's not all the time. 

Rosie  5:11  

Yeah, absolutely. 

Juliette Parfitt  5:12  

What are some of young people's biggest fears and misconceptions before they start cane training?

Rosie  5:18  

I think, like, we've touched on it before, I think people feel like there's a lot of reliance on using it all the time. And I think that's not necessarily the case. And I think the biggest thing is worrying what other people think, and maybe some judgement from from the public. But actually, I think, and it's a whole process in coming to terms with, you know, why you're using it, actually it's relevant what other people think it's there to benefit you

Juliette Parfitt  5:42  

What do you find are young people's sort of biggest fears and misconceptions before they start doing their cane training?

Rosie  5:49  

I think it's a bit of the unknown. So they don't really know what a long cane is and how it actually benefits them. They kind of think this is just sort of a long stick that's out in front of me, when actually the benefits of it is there to give feedback of what's on the floor and, you know, the changes and things like that. And so that can be something, but also those sort of stereotypes of the public and what other people sort of perceive them, and how they're using it, and why they're using it, and I think that's the whole thing to come to terms with, of actually, they've got to understand how it's beneficial for them. 

Juliette Parfitt  6:19  

I think that's something that both Asha and Nailah commented on, around their fears, around what people think. But I love that Asha, actually, after starting said, you know, actually, this was fine. But I also think especially with like teenagers and young people, you have to find that line between pushing and letting them kind of go through the process. If you push too hard, they'll be like, falls back on it. I guess it's just about giving young people and teenagers time to kind of get there on their own, because you don't want to push too hard. 

Juliette Parfitt  6:46  

So we asked our young people what their first cane training session was like. And here's what they said.

Scarlett  6:52  

In my first session doing long cane training, it was okay. It was nerve wrecking, but I did learn quite a lot, like examples with the stairs. I didn't know any of that before, and also, when stepping down on curb and crossing the roads with listening and sweeping the cane across the road before you cross

Nailah  7:13  

On my first long cane session, I felt it. It was quite overwhelming, but like, once I got the hang of it, it was quite a big relief, because I learnt a lot of stuff, and I wasn't like I was walking around the streets, practising, and I wasn't really falling over. And then it came in handy within a week, because I started becoming a full time cane user

Asha  7:33  

My, so my first ever official session was very it was very difficult. I just could not get the hang of using the cane. For some reason, I kept looking down. I couldn't look forward. And I think the reason why it kind of stemmed from, like I said before, it just embarrassment. I didn't want people to see me.

Juliette Parfitt  7:56  

So Rosie, what does a typical first session look like? Or is there even a typical one?

Rosie  8:01  

Each session is actually really different depending on the young person. So the HAB specialist might start off with diagonal technique and just actually introducing, you know, the parts of the cane, because it can be quite a daunting thing. And the whole process of even opening and closing the cane, that could be a whole session for some, some young people, or they might get as far as actually walking independently in a safe space with that cane in whatever technique the HAB specialist introduces.

Juliette Parfitt  8:27  

How do young people feel after their first session normally?

Rosie  8:30  

Typically, I'd say it's usually a really positive feeling, and it's that kind of they realise actually it's not as scary as it may have seemed prior to the lesson, and it gives them, I think, actually hope for becoming independent in the future. 

Juliette Parfitt  8:32  

I love that, and I think that's something that's not really out there that much, and something that definitely is like reflected in like what Scarlett and Nailah and Asha have said about their sort of first sessions. 

Juliette Parfitt  8:54  

So we asked our young people to reflect a bit on how they feel about using their long cane now compared to when they first started, and here is what they said

Scarlett  9:04  

Since my long came training, I felt felt a lot more independent and a lot more freedom with it. Obviously, there's still quite a lot of stereotypes with it and a lot of bias thinking with it, but it's given a lot more freedom, and it allows people to realise that you do have a visual impairment, whereas, when you're out in public without it, people don't recognise you as much.

Nailah  9:31  

Um, since using my long cane, I have prevented quite a lot of injuries, and I'm a lot more independent. I'm able to go out without worrying about falling over, but I will say people are quite judgmental when you have a long cane and you're a girl who's a teenager, I obviously have a phone, and I hang out with my friend quite a lot, so I have quite a lot of comments about how I don't look blind, or I don't need a cane, or like in buses, especially, I get kicked off seats. Quite a lot, because I don't look blind enough, even though I have a cane, and it's just quite a big stereotype that you have to have a look to be blind, and you can't have friends or phone.

Asha  10:11  

So how I feel about using the cane now, I definitely feel more confident and comfortable, and I'm actually quite proud of myself for taking that step, because I use the cane now full time, which I never thought I would do, so I feel really proud, and I'm definitely it definitely makes me feel more independent. I was actually volunteering at a care home, and that definitely helped me feel more confident, because the staff immediately felt comfortable to help me. And, yeah, instead of just me asking, they just automatically, you know, be like, Asha, do you need any help? And that made me feel really I just really appreciate that, and that made me feel really seen. So I'm definitely really proud that I'm using the cane. And yeah, it's definitely made a difference. Everybody's just so much kind and understanding. Because beforehand, people would always say that I didn't look like I had a visual impairment. I didn't really know what that meant, because how do you look like you have a visual impairment, You know? But now that I have a cane, now that I use the cane, people can identify that I have a visual impairment, and I need additional needs. So if I so, if I, you know, if I looked lost outside, people would definitely come up to me to help me. So it's it makes me put like I just feel so much ease when using the cane. I feel so much safer as well.

Juliette Parfitt  11:37  

Is there anything that young people are able to do once they start using their cane that they didn't expect? Or any kind of experiences or skills it gives them that they didn't realise would be the case after they've sort of spent a little bit of time using their cane.

Rosie  11:50  

Yeah, I think actually people don't realise that how much feedback that the long cane gives them and how much information that you get up from different textures on the floor. So for instance, some blister paving, actually by using a long cane by a young person identifying that that might help them identify a certain road crossing, or where is a safe place to cross on maybe an unfamiliar route. Or, you know, the ability to identify different textures with their long cane, which before they might have thought, how is that possible? Actually, by the practice and the feedback from the long cane, they then will be able to understand where they are along the routes and learning certain landmarks.

Juliette Parfitt  12:28  

Do you think they're surprised about like the sound element? Because I know when I started using it, I was like, Oh, I can use like the sound feedback as well to get a sense of my environment more than I expected?

Rosie  12:41  

Yeah, definitely. I think the sound is a big, a big element, too. And sort of people use, you know, when they are travelling with their cane, giving them that more independence, actually, they might feel when things may be more shelters if they're going underneath the bridge, those sort of sound elements as well.

Juliette Parfitt  12:56  

To finish off, we're going to hear some success stories from our three young people.

Nailah  13:00  

I think since using my long cane, I'm able to travel back and forth to football on my own and just go places like a bit more independently

Scarlett  13:15  

The cane has given me quite a lot more opportunities, such as being able to go out more by myself, because as before, I was not leaving the house without going out with a single person. And now I find it easier to be more by myself and be able to travel by myself to places that I knew I'd never be able to do before without it. 

Asha  13:37  

Yeah, So my first ever time using the cane by myself. I remember I went to my local pharmacy, which is about 10 minutes from my house, and I was so anxious. But I met a lot of lovely people in my area asking if I need help. And it just made me feel like confident and like just everybody's just so lovely. And from that day, I definitely felt, you know, more confident and comfortable to use the cane. I definitely that, honestly, just made my week, and I told myself, okay, I had such a good experience. I'm going to use my cane full time now.

Juliette Parfitt  14:17  

Rosie, have you got any success stories from your work that you want to share?

Rosie  14:21  

Yeah, I actually had a student where he was quite reluctant to begin his long cane training, as his vision had deteriorated quite gradually. And we then were practising a route with his long cane from his home to local shops, and then he didn't want to use his long cane anymore, so he said that he would show me the route without his long cane. And he actually ended up bumping into something. And in that moment, he actually turned around to me, went, yep, you are correct. I do need my long cane. And then actually, from that moment, he, I think, actually having that experience, which is obviously not ideal, showed to him the need for the long cane. And then the next session, we actually went and did the exact same route with the long cane, and he was able to. Move around it really safely, and he is now, this was a couple of years ago. Now he is now travelling independently to and from college using his long cane. And it's just really nice where it's given him that independence that he previously maybe wouldn't have felt confident to do. 

Juliette Parfitt  15:12  

I think it's nice that you gave him the space to, like, show you what he was doing, and sort of have that little, that little bump, and then sort of make him realise. Because I think sometimes if you're like, you need to do this because of this, teenagers just like, yeah, you're talking whatever, whatever. But then you're like, Okay, go on then. And then you're like, Oh, I've walked into a lamp post now. And you're like, Okay, actually, this might have a benefit. So, you know, you have to let them kind of knock into things and be like, I didn't like that. Okay, there's this thing. I'll use it. 

Juliette Parfitt  15:41  

What would you say to a young person who potentially needs to start using a long cane, but is feeling a little bit unsure about it? Was there any sort of tips or advice you would give them to encourage them to be open to it?

Rosie  15:53  

Yeah, I would say just giving it a go, which is so much easier said than done, but I think actually starting off with just the absolute basics, and then just practising it in your own time, and giving your own time to process the strategies, but then also finding areas and maybe routes that are motivating to you. So it's going to be quite boring if you're just doing it in maybe a really smooth hall or, you know, down a certain corridor, but actually feeling the benefits of it in somewhere where you can then get from maybe your home to, you know, into town or to a restaurant or to a cafe, those sort of things, then can be really nice motivators, which can then really show a young person the benefits of their long cane and that independence.

Juliette Parfitt  16:30  

Thank you to Scarlett, Nailah and Asha for sharing their thoughts and reflections with us, and thanks to Rosie for coming along and chatting with us about long cane training. Hopefully, you guys will have found that useful. And if you're thinking about starting to use a long cane and feeling a bit nervous, this will maybe give you some advice and make you feel like ready to be a bit more open about it. So yeah, cheers Rosie

Rosie  16:51  

Thank you so much, Juliette

Juliette Parfitt  16:53  

And we'll catch you in the next one. Thanks. Bye. 

Rosie  16:55  

Bye