It is common to see now-a-days people walking on the street with a white cane. They are people with visual challenges. They can be partially sighted or visually insufficient.
Usually as a part of self regulated life skill training, visually challenged adults, would be introduced to three levels of preparation.
At the first level, they would be categorised into those who were visually challenged from birth and those who have acquired visual loss. Those who were born with visual challenge, if intellectually competent and have hearing abilities would receive life skill training from early days where, mobility, communication and mobility are integrated. Those who acquired visual loss would have had sudden loss or gradual visual loss. Those with sudden loss would need psychological adjustment and counselling to cope with grief. Those who suffer gradual loss would have been already on training for adaptation to life and independent living in a graded fashion.
The second level is to assess the needs for independent living, mobility, work place adjustments, adjust to learning environment etc. This would be planned according to the capacity of the person to cope with changes and adjustments. Those who are resilient would be introduced to full fledged preparation for independent living. Those who cannot manage independently would receive guides to help them- they can be human guides or canine guides.
The third level would be to adjust to social and community living. They would need assistance to travel, do shopping, move about to live a near normal life. This involves access training and mobility in public places.
The training to use the white cane is therefore a specialised training at an advanced stage of mobility training.
If you were to see a person in a public place with a white cane, and if you desire to help him, one can do three things.
Draw close to him or her, introduce oneself and describe the location where he or she is. Ask if any help is needed and indicate how much you are able to help. e.g. 'I can help you to cross the road'. It is unwise to offer this help to someone form the opposite gender in our Indian context ordinarily.
The second step is to ask him or her how he or she would like to be helped. Most visually challenged people would want to be guided in a particular way and it is necessary to find and do precisely what he or she suggests. Having done what was requested, state what you have done to let him or her be sure that the request was followed.
The third is to say 'thank you for trusting me to assist you' before you say good bye. We are only assistants doing what was instructed by the person.
It is impolite to rush to a person, who is finding his direction with a white cane and without any prelude or permission hold him or her by the hand and lead. It would unsettle them badly. They would lose even their bearing and sense of direction.
All visually needy people appreciate friendships and not just a mobility guide. We can offer that friendship even to a stranger, by the way we introduce and conduct ourselves.
M.C.Mathew(photo and text)
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