Whether you are visually impaired, blind, just getting to know someone who is blind/visually impaired, or you need to play the role of a blind person in a play/other show, (e.g., Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker), here is a basic understanding of how a white-tipped cane is properly used.


Steps

1. Note that all canes consist of 3 main parts; the grip, the tip, and the cane. grab the grip and hold it firmly, but loosely in your hand. If it has a flat surface, (like a golf club grip) lay your index finger on the flat surface.
2. Let your wrist settle to the left/right of your belly button, (somewhere between the belly button and the waist), and gently swing the cane from side to side. The tip should never leave the ground for any circumstance, and the cane should only swing the width of the person's shoulders.
3. When you walk, alternate the swing with your steps. If you step with the right foot, your cane should go to the left, and vice-versa. If you find that your cane is swinging the wrong direction, let the cane stay in that general direction and fix it with your next few steps.
4. Master the stairs. When confronted with stairs, there are different methods. When going down stairs, let the cane tip fall onto the next step and don't swing it in case other people are trying to go down the stairs too. When going up the stairs, the cane will hit the first step when you are on the ground level. Grab the cane so it's relatively vertical, and let the cane hit each step as you ascend. Once you reach the top, go back to swinging.
5. Practice using a cane; it takes a while to get used to.

Tips

• Remember that the final hit when going up the stairs means that you have one more step to go. When going down, you also have to make one more step before you are safely on the ground.
• If there is an escalator, place the cane on the moving area to determine if it's upward or downward. If the cane pulls away from you, it's going up.
• Don't cross streets alone when you're a beginner. Most cane users are introduced to crossing streets by a certified mobility instructor. Crossing, especially at busy intersections, takes practice and should not be done as a new cane user.
• If you see someone with a cane, don't treat them differently than any other person. Blind is not an alternate word for stupid, deaf, or even disabled. Blind people can be independent at most things in life.

Warnings

• Remember the stair rules.
• Don't cross streets unless you know how.
• If you are in a play or something, don't over-dramatize. After the performance, put the cane away and don't bring it out in public.
• The cane is not a toy, it is a tool. Blind people treat a cane like an addition to their bodies and as a necessity for personal safety, mobility, and independence. If you are sighted, do not under any circumstances try to grab or take a person's cane.
• Blind mobility students are taught that if necessary, to use their canes in self-defense situations. (these canes are mainly made out of aluminum or graphite.)

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