Top Ten Fun Facts About White Canes

- You can take your white cane through TSA security at an airport, but it has to go through the X-ray machine.
- White canes were pioneered by George Bonham, who, in 1930, suggested painting canes used by blind people white with a red stripe so that motorists and others would better notice them.
- New technology embedded in white canes causes them to vibrate to warn users of nearby obstacles and hazards.
- In 1944 Richard Hoover created the method of of holding a long cane in the center of the body and swinging it back and forth before each step to detect obstacles. This is still called the “Hoover Method.”
- Only 2 - 8% of visually impaired people use white canes. Others utilize their useable vision, a guide dog or a sighted guide.
- There are 3 kinds of white canes: a) Standard mobility cane, used to navigate; b) Support cane, used by people with visual impairments who also have mobility challenges; c) ID cane, a small, foldable cane used by people with partial sight to let others know they have a visual impairment.
- Orientation & Mobility specialists, who train people who are blind to use white canes, have to spend 120+ hours blindfolded while using a white cane.
- White canes today are typically made from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber, and can weigh under 7 ounces.
- The Braille Institute holds a yearly Cane Quest, where kids aged 3-12 compete to quickly and safely navigate a route in their community using their white canes.
- Some states ban the use of white canes by people who are not legally blind so they can get the right-of-way to cross a street.
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