WHITE CANES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO LEGALLY BLIND PERSONS

The Queensland Blind Association Inc. sells White Canes to Legally Blind persons only. Proof of legal blindness must be shown to purchase a White Cane. Canes are sold only as a "Symbol of Blindness".

Incorrect use may be a danger to the user, pedestrians and all road users. We highly recommend that persons receive measurement and training from professional trainers, as correct length and style are a must.

White Canes

There are three types of white canes available.

• Long Canes;
• Support Canes;
• Identification Canes

The basics of learning to walk with a White cane are:

When the left foot is forward the cane sweeps over to the rightside of the person. When the right foot is forward the cane sweeps over to the leftside. When walking up or down stairs the cane makes contact at all times with the ground to judge the height and width of the steps. The person then proceeds forward always with one step ahead of the other. When catching public transport the cane is used to shoreline along the vehicle to locate the doorway.

The most common techniques in using a white cane are:

DIAGONAL TECHNIQUE: The cane is held in front slightly diagonal. The tip of the cane is in contact with the ground or slightly above.

TOUCH TECHNIQUE: The cane sweeps from side to side. If the path is clear, the left foot steps forward while the cane sweeps to the right. The right foot moves forward while the cane sweeps the left side.

CONSTANT CONTACT TECHNIQUE: The cane is held in front and sweeps from side to side. The tip is in contact with the ground to detect hazards on the pavement.

SHORELINE TECHNIQUE: The cane is used to run along the edges of footpaths, wall of buildings or fences.

Guide Dogs

A guide dog is another option to assist vision impaired people with mobility. A suitable guide dog is chosen on the basis of its temperament and the requirements of the owner. the majority of guide dogs in Australia are labradors, as they are intelligent and tolerant.

When the dogs are about twelve months old they are taken to a training centre where they are assessed on their willingness to learn and their ability to concentrate without being distracted. In the first stage of training, the dog is taught to walk straight on the left hand side and slightly ahead of the person as well as learning to stop at all kerbs.

The second stage involves the assessment of the dogs understanding of commands given. The final stage is the point where the dog is introduced to its owner and they learn to work together as a confident team. The dog should be efficient in doing such things was waiting for a command to cross the road, avoiding overhanging tree branches and other obstacles, stopping at the top and bottom of stairs, catching public transport, taking its owner to lifts and information desks and learning additional commands.

When one encounters a working guide dog, do not pat, whistle or feed the dog as it may be distracted. Other dogs should be kept well away from a working guide dog. The relationship between a blind person and their guide dog is one of trust and teamwork.

Braille Trail

The Braille trail consists of three different patterns placed on tiles which people with visual impairment can feel through the soles of their shoes. The three patterns convey different messages and are designed to guide by touch rather than sight. The dashes pattern lets the vision impaired know the direction to walk in. A combination of curved and flat dots alerts the user to a hazard, such as stairs or intersections A curved dots only pattern indicates the starting, or ending position of the braille trail as well as any changes in direction.