dear all At the outset, i would like to apologise to everyone for this lengthy mail, but could not manage it in lesser..
i would like to share with you some information and my experience with the formidable "white cane". Mobility is an essential part of everyone's life. it becomes difficult for us as visually impaired and more important than ever before. but, do we give ourselves the opportunity to experience it? most of us shy away from using the white cane that is specifically meant to serve the purpose of replacing the missing sight, if used with the right techniques. i have been one to never be able to use the cane for various reasons. firstly having been sighted, i am well aware of the perils of being out on our roads, and the vanity factor has always come in the way. having gone on all these years in this way, i reached a stage where i felt the strings holding me down. unavailability of assistance when required and the urgency to have things done put an abrupt end to all these factors. i decided to go on and equip myself with this essential skill and made a trip to Mitra Jyothi in Bangalore for a 5 day programme in Outdoor mobility. this was customised to suit my need and the time i had available on hand. it was an experience i will never forget. from the word go, my instructor, Ms Sundari nudged me on gently but firmly onto moving on my own. the inputs were positive and not assertive which makes the likes of us that are skeptical about it, accept it with more ease.holding the cane and moving with it was something else. the encouragement and constant support made me move on quicker. tentative steps became more confident and small ones became strides. the feeling was liberating and exhilerating. i had never thoughht i would feel that way. gone was the fear and hesitation and it was replaced with a new self confidence. this did not last only for the time when my instructor was with me, but also through the journey on my own onto the busy road wit traffic on one side and the inevitable open drains on the other. made me wonder why had i not done this before. a lot of us have opportunities that come our way but hesitate to take them on only because we are not sure of how to get there. i endorse once again the best way is to find the right persons to assist you and pick the white cane to make it a friend and not something to keep away so far away that you don't see it and so don't need to use it, exactly as i had done. the feeling at the end of it all is well worth everything! Warm Regards, Payal Kapoor | The Residence Hyderabad | |Direct: +91 9490939739 | Phone: +91 40 6633 6644 | Fax: +91 40 6633 6650 | | 5-4-187/5 |S M Modi Complex, Karbala Maidan | | Necklace Road (Ranigunj) | Secunderabad | AP | India | | Email: [email protected]| www.residences.co.in | utell To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
