"Long cane for children is a 'facilitator'– the chance to independently accomplish something"

A long cane (also known as a white cane) affords people with visual impairments independence and actual freedom of movement. Even blind children should get used to long canes as quickly and early as possible. It allows them to playfully perceive their surroundings to where it feels normal and natural for them to move around using this auxiliary aid. The "Anderes sehen e.V." Association (English: A different kind of seeing) has co-developed the long cane for children. Now the long canes for children were listed in the auxiliary aids and services catalog for the first time ever.

REHACARE.com spoke with Ellen Schweizer, the Association’s founder, about the experiences children and parents make with the long cane for blind children and the fact that inclusion is not a burden but can be fun.

Ms. Schweizer, you co-developed the long cane for blind children. What are the characteristics of a great children’s cane?

Ellen Schweizer: The most important aspect is that children actually have access to a long cane in the first place – and as early as possible. If you picture a one-year-old child and the size of his/her hand, it makes sense that the weight of the long cane and the size of the handle, as well as skin comfort, play a special role.

In 2012, we developed several prototypes and also published a do-it-yourself instruction guide. We subsequently co-developed the production-ready versions for very small and slightly older children with the experienced manufacturer Comde, known for its superior quality. Our stipulation was a weight of no more than one gram per centimeter because the lever action on the wrists is enormous. The cane weighs one hundred grams for a child at a body height of one meter.

Contrary to the conventional view, we recommend a full-sized long cane for children, measuring their full body size. Children move much faster and are more careless than adults and thus need to scan the surrounding environment much further ahead. What’s more, your own body height is intuitively a natural dimension we don’t have to learn by rote. The body height also corresponds to the distance from fingertip to fingertip when the child spreads his/her arms.

Why is it important for children to learn how to control a long cane as early as possible?

Schweizer: Let’s say, the child uses its long cane as a "toy" at age one. While the child plays, he automatically learns that the cane is virtually a natural extension of the radius of his tactile perception. The child can directly experience this principle. Over the years, we were honored to give dozens of children of all ages their very first long cane. In every single case, it is immediately apparent that the expansion of their world is a positive experience and typically has a liberating effect. Almost all children use the cane within a few short minutes to move independently. Without a white cane, a blind child continues to rely on being guided by the hand outside the home. In the worst case scenario, the child subsequently develops a permanent dependence on third-party guidance.

How do the children respond to the special long canes?

Schweizer: That depends on the individual child. Some children completely reject the long cane, while others refuse to let it out of their hand. A child always tends to hold a parent’s hand. That’s definitely the right thing to do and it’s important. It is part of being a child, creates trust and develops a sense of security. The child’s experience should not be that she always has to walk alone when she uses the long cane and thus feels rejected or under pressure. If that’s the case, the child will usually immediately and forever refuse to use the cane. No, the cane is actually the child‘s constant companion, regardless of whether he/she is holding a parent’s hand or not. Quite the contrary, the cane is the "facilitator", the chance to now and then independently accomplish something. The cane should be an advantage because the child is able to accomplish, experience and obtain things if he/she uses the cane.

What does inclusion mean to you?

Schweizer: It applies to all children, not just children with disabilities: every child should be able to go to a school that’s close to home. A child should be taught in a class size that facilitates attention to the individual child. A child should be supported based on his/her aptitude and abilities. Each class should have the number of teachers and aides required to make this possible. The conditions at school should ensure that inclusion is not a burden for a school or teacher, but goes without saying and is fun. New teaching material by educational publishers should only be approved by the respective ministers of education on condition that the publishing companies (possibly in collaboration with Competence Centers/Special Education Centers or similar institutions) release accessible material or provide accessible versions. The model for this comes from the media sector: in Germany, existential film funding for film producers is now only available when movies are accessible.

Both intellectually gifted, as well as challenged children, need special educators; the same applies to foreign nationals and blind children. The individual special education needs of a person should be the normal case and not an obstacle! In reality, the financial relief for society as a result of inclusion is huge. In an inclusive society, previously excluded people become self-determined individuals because they become more independent, require less assistance, auxiliary aids, and services, the level of education increases, while the unemployment rate decreases. This applies to both people with disabilities and educators. There would also be a decreased need for social welfare services and Hartz IV benefits.