As some of you know, I am visually impaired and so use a white cane. I have heard many children ask their parents lots of questions and I have been asked a fair amount as well. The most entertaining part for me isn't really what the child asks it's more the explanation of the parents.

I thought I had heard it all today but clearly I was wrong. as I was walking down the main street of my neighborhood, I passed many houses which face the street and there are many children between the ages of 2 and 5 that live there, and when the parents see me they instruct the kids to clear off from the sidewalk, occasionally say 'good afternoon' and then the kids ask their parents questions about my cane and I don't think that they understand that they can ask me directly. I've heard terms such as 'pole,stick,thing to help her see' , etc but today I must admit I was a little stumped.

Ladies and gents, for the first time I think ever I heard a little boy ask his mother if I was a dog catcher. The mom and I asked him what made him think that and he shrugged and said "I don't know" And that also prompted a close inspection of me as a whole from his brother which seemed to be about the same age as he was.

So that is what led me to post this...What do you think of the blind using canes when you see them working their environment?

One of my closest and oldest friends is blind. I am used to it. I asked him all the questions and am not surprised or confused by this stuff. I am going blind slowly myself.

That is true. I am used to most questions, I'm just surprised at what some of the younger people I encounter manage to come up with

Kids do really say the darnest things. For example I am an EMT on a volunteer fire department and twice a year we have an open house and it is funny to hear some of the stuff that they say just because they just haven't learned it or someone told them the wrong thing.

Kids are ignorant until you teach them, take it all with a grain of salt

And that kid might have just thought your cane was a snare that animal control uses kinda looks similar.

Sort of but the colors aren't in the right places and the only black part is the handle,exception goes to the graphite canes which are for people with little to no muscle tone.

Can't find an accurate enough image but mine's got a black 'bike' handle, the aluminum shows where the sections meet and the bottom section has the reflective red tape.

Ad I guess more education on the children and parents' parts are required...Using Two Touch technique hardly seems like something a dog catcher would do but yo are right in that they may mistake it to be a dog catcher's tool...

It's utterly strange now that I think about it, but I can't recall ever having personally met someone who used that type of cane. Huh. What are the odds of that, I wonder?

When I do, I think I'll probably check real quick just in case there're any obstacles in front of them that they might not detect and, if not, simply continue on my way. 

-Drac