Jason was a long-haul truck driver in Manitoba before he lost his sight two and a half years ago due to a pseudo-tumor. Losing his sight has led to many life changes that Jason discussed with us, including learning to use a white cane and being placed on long term disability benefits. According to Jason, his sight loss “came really fast and has been quite the adventure.” He is new to the sight loss world but says that “learning to be blind has been eye opening”.
What made you decide to use a white cane?
After my tumor, I was hopeful that I wasn’t going to remain blind, so I refused to use the cane. After my doctors recommended CNIB to me a few times, I reached out to them, but I was still unsure about using a cane.
One day my daughter came by my apartment with a cane and told me to start using it because I kept running into things. After that, I decided to use the cane and it was very liberating because it untied me from the end of my driveway. Before I used a cane, I didn’t go anywhere without having somebody with me. I felt like a small child who needed to be chaperoned all the time. I live in a small town, and I walk everywhere so the cane gave me my independence and confidence back because I’m now aware of my surroundings.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant about using a white cane?
There is such a liberating feeling once you start using a white cane. You can get out there and get to be your own person. I think it’s normal for people to be hesitant about using a white cane. We spend our lives trying not to be disabled, but then to have our whole world taken away and having to resort to using a white cane can be hard. I don’t see it that way anymore though, the white cane is an awesome tool and it’s a part of my life.
How did you learn to use your white cane?
I had an instructor from VLRC (Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada) come out to teach once and then most of my training was done virtually because it was during the initial Covid-19 lockdown. I had to learn through hanging my phone around my neck and using Zoom and the instructor talked to me through my headphones. Covid has made this whole process interesting.
What are some barriers you have faced with your white cane?
Sometimes when I am in a crowded space, I find that people don’t give me the space I need to use my cane efficiently. People step over and into my cane. My employer felt they couldn’t accommodate me and put me on long term disability. There has been a lot of stigmatizations as there is not a lot of awareness of blindness in the trucking industry, I could still teach drivers even if I can’t drive any longer, but people worry how it would look to have a man that’s blind teaching driving skills.
What do you wish more people knew about the white cane?
I wish more people were aware of what the white cane represents. People are afraid to talk about white canes because they don’t want to say the wrong thing. We need more public education and outreach, especially in schools. Even commercials on TV or more representation of blind people in movies would make it more normal. If we don’t see people, we don’t think about them, so inclusivity is really important.