Orientation and Mobility for Children

Little girl with a cane in a convenience store
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http://www.pdrib.com/pages/omkids.php

This site is to assist with questions you may have regarding the use of the long white cane, the purpose of the cane, and the importance for individuals who are blind, legally blind or partially sighted to use the cane. The goal of this site is to help you assist your child in obtaining the skills necessary to travel independently where he/she wants to go, when he/she wants to go (providing permission has been granted, of course), and to travel safely. It is always wonderful to observe individuals traveling with confidence.

Submitted by BrendaM (not verified) on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 9:31am.

My child is 4 and she has been using her cane for over 2yrs and she does great.I took her to walmart and walked her around,and to the mall everyplace I felt she had the room to work with the cane.

    Submitted by Debbie McClure (not verified) on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 2:59pm.

    My daughter is totally blind in both eyes and is still using a mobile device to get around. She trails well and is very independent on stairs. She is getting bored now with her device and keeps picking it up and slamming it down to make a loud noise. Does this mean she is ready to start with cane training?

      Submitted by S Lowry (not verified) on Thu, 10/20/2011 - 11:32am.

      I'm not a parent, but I've worked with infants and toddlers as an O&M specialist for too many years to admit. Does your child have an O&M person following her? So many factors go in to this decision, it might be best to chat with the O&M person, first off. It seems like so much depends on the setting and the need. She may feel so familiar with the current setting (home? school?) that she is bored. Whether she's bored or not, if she is very capable with the device and exploratory (i.e., using it to feel different surfaces and reaching out actively to find things) she may be ready for a long cane. The nice thing about a cane, vs. a device that requires 2 hands, is that it frees one hand for touching and trailing so she can know better where she is in space. However, a long cane is harder to use than a 2-handed device, since she'll have to actively keep it in front - most AMD devices automatically stay in front if the child is using two hands. Anyway, you and your O&M person can evaluate her readiness better than anyone else. There's a handout newly posted on the website that goes into some more things to think about.

        Submitted by Amber Bobnar on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 9:13am.

        Here's the handout Susan is referring to above: Precane vs Long Cane

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