As Bruce lost more of his vision, a white cane brought some unexpected benefits to getting around and being with others.
Hadley
The Difference a White Cane Made
My name is Bruce Weiland, and I live on Bainbridge Island, which is an island off of downtown Seattle.
I have retinitis pigmentosa, and I've watched my vision get narrower and narrower from the outside coming in. And I've adjusted to it along the way, giving up various things, sports, driving, et cetera.
But it wasn't until I hit my 60s that my vision deterioration finally reached the center of my vision, and my tunnel vision became so narrow that I was literally tripping over things, bumping into dogs and children, open doorways.
And as I walked around my hometown, I found myself more and more embarrassed, apologetic to people. People just didn't understand about my problem because I was keeping it a secret.
So the one thing I want to recommend to people is when you're ready, get cane training and embrace the use of a cane.
I have to say I hesitated and resisted for a long, long time until my wife finally convinced me that I had to use the cane when I walked about both for safety and for maximizing social interactions. And when I started using the cane, first of all, I stopped tripping over things and running into things.
And second of all, it was a way to gently announce to people that I had a visual problem. And suddenly, people who were confused or angry were helpful.
Rather than feeling embarrassed, as I was afraid I might, I felt like I had suddenly been given a ticket to travel around without embarrassment, without mishaps, both safer and happier. And I was worried that people might ridicule me or be less than supportive. And I will tell you, in the two years I've been using the cane, I have not had a single negative interaction with another person.
People are kind, they're understanding, they are welcoming, and it's been a real plus for me. So that's my suggestion. When the time is right, embrace the cane.