Independence. It’s a word that can fill you with many emotions. Determination, a sense of belief, positivity, excitement, fear, anxiety and worry. The word ‘independence’ means something different to everyone. Whether it is making a hot drink for the first time, cooking a meal, learning to use a long cane, going out with friends, going on a solo trip, travelling on public transport, getting a job, starting University, or moving away from home, there are so many ways we can be independent, sometimes more than we even think of.

Like many blind and visually impaired people, getting to grips with using the long cane is something that I struggled with. I’ve always been rather independent, but learning to use the long cane presented many challenges for me.

Anxiety, frustration and self-consciousness took over whenever I had to use my cane. I’d do everything I could not to use it. I started having cane training when I was at school. As well as dealing with all of the usual teenager stuff, I also had the added pressure of learning to use a long cane. It felt like people were forcing me into doing something I didn’t want to do. Now I know this came from a good place, but at the time it felt like the exact opposite. I felt like no one understood how using my cane made me feel. I felt alone and like I was the only one experiencing these feelings, and this resentment towards the cane. Later, I found out that I most definitely wasn’t alone in feeling like this because it’s more common than you might think. Most blind or visually impaired people I have spoken to about this subject express the same trepidation that I once felt.

As I was in sixth form, I gradually started to use my cane more and by the time I was at University, it was the norm.
Source: https://www.victaparents.org.uk/encouraging-independence/