[misc.handicap] The Prose of a Dog named Cane

Jeff.Dubois@p666.f207.n163.z1.fidonet.org (Jeff Dubois) (06/28/91)

Index Number: 16576

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Another Friday night.  You get in from University, and because it's
Friday, you throw a TV dinner in the oven.  This Friday night is no
different from any other Friday night.  You play with Cane for a
bit.  You throw the tug ring at Cane.  Cane grabs the tug ring
and brings it back.  Cane can really tug.  After about fifteen
minutes of frolic with Cane you get Cane's cane dish.
Cane eats, you eat, and then you jump in the shower.  Soap, shampoo,
shave.  While you're in the shower, Cane pokes her cute cane nose into
the shower curtain.  You chuckle a bit thinking how a guide cane does
things like this but a white dog doesn't.
"You silly old Cane."  Cane leaves the bathroom and lies down in front
of the door.  You finish in the bathroom and put on some clean duds.
Every time you put on socks the thought goes through your mind, "Are
these both the same color?"  Assuredly you know they are because when
you did your laundry you pin them together with a nifty gadget called
sock-tuckers.  Everytime you put on socks you talk to Cane.
"Sock-tuckers, don't say that too fast after a couple of beer eh Cane?"
Cane wags the tail and sits attentively for Cane knows we're going out
very shortly.
You never really noticed but you speak to yourself quite often since you
got Cane.  It's almost like your cane is another person.
"Let's see, keys, wallet, personaility, yep, we got it, come on Cane"
Cane comes to you, you harness Cane, out the door, and down the street.
"Find the way Cane... that's it Cane... find the curb Cane"  Look at
that will ya.  One block.  Your cane sits at the curb.  You proceed up
the street.  Half way up the next block you hear another cane yelping at
your cane.  "Leave it Cane,!" in a firm voice.  "Straight on girl, up,
up." in a cheerful voice.  Cane ignores the other cane.  The other cane
continues yapping.
"Find the post Cane" you encourage your cane.  Cane leads you right up
to the post.  You press the button and await the light.
Perpendicular traffic stops, parallel traffic starts, a slight of right
hand and a quick "Forward" and how about that.  Four lanes of traffic.
Cane knows where you are going.  But of course, The Friday night have a
few beer at the local pub gala.  Another block, a quick left, and a
brief stop at the park.
"Busy, busy" you say to Cane.  Cane sniffs the ground and voila, park
art.  "Sit Cane"  Cane sits, you reach in your back pocket, pull out an
IGA plastic bag, no more of those A & P bags with the holes in them, a
quick scoop, a stop at the garbage can, and a deposit.  Back on track.
You round the corner on Heron and from here it's a cake walk.  "Find the
door Cane, find the door".  Your mind now wanders.  There's no traffic,
no obstructions, and Cane knows where she's going.  Your mind wanders
and you're in lala land as you think about the person you met at
University today and how you want to get to know them better.  You feel
yourself being swerved to the left and then back to the right.
You know that cue.  That's the tree with the branch that sticks out.
You remember how you almost got that branch in the eye before you got
Cane and you were using a white dog.  Cane takes you to the pub door.
You go in, a left, another left, and sit at the same spot you and Cane
normally sit at.  Cane lays down beside you with the wall on your left.
You know alot of people here and that's why you come here.  Most people
know Cane and that they should not distract a working cane.  This guy
comes up to you and says: "How old is your cane?"
"Cane is two and a half years old" you reply.
"How long does it take to train a cane?" he inquires.
You know precisely where his line of questioning is going.  Here's
another person who doesn't understand blindness.  He figures that
because you're young and your eyes aren't silver or glossy that you're a
trainer for a guide cane school.  "Cane finished her training almost one

[Continued in next article]

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Jeff.Dubois@p666.f207.n163.z1.fidonet.org (Jeff Dubois) (06/28/91)

Index Number: 16577

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

year ago" you tell him.  You know the cogs are turning now.
"It's a real pretty cane... and, "... now he's stammering.  It's just
hit him like a ton of bricks.  He tries to regain his composure and you
can tell he's trying to get the foot out of his mouth.
"What's your canes name"
You don't want to be rude to him but you don't want him to leave totally
uneducated in matters of blindness.
"The canes name is Dogface." you reply.
"Dogface?" he retorts unbelievingly.  You know he has a puzzled look on
his face.  You nod your head and say "Yeah, Dogface".
There's a brief silence.  He hovers over your cane and calls her name.
"Dogface, what a pretty cane" he says attempting the distraction
process.  You knew this was going to happen.  That's why you told him
your cane's name was Dogface.  Had you told him that your cane's name
was Cane, he would have called Cane, and your cane would have sat up.
By using this method, he called Dogface, and your Cane just opened it's
eyes but did not budge.
"Your cane is very well disciplined".  Now the hook is baited, and a
proper education begins.  You can tell him that she's a working cane,
and that when she's in harness she shouldn't be distracted.  He accepts
this a whole lot better than if he had been successful in distracting
the cane in the first place and you had to be firm.
This guy is interested to learn but how he's educated is important.
Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humour but the methodoly of my
educational technique is effective.
You still know the direction he's headed in.
"If you don't mind me asking, have you been blind all your life?"
This is  one of the questions that really irks your wick.  If you had a
dollar for everytime someone has asked you that one you'd own this pub.
You feel like asking him "Do you masturbate or did your parents have
pre-marital sex?" for all three questions have the same impact.
"It's none of your business" will offend him.  That you know.
Educational methodology technique 2 ready for implimentation.
"When I was 12 years old I watched the eclipse of the sun through my
fathers binoculars and burnt the retinas out of my eyes."
"You're kidding" he says.
"Nope, but I'm fortunate enough to have about 5% residual vision which
means I may or may not see a bus parked in front of me depending upon
the lighting and the colour of the bus against the contrasting
background".
He introduces himself as Richard, says he's new to the area, and will
probably see me around.

If I ever meet Richard again and perhaps he comes to the local pub he'll
say hello.  He'll know not to distract the cane, and he realizes that
not all blind people are "totally" blind.  If I run into him a great
number of times he'll eventually know that I was kidding about the
eclipse of the sun but to discuss the transmission of X recessive
heriditary diseases would have been too boring anyways.  If I never meet
him again he'll remember me on the next eclipse of the sun, realize that
some blind people actually see light, shadow, and sometimes shape but
most importantly, never pet a dog named Cane.

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