Hello Jeff and All, I recently went on a humanitarian trip to Barbados and will be going back in two short weeks. We ran into this very same issue, that many people did not have access to canes. I see however, an even bigger issue, and that is that many of these countries simply do not have access to any kind of cane training, or have extremely outdated practices, while using a cane and/or sighted guide. I understand that I have been lucky to get the opportunity to travel outside the U.S. to provide needed services, and a few others have as well, but we simply are small in number and sharing independence internationally is both an exhausting and expensive practice. I love the idea of somehow creating a free cane program that could go internationally, whether that funding would come from corporate or individual donations, I don't know, but I do think it's a worthwhile cause to look into. While in Barbados I met a guy who has been blind his whole life and has sort of self-taught himself O&M skills. He's a decent cane traveler but is just craving the skills. I only got to spend a week with him, but he picked up so quickly. When I returned to the states I had a frank conversation with the director of our training center her in Salt Lake about bringing him on as a sort of cane travel instructor intern. Sure, he doesn't have a lot of academic qualifications, but he is eager to learn and there is not a single cane travel instructor on the island of Barbados...a qualified candidate in my opinion. I figure if we can bring him here and give him 8 or so weeks of training, we can give him enough to at least provide some services to the blind people of his country. I don't want to jinx it, as the details haven't been sorted out yet, but he is planning to come to Salt Lake in April to train under Jennifer Kennedy and I, both NOMC's. Even though an NOMC certification would mean nothing in his country, and he won't be seeking that by any means, we can maybe give him a little jump start into a positive philosophy of teaching. I say all of this not to be long winded but to say maybe we can find more of these people, who are not experts per say, but who can provide services in their home country and open the door of possibilities. We plan on bringing this guy over on a sort of foreign exchange students type basis, and have receieved coorporate funding for him to fly here and provide him with some spending money. It may be a unique situation, or it could be something we grow as an NOMC team. I know we have a lot of work to do in the states, but I couldn't help but feel so much for the Bajan people when I went, and the enormous need that exists. I love the idea of spreading to cane love around the world. I'd love more insight on this as well... Deja Powell P.S. I did get a rare form of E coli over on the island and ended up in the hospital, and nearly died, but it was worth it! :) Deja M. Powell, MA, NOMC PhD Student, Capella University http://www.capella.edu Cane Travel Instructor, Utah Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired http://www.usor.utah.gov/division-of-services-for-the-blind-and-visually-imp... Co-Director, Club SILVER (Southern Utah) Cell: 801.891.3430 Work: 801-323-4343 Email: deja.powell at gmail.com Blog: slateandstylish.blogspot.com *"You can never be Overdressed or Overeducated." -Oscar Wilde* On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 12:06 PM, Deb and Jeff Altman <jaltman at neb.rr.com> wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I would like to start a disscussion here, well, more of a brain storming session. From my contacts on Facebook, it has become clear to me that many blind people outside of the United states simply do not have the sort of opportunities that would allow them to become successful. The first issue is access to just the basics, starting with the long white cane. Now, there have long been programs to try to send canes to these places, and to some degree they are successful, but still the need isn't being met. So, here is what I want to ask all of you: Imagine you need to make a cane for yourself, but the stuff you normally would use, fiberglass, aluminum , and the like simply isn't available. What would you use, and how would you use it to make the cane you needed?

My thought is that perhaps we could find some solutions that would allow folks in these situations to be able to either make their own canes, or to find someone that has the skills and access to the materials to do it within their own communities.

Jeff Altman

_______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org

I just read Mike Jones' observations on blind mobility in the less overdeveloped world. The ideas of using local materials and local producers to find a more affordable cane is excellent, and his perceptions of the tribal attitudes squares with my admittedly limited experience in such places. I have two things to add to the discussion. First, equipment that we might think of as junk may be highly appreciated in Third World places. I visited friends in Ciudad Sandino, the poorest city in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, back in 2010. My friends arranged for me to meet a few blind people there, so I brought along some old folding canes with very tired bungee cords and other given-to-me magnifiers in various stages of usefulness. These were accepted with great appreciation -- I think it was genuine. These canes were better than anything that was available to them, and I expect they found users shortly after I left them off. My other experience was here in the USA at a couple NFB conventions. Whenever I go to an NFB convention one of the highlights for me is the Cane Walk. In the last two conventions I've attended I've had the privilege to be paired up with some people from Bishkek, the capital of the central Asian republic of Kirghizstan. I can't remember their names, but if you need them I can look them up back at home. Anyway, there is a blind woman in Bishkek who got interested in opening a training center for the blind there, and she has done so, and then brought some of her students to NFB conventions for training and broadening of horizons. I was very impressed by her young students, mostly in their 20's. Since Kirghizstan is a poor country, I'm sure she faces many of the same problems of financial and equipment resources that exist in Barbados and other such places, and she might have something valuable to contribute to this discussion. I'd be glad to fetch her name if anyone wants to follow up on it. Jonathan Ice From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Deb and Jeff Altman Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 12:07 PM To: nomc at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: [Nomc] A question for your consideration Hello Everyone, I would like to start a disscussion here, well, more of a brain storming session. From my contacts on Facebook, it has become clear to me that many blind people outside of the United states simply do not have the sort of opportunities that would allow them to become successful. The first issue is access to just the basics, starting with the long white cane. Now, there have long been programs to try to send canes to these places, and to some degree they are successful, but still the need isn't being met. So, here is what I want to ask all of you: Imagine you need to make a cane for yourself, but the stuff you normally would use, fiberglass, aluminum , and the like simply isn't available. What would you use, and how would you use it to make the cane you needed? My thought is that perhaps we could find some solutions that would allow folks in these situations to be able to either make their own canes, or to find someone that has the skills and access to the materials to do it within their own communities. Jeff Altman