This is my fantasy: I’m standing at the Main Street corner in my little New Jersey suburban downtown, waiting to cross the street. As usual, I’m stressed out by the giant SUVs whipping by, oblivious to the crosswalk. But then I remember the “alterations” I made to my ID cane. I whip it out, and it automatically unfolds with a satisfying series of clicks (that part is real, actually). I stick it out in front of me, into the crosswalk. I wait for something to happen. If the next car stops for me, no drama. But if not, it’ll run over my cane, and… POP! “Oh, I’m so sorry, did the razor blade on the end of my white cane damage your tire when you ran over it? I hope it didn’t scrape the paint too badly!”
Oh, that ninja cane! What else can it do? Tune in to the next episode of Disability Avengers to find out…
Ok, maybe I’ve been reading too many of my 11 year old’s adventure books (if you haven’t read Spy School, I highly recommend it). But just think, if my cane could actually DO something, wouldn’t it be a lot more empowering?
I have had a lot of these fantasies in the last nine months, since I lost some of my vision to a multiple sclerosis flare-up…