How far have we come?

1967 photo of preschooler who is blind and his teacher

In a black-and-white photograph published in New Outlook for the Blind in September 1967, a preschool boy who is blind walks forward while his teacher bends over behind him, smiling. She holds both of his hands above his shoulders as he leads the way.

It’s a tender image—yet troubling. The child’s head is bowed; he can’t see where they’re going. By holding both of his hands, the teacher leaves him unable to protect his body from collisions. This moment captures a time—over thirty years before Orientation and Mobility (O&M) was recognized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (1997)—when blind preschoolers had no right to O&M instruction.

And yet, more than fifty years later, I watched the same “guiding” method still being used.

A Familiar Scene, Half a Century Later

Just last week, I observed an O&M specialist ask a three-year-old boy to hang up his long cane at the classroom door. From there, they walked to his chair: the boy in front, the teacher behind him, grasping both of his hands as he “led” the way. His chest hit the chair first.

Who among us would choose to locate a chair we can’t see—with our chest?

Despite half a century of progress in education, we haven’t moved far in ensuring safe mobility for blind preschoolers.

The “Acceptable Outcome” Problem

The boy I saw was being taught with a rod-shaped cane. His O&M instructor praised him for holding it—even though the cane tip rarely touched the floor, trailing behind him uselessly. She explained that at his age, this was an “acceptable outcome,” and that learning to hold the cane was a step toward future success.

But what I witnessed was not progress.

When the boy reached his chair, he sat motionless, mouthing a plastic toy. His language and engagement were minimal. A three-year-old who should have been exploring, walking, and playing spent his time sitting still—detached from the world around him.

The Cost of Unsafe Mobility

Typically developing toddlers walk an average of seven hours a day, taking 31 steps a minute for five minutes at a time (Bjornson et al., 2011). Blind preschoolers, by contrast, are too often stationary—not because they can’t move, but because they’ve learned that moving is unpredictable.

Professionals sometimes explain this lack of movement as a lack of visual motivation. Lowry and Hatton (2002) wrote, “...the motivation to move decreases in relation to the degree of vision loss.” But what if the problem isn’t motivation? What if the real issue is fear—the rational fear of sudden, painful collisions?

Children born blind don’t stop moving because they lack curiosity. They stop because the world has not given them a safe way to explore.

What Other Children Receive

Children with correctable eye conditions get child-sized glasses. Children with hearing loss get child-sized hearing aids. Children who use wheelchairs receive frames fitted to their size and ability.

So why are blind three-year-olds expected to explore their world without any protective mobility tool suited to their stage of development?

O&M training for young children has long accepted the idea that safety must wait—that only when they’re older and able to swing a cane properly will safety become possible. In the meantime, collisions, falls, and fear are seen as inevitable.

They aren’t.

A child wearing his Belt Cane with a physical therapist behind him.

The Real Problem—and the Real Solution

The truth is simple: blind toddlers and preschoolers need mobility tools that match their physical and cognitive abilities.

Key facts about preschoolers:

1. They cannot safely run using a long cane.

2. They lack the dexterity and cognition to use a rod-cane arc effectively.

3. They can run—when they feel safe.

Preschoolers who are blind feel safe when they wear their Belt Canes.

Jojo runs for the first time ever, wearing Belt Cane

Running Toward Independence

When young children wear their Belt Canes, everything changes. They stop waiting for adults to guide their hands. They stop using their chests to find furniture. They begin to explore—walking, running, and laughing like their sighted peers.

The Belt Cane gives them consistent tactile path information—a safe way to feel what’s ahead before they make contact. With that feedback, they build confidence and curiosity. Even children who have never seen anyone else move begin to discover the joy of self-initiated exploration.

I watched it happen. The same boy who had been sitting silently moments before began moving freely around his classroom within thirty minutes of wearing his Belt Cane. He explored independently, choosing what to touch, what to ignore, and where to go. His confidence grew with every obstacle his cane—not his body—encountered.

But Then, the Cane Was Taken Away

Sadly, after I left, his Belt Cane was removed. His newfound independence ended as quickly as it began.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Across the country, more families and professionals are now allowing blind children to wear their canes throughout the day. These children run, play, and explore safely. They are learning that the world is navigable—not by sight, but by touch.

Looking Forward

The Pediatric Belt Cane is a simple, elegant innovation—an essential first step toward lifelong mobility. It bridges the gap between early childhood and the traditional long cane, helping young learners internalize the connection between tactile feedback and safe movement.

Blind children who grow up with Belt Canes transition smoothly to rectangular and long canes because they already understand the why of the tool: safe movement through constant tactile information.

Conclusion: It’s Time to Move Forward

In 2020—and even more so today—it’s time to provide blind toddlers and preschoolers with the tools they need to reach their full potential.

Mobility is not optional. Safety is not optional. Curiosity, play, and confidence are not luxuries—they are the foundation of learning.

The Belt Cane gives blind children access to all of these. It ensures that every child, regardless of vision, can move safely and freely—because safe mobility is the first step toward independence.