A Seamless Approach to Transitioning Cane Skills from the Diagonal to the Two-Point Touch Technique

The profession of orientation and mobility (OM Jacobson, 1993; LaGrow & Long, 2011; LaGrow & Weesies, 1994), strategies for teaching OM Fazzi & Naimy, 2010; Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010; Skellinger & Sapp, 2010; Welsh, 2010), rationales, and appropriate settings (Hill & Ponder, 1976; Jacobson, 1993; LaGrow & Weesies, 1994; LaGrow & Long, 2011). These strategies and techniques are also addressed in many university preparation programs. All the foregoing authorities have done an excellent job of using task analysis to describe specific cane techniques, and some have even offered suggested sequences for introducing skills and presented teaching strategies. However, there is an apparent paucity of information on specific activities that are necessary to "connect the dots" for practitioners that make sense to students and that provide a nearly seamless transition from what has been learned previously to what needs to be learned. Such information may be provided by practitioners who have determined from their experience what works best with students who are blind. A case in point is the two-point touch technique (Hill & Ponder, 1976; Jacobson, 1993; Knott, 2002; LaGrow & Long, 2011; LaGrow & Weesies, 1994). All agree that there are essentially seven components to this primary mobility skill for travel in familiar and unfamiliar environments. These components are: the position of the cane (at the midline), the index finger down the flat side of the grip, wrist action (flexion, extension, and hyperextension), the height of the arc (no more than 1.5 inches off the surface at the apex of the arc), the width of the arc (approximately 1 inch beyond the widest parts of the student's body), rhythm (the cane taps the surface each time either of the student's heels touches the surface), and staying in step (the cane taps on the opposite side of the foot touching the surface). Note that Pogrund et al. (2000) identified nine components for the same skill by separating the arm position and the hand position and adding an additional component "in-step correction" (that is, skipping or tapping the cane twice on the same side to get back in step, while Knott (2002) identified only six steps. However, differences between these techniques are descriptive rather than substantive. I have frequently observed that if the skill set known as the two-point touch technique is taught as a whole, both the student and the instructor are often frustrated. Such attempts are characterized by constant verbal corrections--for example, "arc left, arc right, get in step, arc right, cane at the midline, not enough coverage on your right, your arc is too high, you're out of step," ad nauseam! As a solution, when using this strategy, the instructor is advised to introduce the components one step at a time, starting with the diagonal technique. It should be emphasized that the following is just one strategy, not the only strategy, for teaching the two-point touch technique, and, as a professional, the instructor has every right to make modifications that he or she deems appropriate for the individual student who is blind. The diagonal technique is usually the first independent cane technique that is taught to students. Succinctly, it serves the purpose of being a bumper that is far more effective than the lower hand and forearm protective technique, and can be used to trail vertical surfaces for alignment and to locate doors and intersecting hallways. In addition, this technique is extremely easy to teach, easy to learn, and infinitely functional for familiar indoor environments where there is no danger of drop-offs or stairs, and may used to make the transition easily and seamlessly to the two-point touch technique. …