VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 3
Cane tips are another resource that we have been cultivating over the years.
We have successfully used the Dakota Disk Cane tip on hikes up mountain trails,
on sand and rocky beaches as well as on the snow and ice. The tip doesn't get
stuck in snow and readily picks up on the presence of ice through the produced
sounds and vibrations. Some older students prefer to switch their tips 'on demand'
depending on the terrain and length of time needed, whereas younger students tend
to keep a separate 'recess cane' hanging in their cubby during the winter for
outdoor use. We have a few older students who participate in an adult community
transition program who carry in their backpack an extra cane with the Dakota Disk
tip attached. They use the cane with the Dakota Disk navigating to and while on
public transportation but then switch to their everyday cane when they arrive at
their indoor community location. Carrying two canes eliminates having to switch
tips mid-trip and/or needing to fish that lost elastic loop out of the cane shaft.
Establishing partnerships with federal, state, local agencies and nonprofit
organizations has facilitated some unique experiences for our students, taught new
skills, put learned skills into real-life practice and fostered connections with
indigenous cultures and lands. During small group lessons our older students have
met with our city public transportation travel trainer, the city traffic engineer and
Mayor on White Cane Day, toured the Lions Club Industries employment program
on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, worked with staff at the Alaska Center for
