Red and white canes

If you see a person with a completely white cane, this will usually mean they are blind, or visually impaired. Pedestrians with a red and white striped cane however, are deafblind (with both sight and hearing impairments).

Daphne is a Deafblind UK member and uses a red and white cane while out and about in her local area. “I’ve had a few near misses when cars beep at me, assuming I can hear them,” she said. “I will always stop and tell people, younger people especially, what my red and white cane means and I hope they will pass it on.”

Many people who are deafblind choose to use a cane to help them navigate obstacles while out and about, as well as to let other people know that they are deafblind and may need a bit more time to make decisions and movements, particularly if they are not familiar with their surroundings.

Some older deafblind people that have additional mobility complications will use a standard walking cane that they have adapted with red and white tape because it fits their additional needs. While there are a few varieties of cane, there are two main lengths that a person with sensory loss may use:

  • A full length cane is the most common, and used as a mobility aid
  • A symbol cane is much shorter and is held close to the body to tell other people that you are deafblind

If you’re a driver and see a pedestrian with a red and white cane, please remember that they may not be able to hear you, so simply beeping your car horn at them won’t necessarily alert them to your presence. A deafblind person may also cross a road at a slower pace; this is for their own safety so please be patient.

All road users are legally required to be aware of the Highway Code – and you can find an entire section on particularly vulnerable road users (including deafblind people) on the website – click here.


 

Get in touch to find out more

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get Support

Get Support If you need help, advice, information or just a friendly chat, we are here. We offer practical support…

Find out more

Let’s keep in touch!

Join our mailing list and we will keep you up to date about our projects and opportunities to get involved with Deafblind UK.

Open Hand Magazine

Open Hand is our free, quarterly magazine containing articles and information that are tailored specifically to people with dual sensory loss.

There are very few publications designed for this specific market and so Open Hand gives its readers valuable information that they may not otherwise have known and reminds readers about Deafblind UK’s support services.

Prefer to talk?

Call us on 0800 132320 or text us 07903572885
Monday – Thursday 9.00am – 5.00pm and Fridays 9.00am – 4.00pm

Join our mailing list for regular updates

We would love to keep in touch with you to keep you up to date about our work.