The Cane is NOT a Crutch!
This week at Secure Living Online we officially released our new instructional DVD Cane-Fu: Moving Beyond Disabilities. The DVD documents part of our self-defense program for people with disabilities. It covers self-defense techniques for wheelchair users, people who use a cane due to poor standing balance, people with only one-functional arm, and more.
Learn more by reading our national press release here.
See it on Amazon.com here.
Our self-defense program/seminar for people with disabilities has been covered by several media organizations. Below is a segment from WKTV is Central New York:
This week at Secure Living Online we officially released our new instructional DVD Cane-Fu: Moving Beyond Disabilities. The DVD documents part of our self-defense program for people with disabilities. It covers self-defense techniques for wheelchair users, people who use a cane due to poor standing balance, people with only one-functional arm, and more.
Learn more by reading our national press release here.
See it on Amazon.com here.
Our self-defense program/seminar for people with disabilities has been covered by several media organizations. Below is a segment from WKTV is Central New York:
A 2009 US Department of Justice investigation determined that non-fatal violent crimes were 1½ times more frequent against people with disabilities. If you are temporarily “able-bodied,” it may be difficult to truly understand what life is like for people living with a disability, but nearly all of us will experience one during our lives. Injury-related disabilities, aging, chronic diseases, or developmental disabilities will not exempt you from an assault. Self-defense training that ignores these situations restricts your ability to respond effectively. Ignorance is not bliss; it is dangerous. Learning “reduced mobility” self-defense is the difference between being able to protect yourself and becoming a victim.
In the wild, predators attack the easiest prey. Human predators are the same. They seek to exploit a person’s diminished range of motion, viewing them as an “easy” target. This reality may appear bleak, but you can level the playing field.One assistive device can make all the difference—a cane.
What makes the cane so useful? It can be carried anywhere in the United States (and most of the world) legally. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act. This legislation allows anyone to carry a cane on the street, in a courthouse, or on an airplane. It must be a wooden cane or metal medical support cane and not one with a concealed knife or sword. So called gadget canes are not necessarily legal and are best left for collectors. The legality of the cane means it is always in your hand and ready to support you.
Do you need to have an injury or reduced mobility to carry a cane? No. Anyone can carry cane. The cane is stigmatized as a crutch for the elderly. This is an unfortunate prejudice. You can carry a cane when you go hiking, for a walk, when you travel out of town, in short, everywhere. You may need it for added support, or you may simply wish to carry it for personal security. In future articles we will discuss types of canes, parts of the cane, basic self-defense techniques, and legal issues. Please understand, we are not attorneys, and if you want legal advice you should consult one in your area who knows your State and County laws.
One group of people who can carry a cane, but who are often overlooked, are paraplegics. Being a wheelchair user does not mean you cannot benefit from carrying a cane. Cane clips are commercially available which will secure your cane to the front frame of your wheelchair similar to a clip holding a broom in a closet. These put your cane at hand, accessible, but out of your way. If approached by a potential assailant, you simply need to reach forward and take hold of your cane, liberating it from its clip and putting it into action.
We will cover some techniques and tips for wheelchair users in future articles, as well. Our point today is to get you thinking about the cane in a new light, to see it not as a sign of disability but as a powerful tool that enhances your capabilities. There are things you can do to defend yourself. Knowing some of your possibilities will empower you. It will make you feel safer in a constantly changing world. It will allow you to take control over another area of your life, and it will make you feel more self-confident.
We look forward to sharing more information about cane self-defense with you. Be safe.
