Yes You Cane Travel

10/31/2024

Canes in Columbia

Community members in the cities of Garson and San Augustine thank You Cane Give Initiative for their white canes that were donated by blind people in the United States.

Yes You Cane Travel!

10/27/2024

Canes and capacity building in Columbia.

I am currently eight days into a two week trip to this beautiful country to distribute white canes and train local communities. Meeting many wonderful people and eating plenty of delicious local food. the trip is organized through You Cane Give Initiative and our partner, Fundación Expresarte. It began by spending two days in the city of Ibague follow by two days in Neiva then a day in each of the smaller cities La Plata and Garson. Visiting more communities soon.

The day-long events are hosted by the municipalities and nonprofit organizations in the region. At each location, we hand out white canes to blind people who may not have had one before. A total of 180 canes will be given out by the end. I also guided discussions about blindness and strategies for how the blind, their family and friends can promote independence and confidence. In Neiva, I facilitated a conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum with faculty and graduate students at the University of Southern Colombia. there were also two half-day professional development trainings for special educators on more inclusive ways to work with the BLIND.

Lots of great ideas were shared and it was wonderful to see people learning from each other. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. I look forward to my next visit! 

06/30/2024

I am now in Richmond, Virginia teaching orientation and mobility as a staff member at the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. It’s a four-month full-time assignment through the end of September.


The training center asked me to help with their summer programs for high school students in July and seniors in August. Then another month in September when their adult program begins again (ages from post high school to retirement).



In addition to teaching white cane travel, I mentor students on accepting their blindness and believing in themselves. Together we practice day-to-day life skills and build confidence through fun activities like white water rafting and rock climbing!



You can live the life you want by learning how to do certain thigs a bit differently. You got this!



Yes You Cane Travel! 🧑‍🦯

06/24/2024

Students learn how to travel independently in a variety of unfamiliar settings. You will practice non-visual techniques that are transferrable to anywhere you may want to go, whether urban or rural, around your neighborhood or in another country, or for work or pleasure. Each lesson is personalized to your interests and goals. We work as a team. We explore together. My role is to guide you through new experiences to build your skills and confidence in your abilities. We also have fun in each class! In this photo, my student and I travel on the sidewalk of a city Street.

Yes You Cane Travel, LLC
Marc Companion, M.A., M.S., NOMC

06/12/2024

Thank you, CCB!

Here are my students at the Colorado Center for the Blind sending me off on my last day of teaching after a two month assignment. Lots of great memories and rewarding experiences helping students build their confidence as white cane travelers.

Each student has about eight hours of travel class each week. Their progression through the curriculum starts with learning the foundations of proper cane technique and often culminates with completing one or more “drop routes” by themselves. For the drop route, the blindfolded student is driven to an unknown and unfamiliar location (typically one to two miles away) and told to get out of the car and find their way back to the training center on their own. The exercise is a confidence-builder by showing them how advanced their non-visual cane travel skills have become. They are now ready to independently go almost anywhere life takes them.

YES, YOU CANE TRAVEL, TOO!

04/17/2024

Friends and partners help us get unused white canes from the US ready to send to appreciative blind people all over the world. 

Thanks to these 2 great friends who gave of their Sunday afternoon to spend a couple hours helping restore straight canes for canes going to Columbia this summer! Go to www.youcanegive.org to see how you can send your cane or make a donation to help us equip the blind! At YouCaneGive.org, you can also go to our Kustom Cane store and buy any of your cane supplies or get a cane customized, all profits going to support other blind people around the world!

04/17/2024

Sending white canes around the world. Check out the awesome new website of this organization that I am involved with. 

Company specializing in customized canes for the blind.

04/05/2024

Join me for a brief presentation and discussion about some of my work around the world! Looking forward to seeing you there.

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Cane Travel Programming Overseas.

Monday, April 8, 2024
7:00 PM Eastern time

Hosted by the Orientation and Mobility Specialists Association (OMSA)
usOMSA.org

Join Marc Companion to learn about and discuss how refurbished white canes are getting into the hands of blind and visually impaired people around the world. What is the supply chain here in the US to collect used canes and put them back in service? Once recipients in other countries receive their cane, how can we support the trainers and parents who will be the support network to encourage consistent and good cane travel techniques? How do we begin to discuss within local cultures ways to help blind travelers feel more confident and build their skills?

This presentation will begin with an overview of Marc’s work internationally, and the latest projects he has been involved with in places like South Africa, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Tanzania and Columbia. This includes a summary of a recent trip in October to Cape Town, South Africa with two other orientation and mobility instructors. We will then have a group discussion to brainstorm ideas on how to improve cane travel programming around the world and how other partners can help.

Cane travel programming overseas! Join Marc Companion to learn about and discuss how refurbished white canes are getting into the hands of blind and visually impaired people overseas. What is the supply chain here in the US to collect canes and put them back in service? Once recipients overseas rece...

03/19/2024

I have begun a two month assignment teaching cane travel at the Colorado Center for the Blind. It’s great to be helping students learn how to travel in complex environments and confidently explore Denver. Very excited to be here!

Focused, intense training in cane travel will transform an apprehensive, timid student into a confident traveler capable of going anywhere. We welcome dog guide