This film is part of the John Murray collection and was produced by the Yorkshire Film Company for the Midlands Mobility Project. They wanted to highlight how longer canes allow better mobility and safety for blind people when out in public. Title-Midlands Mobility Productions present Title-The Long Cane Title-Camera, John Murray Title-Direction, Keith Hardy The film opens with shots of a man's legs walking along a path. The voiceover says that nobody walking behind this man would think...

This film is part of the John Murray collection and was produced by the Yorkshire Film Company for the Midlands Mobility Project. They wanted to highlight how longer canes allow better mobility and safety for blind people when out in public. Title-Midlands Mobility Productions present Title-The Long Cane Title-Camera, John Murray Title-Direction, Keith Hardy The film opens with shots of a man's legs walking along a path. The voiceover says that nobody walking behind this man would think that he was blind. He continues on to say that Walter Thornton walks confidently due to the use of his long cane, and there are shots of the man walking through a park and smiling as he uses his cane to feel ahead of him. The voiceover says that the idea for the cane was first suggested as long ago as 1872 but it wasn't until after the Second World War in Pennsylvania that it really became a useful tool. There are shots of a man in a gym hall who takes a white cane off a rack containing other canes. The voiceover says that he is American corrective therapist Stan Suterko, who is on a one year loan to the Midlands Mobility Centre, from the University of Western Virginia. He is there to teach blind people the skills and confidence necessary when using a long cane. He hands the cane to a teenage girl called Mavis and she begins to slowly walk across the hall. It is her first lesson and he teaches her how to sweep the stick back and forth across the ground, so that the person will be aware of obstacles before they crash into them. The following scene opens with Walter who is now walking along a residential road which he says is quite familiar to him. He says that he can hear construction work being carried out and shows us how he negotiates his way around the mud, cars and holes in the ground. The voiceover describes how Walter makes his way along busy streets full of people by shortening his grip on the cane. He then makes his way to a train station, goes carefully down the steps and sweeps the cane from side to side until he can feel the edge of the platform. He then feels his braille watch and carefully gets onto the train. The voiceover says that with good training and the use of the long cane, blind people can walk about on their own with more confidence. The next person that is mentioned is an 80 year old man called Arthur who was blinded in World War I and who recently learned how to use a long cane. There are shots of him leaving his house, walking down the street, AND across the road, with the help of a passer-by. He enters a local shop. Hillary Greenhill was one of the first people to undergo the training at the Midlands Mobility Clinic and she explains how it has given her so much freedom. The voiceover talks about how she copes with everyday life and this is followed by shots of her out and about. The film returns to Mavis who is now out on the street with Stan who is teaching her how to manage when out in public. Following this is Walter talking to the camera about the reasons for setting up the Midlands Mobility Clinic and what great confidence and freedom the cane gives people. Title-Commentator, Alan Sykes Title-Technical advisors, Stan Suterko, Walter Thornton Title-Acknowledgments, the Viscount Nuffield Auxillary Fund, the W. A Cadbury Trust Title-A Yorkshire Film Company Production Title-The End.