Carrying a cane but not needing it

[glistam]

Not so much a myth as improperly stated.

You can't be denied access to a place that is open to the public because of an assistive item, like a service dog or a cane or wheelchair. The proprietor is also not permitted to force you to divulge private medical information about yourself as a condition of entry or usage. Similarly, a police officer or guard cannot demand you disclose why you need a cane. You can be asked if the item is needed because of a disability, just not what the disability is. Mind you, when a person violates this law by denying you access, it's a civil matter, not a criminal one where you can call 911 and have them arrested. You'd have to sue them for denying you access or demanding medical information as a condition of entry. You can also inform the employee's superiors (if there are any) of their behavior.

That's as far as it goes. People asking you why you have a cane merely for curiosity falls outside the scope of these legal protections. It's rude, especially if they don't know you, but not illegal.

 

[beatledog7]

OK, I'm thoroughly persuaded I need a carry cane. Getting close to placing an order:

Cane Masters Boomer--which wood would guy guys select? Leaning toward hickory with heartwood, love the variations in the grain.

 

[hso]

You may want to get a hickory livestock cane and mod it if you want to save $40 to get into carrying a cane.

 

[Naybor]

I recommend hickory.
Check out hickory livestock canes at Tractor's Supply or other farm store. $12 - $15.

Tough!!!!!! Cut to fit. (Measure from your wristwatch to the ground. Add an inch. Cut ~ replace tip.)

Edit: Sorry, HSO, didn't notice your post.

 

[Owen Sparks]

As far as I know, canes are legal everywhere even if you do not have a disability.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Caveat when flying: TSA gets a lot of leeway, and even if you are legally right, the fight may not be worth it.

 

[hso]

Madcap Magician,

We've discussed TSA and canes several times and all of us that carry a cane through airports and TSA checkpoints that have bothered to recount the experiences have uniformly reported no problem. None. Nada. Zilch.

As long as you're carrying a simple cane without any goofy gun/knife/spike/shock modifications you're not going to have any problem getting through TSA. Heck, they don't even raise an eyebrow about my ultimate umbrella and it has gone through a dozen trips without a hitch and I bet your's will too.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I sure hope so, Hso. I know the cane is on unimpeachable legal grounds, and that even if I was pressed about it, I could come up with a dozen perfectly good reasons why I needed a cane, but I've seen too many videos of TSA screeners doing outrageous things that are illegal or against policy to want to do anything at all that raises any more questions.

I figured the Ultimate Umbrella would fly through without a hitch, but I always wondered if part of the reason was because everybody uses an umbrella at some point, and the Ultimate Umbrella does not appear any different at all from any other golf umbrella.

Whereas a Cane Masters or other martial arts cane has visible differences in appearance from the more typical assistive device.

I guess what I mean to say is that if you threw my Ultimate Umbrella into a pile of the umbrellas from everyone standing in the security checkpoint line with me, it wouldn't stick out at all.

But if you threw a Cane Masters cane (even the relatively plain ones, much less the goofy ones with serrations and sharpened points) into a pile of all the canes in use by the people in line with me, it wouldn't be too hard to play "One of these things is not like the others..."

 

[michaelbsc]

Caveat when flying: TSA gets a lot of leeway, and even if you are legally right, the fight may not be worth it.

I'm old enough to limp.

 

[Ogreon]

I sure hope so, Hso. I know the cane is on unimpeachable legal grounds, and that even if I was pressed about it, I could come up with a dozen perfectly good reasons why I needed a cane, but I've seen too many videos of TSA screeners doing outrageous things that are illegal or against policy to want to do anything at all that raises any more questions.

They can take my fingernail clippers or my toothpick and tell me to trundle on. If they take my cane, I am going nowhere.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

The TSA will be sued sooner or later by someone !

 

[bikerdoc]

I think a class action might be the way to go.

 

[Owen Sparks]

You do not have to have a good reason or prescription to carry a cane in the US. Besides, they are legal everywhere. You do not need a reason, even if you are young, even if you are in good shape.

 

[hso]

The TSA will be sued sooner or later by someone !

Unless they were generally acting like ADA didn't exist they're not going to be subject to a lawsuit. I fly a lot and they have a cane at the arch for you to use and I've seen them help people through so you're not going to get anything to stick in that regard.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good to know because I have not flown since rigth before 911 and don't plan on it because of the stupid rules Bush allowed them to pass.

 

[Naybor]

Found a picture of a few types of canes:

http://www.walkingcanedepot.com/p_image/NoveltyCanes.jpg

My cane is the type on the far right.

 

[Ogreon]

Unless they were generally acting like ADA didn't exist they're not going to be subject to a lawsuit. I fly a lot and they have a cane at the arch for you to use and I've seen them help people through so you're not going to get anything to stick in that regard.

Yeah, I've seen a number of stories complaining about TSA, but never....
"Paraplegic tossed from wheelchair"; "Cripple forced to crawl to airplane".

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Yeah, turns out it was not a big deal. I took both my Canemasters and my Unbreakable Umbrella through, and the only thing TSA said was to please put them on the x-ray conveyer separately, and did I need help walking through the scanner without my cane? Good deal. I was quite pleased with their professionalism on this round.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good to hear.

 

[beatledog7]

I ordered my Cane Masters cane and expect it to arrive in a few days.

As I said when I started the thread, I don't require a cane on a regular basis. I will have one with me much of the time, though, once I have mine and practice with it. It should not have taken me so long to conclude that carrying cane is a reasonable alternative to other less universally welcome defensive measures.

 

[saltydog452]

My bride and I have military brats scattered about and we travel out of country and have visited Mickey and Minnie in the Magic Kingdom twice..with Grand-Kids and lots of Asprin later.

I have a 'script from our Primary Care Doc that says, more or less, that walking assistance is occasionaly needful. That is paper clipped to our passports. As yet, it hasn't been needed.

We do get to board planes a bit earlier and don't have to squabble with fellow passengers who hog the overhead carry-on bins.

Functional crooks and bends on the end of the stick seem, to me, have more utility value than lumpy knobs.

salty

 

[beatledog7]

I agree, Salty. That hook is a major effect-maker and a large part of the reason I decided to carry a cane.

 

[dprice3844444]

cold steel makes some nice blackthorn http://www.coldsteel.com/irishblackthorn.html

 

[hso]

No, they make nice plastic that looks like blackthorn. Real blackthorn doesn't make an ideal defensive cane because of the surface being hard on the hands.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have well pleased with my ColdSteel Blackthorn cane it great for bad weather.