Metal Glide Cane Tips (USA)

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from National Museum of American History as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

For the blind or those with low vision, a white cane is a simple yet sophisticated means for observing and traversing terrain. The primary information exchange takes place at the tip, where the cane meets the ground. The hand–cane connection is secondary, merely extending the hand to where interactions take place. Once the person is moving, feedback from the tip is essential for ascertaining what is unfolding underfoot, so the condition of the tip matters. Tips—like shoe soles or car tires—wear down and have to be replaced. The metal bottom falls off, the rubber disintegrates. If a person uses a roller-ball tip, the plastic gets nicked and worn. The old tip unscrews to make way for the new.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.