Strong Voices, Bright Futures
Wyoming Council of the Blind Convention 2025, September 27, 2025
Speakers Jim Hoxie and Joanna Jones
Grandpa's White Cane
JOANNA: Thank you for inviting us to speak at this convention. We will be discussing our book Grandpa's White Cane, which addresses the importance of the tall white cane and the confidence, independence, and safety it can provide to the user.
I am a retired teacher and a children's picture book author. Jim and I are co-authors of Grandpa's White Cane. Jim, Tell us about your background.
JIM: I am Jim Hoxie and I am legally blind. I am married to my beautiful wife Linda. We have two grown children. And I am a retired forester.
JOANNA: Tell us what was the cause of your vision loss.
JIM: In 2001, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, which is high pressure in the eyes. My vision gradually worsened over the next twelve years when I received the “legally blind” diagnosis.
JOANNA: Jim, in the rural area where we live, there are few mentors for blind people. So talk about your need for professional Orientation and Mobility training. How you were challenged?
JIM: I was referred to the Hines VA Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in the Chicago area. I was there for six weeks of one-on-one training. My Orientation and Mobility training helped me learn about the tall white cane and how to cross streets safely. I told my instructor that people in Spearfish were not familiar with the tall white cane and did not know how to respond to me. My instructor challenged me to go back to Spearfish and go into third grade classrooms to teach the children about the meaning of the tall white cane and the safety rules to help people who are blind.
JOANNA: Now this is where I came into the story for education. Jim told me about walking with his tall white cane and an incident about crossing the street. I am describing the picture on page 13 in the book. Just as Jim steps into the street, a car flies by him nearly hitting the cane and setting Jim off balance as he backed up to get out of the way.
As a retired teacher, I told Jim we needed to do something about that event. I researched tall white canes and found October 15 was to be a national day of observance for White Canes. I was amazed. With 40 years of teaching and I had never heard of White Cane Day.
I approached my third grade teacher friend and our education of the sighted community began with a “Yes, Jim can share about the tall white cane with my students.” So how did it go, Jim?
JIM: From a forester to a public speaker was quite the culture shock for me. But with the help of my retired teacher friends, it has become the most requested presentation in the school.
JOANNA: We recognized that the students wanted the same experiences Jim was having with the cane. The picture on page 21 shows Jim leading a group of children with white canes from the classroom into the hallway. You made those canes for the students, didn't you?
JIM: I made 15 canes of wooden dowels. I painted them to look just like mine, a red tip and a black handle. Half way through the lesson, I would have half the students follow me down the hall. The other half would work with my assistant reviewing the do's and don'ts for helping blind people.
The students with the tall white canes would be listening to the sounds around them. With the cane, they would tap the trashcan, floor and other obstacles. The students recognized that my cane would reach the obstacle before me and I would stop and find a way around it.
JOANNA: But Jim didn't have just one tactial object for the students to see. What else did you bring into the classroom, Jim?
JIM: I shared with the students my talking book tape machine, my talking watch, and my talking clock. These objects talk to me, but a simple handshake can be very hard. I don't know when a person sticks out their hand because they want me to join them in a handshake. I need to hear them say, “I am extending my hand to you.”
JOANNA: So at the end of the second year of presenting in the classroom, Jim and I decided to put the information into a book that would be available to educate the public about what the white cane means and how it helps the visually impaired people all over the world. The book has reached people all over the United States, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Japan, Luxemborg, and Mexico.
In school year 2023-2024, we reached1500 students in 80 classrooms, and doubled the number of presentations in school year 2024-2025 to reach 3000 students. Additional presentations to adults in clubs, organizations, senior centers, and conferences have allowed us to reach about 5,000 adults. To date, we know that the book has been shared in 33 states and 10 foreign countries.
JIM: We sent a book to Ricky Enger of Hadley Helps. Ricky called me and asked if we would be available to do an author interview. From that interview we received several inquiries about doing the school presentations. We were willing to help others get started to make their own communities safer by doing school presentations.
I found that blind people wanted to be in the conversations. Often they did not find support groups for the blind and low vision in their community. That is partly because of the low number of people in the state, and the blind are not included or invited as often as the sighted community. Finding online groups for conversations were very useful like those with the American Council of the Blind.
JOANNA: Jim, you have presented to the third grade classes at Creekside Elementary, in Spearfish, for the past 8 years. Has it made a difference in our community?
JIM: There has been a big improvement. When the students are passing me on the bike path by Spearfish Creek, they are now saying, “Passing on your left.” That helps me step out of the way and I say, “Oh, thank you.” The students know what my tall white cane means. I feel more confident, safe, and independent now. I no longer need a human guide everywhere I go. Places like the path along the creek, I can travel alone. It feels so good to be on my own.
JOANNA: Educating others hasn't stopped at the classroom door or on the bike path along Spearfish Creek. For nearly two years, we have been mentoring Lions Club members about taking this book into the classroom. A team, consisting of a sighted indivdual and a blind or low vision individual, do the same things we do. Jim, what do you think of the team work?
JIM: It's important to be an advocate for blind and low vision individuals. The blind guy tells his story and the sighted guide helps to describe what the children are doing in the classroom. I can't even see if the student in front of me is a boy or a girl, not to mention I don't know what color shirt most of them have on.
At the American Legion, Linda, my wife, had to help me when the participants had their hands raised to answer my questions. I could not see any of their hands. It was a learning moment for all of us.
Jim Palomarez, President of the Yakima Valley Council of the Blind in Washington state, as soon as he heard about the classroom presentations, he was out there sharing with the students.
JOANNA: In communities where the book has been shared, the sighted community has positively changed how they respond to someone with a white cane.
In July 2024, we presented at the ACB national convention. You may have heard us sharing with Andy and Colette Arvidson from Washington state. Jim and I are always looking for ways to get our story out! Take every speaking opportunity you can. The sighted community doesn't know your needs.
Jim, tell them about speaking with your church members earlier this year. They saw you weekly and still didn't know your needs.
JIM: I was invited to tell my story and at the end of my speaking time, I asked people to practice telling me who they are when they came up to greet me. It worked well but we have many times of reminding one another of our needs.
JOANNA: Jim will receive two awards in the next couple of weeks are the Champion of Independent Living Services Award on September 30 from the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) in South Dakota, and the 2025 Award for an Outstanding Individual with a Disability for SD to be presented on October 8 by the Governor.
CONGRATULATIONS, JIM We applaud you! APPLAUSE