# White Sticks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 17, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026 "2005-03-17T18:51:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026/1 "2005-03-17T18:51:41Z")

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Is there another term for the white sticks blind people use to aid navigation? I have also heard them referred to as “Symbol Canes” but seem to remember there being another word for them but can’t for the life of me remember what it is.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026/2 "2005-03-17T19:07:24Z")

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The blind people I’ve known just called them canes.

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**Author:** ![mattmorgan64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@mattmorgan64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattmorgan64)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026/3 "2005-03-17T19:39:56Z")

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Seeing eye dogs?

(Ones that have been dead for a really long time)

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**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-sticks/295026/4 "2005-03-17T19:52:57Z")

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ID cane (or identifier cane) is a term that is sometimes used.