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West Point Cadet Mary Claire Schleck will be presenting "Revisiting the Role of the White Cane for Congenitally Blind Children" at the 2025 Cogan Ophthalmic History Society. This short talk (abstract below) will be an historical look at life for congenitally blind children before and after the invention of the Safe Toddles Pediatric Belt Cane.

Dr. Bob “Enz” Enzenauer is host of this year's Cogan Institute and he is also the Chair of Safe Toddles Medical Advisory Committee. Dr. Enz is a renown pediatric ophthalmologist who has become an important advocate of the Pediatric Belt Cane. We are grateful for his leadership in getting the word out to the medical community.

This is an incredibly important audience with which to discuss the medical necessity of safe mobility for children with congenital blindness. For more information go to: https://www.cogansociety.org/ or use the QR code below.

Cogan Ophthalmic History Society Abstract

This presentation aims to highlight the oversight in patient care that has consistently disadvantaged those with a congenital Mobility Visual Impairment or Blindness (MVI/B). MVI/B is a vision impairment that prevents visual anticipatory control and makes walking inherently dangerous. In the 20th century, tools designed to reduce the danger of blind walking, the dog guide (1932) and the long cane (1945) were both invented for newly blinded war heroes. The Germans were the first to repurpose their WWI war dogs into guide dogs for veterans. The US repurposed army surplus to create the long cane for their blinded WWII vets.

In the 1950s the reality of the Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) epidemic became unavoidable. Parents insisted their blind children attend their local public schools and an explosion in academic publications began to expose the large gap between the skills of sighted and blind children. In the 1960s, Orientation & Mobility (O&M) demonstration projects in high schools determined children with a congenital MVI/B were not able to independently travel and did not possess the skills to learn how to use a long cane or a dog guide. Despite the findings, no new assistive safety devices were invented. The question becomes, why? If it is unsafe for a blinded war hero to walk independently, is it not equally unsafe for a blind baby?

White Cane Day established in 1964 champions the long cane as a symbol of autonomy and empowerment for individuals with a MVI/B. Yet, the complexity of using a long white cane routinely causes it to fail more blind people than it helps. In response to this oversight, Dr. Ambrose-Zaken, daughter of renowned WWII historian Stephen E. Ambrose, invented the Pediatric Belt Cane in 2014. The Pediatric Belt Cane is an assistive safety device for congenital MVI/B. Its lightweight rectangular frame attaches to a belt with magnets. Since Dr. Enzenauer attended Dr. Ambrose-Zaken’s motor research panel at Low Vision 2023, he has helped to bring this medically necessary tool to the awareness of fellow Pediatric Ophthalmologists and patients. In 2024, the American Academy of Pediatrics Uniformed Services Section recognized their work on improved gait outcomes in children with a cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI).

In summary, this lecture will provide a historical review of the oversight in care for children with a congenital MVI/B and address this gap by presenting the medical necessity of assistive safety devices for congenital MVI/B.