Hoople (mobility aid)
Encyclopedia
A Hoople is a hoop-shaped mobility aid used by some blind
and visually impaired
people, and was designed to help them navigate their way over rough terrain or in a rural environment. It performs a similar role to a white cane
, but is designed for use in conditions where using a white cane can be difficult, for example, in snow or on sand. It can also be used by young children as a pre-cane aid or by people with arthritis and other medical conditions which would make the use of a traditional cane difficult. Because the Hoople is moved along the ground rather than being moved from side to side like a cane the user can also detect any obstructions more easily. The Hoople was invented in the early 1990s by Clive Ellis and Tony Larkin
, two lecturers at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford
, United Kingdom
.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and visually impaired
Visual impairment
Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...
people, and was designed to help them navigate their way over rough terrain or in a rural environment. It performs a similar role to a white cane
White cane
A white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...
, but is designed for use in conditions where using a white cane can be difficult, for example, in snow or on sand. It can also be used by young children as a pre-cane aid or by people with arthritis and other medical conditions which would make the use of a traditional cane difficult. Because the Hoople is moved along the ground rather than being moved from side to side like a cane the user can also detect any obstructions more easily. The Hoople was invented in the early 1990s by Clive Ellis and Tony Larkin
Tony Larkin
Anthony Gerard "Tony" Larkin is a former English professional footballer and the current manager and coach of the England blind football team, which is based at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford...
, two lecturers at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
See also
- BlindnessBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
- Guide dogGuide dogGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
- Guide horseGuide horseA guide horse is an experimental mobility option for blind people who do not wish to or cannot use a guide dog. They are provided by The Guide Horse Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide miniature horses as assistance animals to blind users living in rural environments.There are several perceived...
- Assistive cane
- White Cane Safety DayWhite Cane Safety Daythumb|upright|A long white cane, the symbol of White Cane Safety DayWhite Cane Safety Day is a national observance in the United States, celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964...