The Need For A Visibility Cane

It's something most parents of young children have experienced, but it has become a bug bear of mine of late.
Other people and their attitude towards young children when you're out and about.

Supermarket shopping, walking in busy places, queueing...... places where there are plenty of people, who are busy, and want to get to where they're going, and if your child is in their way they tut, sigh, roll their eyes, or mutter.
It's, of course, not just young children that fall foul of this, and I know many, many people with a VI have had similar happen to them.

As W takes longer to 'see' things up close, and does not see from a distance, he can bump into people accidentally, or stand in their way, as they march towards their destination, and because he doesn't move out of their way with lightening speed, they feel their whole day has been ruined, and thus have to make sure he, and I know of this terrible trauma to themselves.
Yes I write that paragraph with a huge dose of sarcasm, but I have had enough of selfish, thoughtless people and their bad attitudes.

We were in the chemist recently, and were in a queue. W was talking away, (he doesn't stop chattering these days!), and the queue movement was stagnant for a fair while, which obviously caused the woman in front of us to become annoyed.
When it came to her being served, she was short and clipped with the assistant. When her prescription was handed to her, she snatched it, turned, saw W and I behind her (we were not close enough to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, or kiss her neck) and proceeded to barge at him. Barge. She could have walked to either side of us and the queue, but she decided to walk straight at us, or to be precise, W. I believe she thought W would jump out of her way. He didn't. He wasn't aware of her manner and expectation, and was still talking to me.
In the ensuing seconds of her turning and barging, she sent him flying backwards. He fell into the metal display shelves, banging his head, and crumpling to the floor crying.
She stood still, tutted, exclaimed "he should have moved then", and walked off.
Two assistants came round to help W. The queue stood there half shocked at her brazenly walking off after what she had just done to a child.
Cuddles, head checked out by the pharmacist, a promise of a bar of chocolate, and W seemed okay.
I got our prescription, and left as quick as possible.
Should I have pursued it further and had her stopped? Maybe. But it happened so quickly, and W was my priority. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I know this kind of incident is not common, but it did happen, and it was traumatic for W.

I sourced a white visibility cane for him soon after, and I have noticed the difference in many people's attitudes towards him.

When walking into or out of a shop door, in an aisle, stairs, buses, parks, etc, we get less bad attitudes, and instead receive a head nod type of acknowledgement (directed at me), and a half smile and head tilt (in W's direction). It really does make a difference to the way W is treated.
I purchased the cane from - RNIB Children's Visibility Cane

Posing with his visibility cane. Note the labradors behind him! One is just visible above him on the left side, the other is looking grumpily at the camera. Both sitting in their bed, waiting for the photo to be taken. 

W understands the cane is to help people understand he has special eyes, and that he needs a little more time in walking, negotiating new places, and being in busy places. He likes to hold the cane. I feel less anxious when he has it too. Less anxious, as people are kinder towards him, and have more patience.

As it's Wednesday, I'll add this in to the post. The NAD is in a few months.