2007.33.27

SITE long cane

Rainshine Umbrella Company

White rigid fiberglass long cane; white synthetic rubber straight handle with integral hanging loop; shaft tapers from 7/16" at grip to 5/16" at tip; conical black plastic fitting glued over end of cane with nickel plated steel glide tip assembly; molded into handle, "SITE CANE-RAINSHINE CO./Kansas City, Mo. 64113".

H-43.75 Dia-1 inches

ca. 1960

Rainshine Company

Kansas City, MO

The Rainshine Umbrella Company in Topeka, KS. was an umbrella manufacturer as early as 1919. Around 1960, the company introduced a fiberglass long cane, a modification of their standard umbrella handle. Internet sources suggest that the SITE cane was the direct predecessor to the NFB fiberglass straight cane. The glide tip was introduced by the American Foundation for the Blind on its canes in 1948.

Gift of Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired