(describer) Imagination Storybooks by DCMP presents: "The Cane Kids: "Everett and Willow's Journey of Navigating Legal Blindness." Written by Kristen Lang, narrated by Erin Rieman and April Watts. Audio description narrated by Tristan Snyder and written by Bonnie Barlow. On the cover: An African-American girl, Willow, and a Caucasian boy, Everett, stand on a sidewalk and wave. They both carry white canes with red tips. She wears a pink shirt and light blue jeans. He wears an orange T-shirt and dark blue jeans. They stand in front of a park with a dirt path, green grass, and bushes. Tall city buildings stand against a light blue sky in the distance.

(Everett) Hi, my name is Everett.

(Willow) And my name is Willow.

(describer) An African-American teenage girl, Willow, and a Caucasian boy, Everett, hold white canes with red tips. Willow is taller than Everett, and her cane is longer than his. They each hold their cane with their dominant hand, about hip height, with the cane pointed in front of them a couple of feet, touching the ground. Willow wears a pink shirt, light blue jeans, and pink walking shoes. Everett wears an orange T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and tennis shoes.

(Willow) We are fun and happy kids.

(describer) Willow takes a selfie with her phone of herself and two other teenage girls in front of a sweets shop. The shop is decorated in bright colors of pink and yellow and large donuts on the sign. Her friends are Caucasian and Asian-American. They present big smiles as Willow snaps the picture.

(Willow) But there's something you should know.

(describer) Everett sits on the floor playing with several toys-- a tractor, a robotic transformer, and blocks. A basketball rests on the floor nearby.

(Everett) I have what's called "low vision," which makes some things hard to see.

(describer) Seated at a desk, Everett looks at a map that has thick lines showing the way from school to home.

(Everett) But when I know my way around, independent-- yep, that's me!

(describer) On a sunny day, Everett walks between a two-story, red-brick school building and neighborhood houses, using his cane held in front of him to make his way down the sidewalk. Willow sits at a desk working with a three-dimensional map with shapes protruding from the surface so she can feel circles, squiggly lines, stars, and hearts, and winds a red string through the objects, trying different pathways.

(Willow) I am what's called "completely blind." I cannot see at all. I use my skills and special tools to keep me safe from falls.

(describer) Willow is surrounded by a cell phone with a map on it with the audio function turned on; a spiral binder with Braille type on it, which are raised dots representing letters on the pages. There is also a Perkins Brailler, a kind of typewriter that has six buttons and a space bar that are pushed in different combinations to punch the letters onto thick paper so that the dots can be read with a blind person's fingers.

(Willow) These are long, white canes; they help us get around.

(describer) Everett and Willow stand together, holding their white canes. The canes have a strap on the handle to bind the cane when it is folded up, or to hang on a hook when not in use.

(Willow) They keep us safe and independent and help us find things on the ground.

(describer) Everett travels on a sidewalk with his cane detecting the curb to the street on his right as he stays on the sidewalk. Willow's cane taps against an 18-inch-high construction cone, alerting her to a hazard in her way so she can maneuver around it.

(Everett) We have learned the skills we need to travel much like you.

(describer) On a city square, with outdoor cafe seating and umbrellas on one side of him and a metal railing on the other, Everett sweeps his white cand along an arc in front of him, keeping him from running into any barriers or changes in terrain.

(Willow) Sometimes we sweep from left to right, but tapping can work too!

(describer) Willow taps her cane several times from right to left and left to right alternately in front of her, detecting obstacles and finding clear pathways through the city streets.

(Everett) At times, the stairs are scary and can look just like a slide.

(describer) Everett stands at the top of a long flight of steps going down. A banister divides the steps in the middle.

(Everett) But with my cane in front of me, I take them all in stride.

(describer) Everett smiles as he walks down the steps, sliding his left hand along the banister as a guide and using his cane in front of him on the right side, tapping to detect each step as he descends.

(Willow) Because I cannot see the path or where to place my feet...

(describer) Willow's brown hair is parted over her ears as she walks down a long sidewalk through a grassy area using her cane as her guide, detecting smooth areas and cracks or uplifted concrete that might cause a stumble.

(Willow) I use my cane and things I hear to help me cross the street.

(describer) Willow stops at a corner where bumps in the ramp of the concrete indicate the end of the curb and the beginning of the street. Light poles on each side of the street display a "walk" button at waist height. A sound is emitted as the light changes, and the display currently shows a green figure walking. Large, white lines mark the crosswalk. In a wooded area, Willow holds one arm above her head to detect low-hanging tree branches and uses the cane with her other hand, continuing to feel the path in front of her.

(Willow) When we are outside taking walks or running when we play...

(Everett) We must protect our heads and eyes from hazards in our way.

(describer) At a playground, children slide down a slide and ride bouncing balls around him as Everett holds his hand above his head and finds a ladder that leads to the platform above from which the slide extends.

(Willow) We are legally blind. Some things are hard-- it's true.

(describer) Everett and Willow have frowns on their faces and their eyebrows are drawn slightly together.

(Willow) But we always have to tell ourselves,

(both) "I can do hard things too!"

(describer) Everett and Willow wear big grins and throw their arms out wide. Young Everett imagines a scene in a thought bubble above his head. It is of himself as a tall man using his cane as he approaches a public transit train at a subway station.

(Everett) Some people think we'll never live or travel on our own.

(Willow) But with the skills and tools we've learned, we can when we are grown.

(describer) In a thought bubble above her head, Willow imagines a scene of her as a woman standing at an office at a conference table using a laser pointer as other women of color watch her presentation on a screen.

(Willow) Challenges arise for us; they happen every day.

(describer) Willow grimaces as she stands at a street corner where the red figure of a person on the light indicates no one can cross.

(Willow) We never ever say, "I can't." We say, "I can a different way!"

(describer) The figure on the light is green, indicating a person can walk across the street, and Willow holds a cell phone in her hand which emits an audio signal saying she can walk.

(Willow) We are just two kids like you in almost every way.

(describer) Willow lounges in her pink bedroom listening through headphones to music on her phone. Everett and a friend sit in beanbag chairs in front of a large screen and use controllers to play a video game. Willow and Everett hug each other, each holding their cane. Hearts float around the two friends.

(Willow) We are proud of who we are.

(Everett) And we'll shout it every day.

(describer) This has been: "The Cane Kids: "Everett and Willow's Journey of Navigating Legal Blindness." Written by Kristen Lang, narrated by Erin Rieman and April Watts. Audio description narrated by Tristan Snyder and written by Bonnie Barlow. This has been a production of Imagination Storybooks by DCMP. For more great accessible audiobooks, visit us online at ImaginationStorybooks.org.