Before the pandemic, I flew to Toronto on a reporting trip.

And after we landed, I waited in the long, snaking line through customs.

And when I finally got there to the front of the line, I saw the customs agent wave me over

and he asked me the stock question, what is the purpose of your visit to Toronto?

And I told him I'm a journalist, I'm here covering a story.

And then there was a pause and I saw his eyes fall down to my white cane.

My name is Andrew Leland, I'm a writer, audio producer and a contributor to the New York Times

magazine. I wrote an article about a protest over a TV show that's called In the Dark.

The protest, which had been organized by the National Federation of the Blind,

was over the hiring of a sighted actress to play a blind character in the show.

I use a cane because of a degenerative retinal condition I have called RP,

or Retinitis Pigmentosa. I was diagnosed with it when I was a teenager, about 20 years ago,

and I've been gradually losing my sight ever since. And the thing that's awkward and

messes with my head is walking in public with the cane and then doing things like using my smartphone

or seeing when the walk sign changes, that experience of people seeing me and not knowing what to think,

because my sight's not entirely gone yet. I can see my passport as the customs agent hands it back

to me. I can see that the baggage claim is down a hallway to my right, and I can see the bright red

tag on my suitcase as it makes its way around the carousel. It's when I swing my cane and wide

arcs as I head to the taxi line that, yes, I might appear totally blind to someone.

So thinking back to the customs agent, maybe he was thinking, is this person really blind?

And he's a journalist? How does that work? Which is funny, because I suppose there's always a bit

of similar anxiety at the start of any reporting trip. Will I catch everything I need to?

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