I disagree. Anyone who is different is considered lesser by default in some fashion. It's an "us vs. them" thing. You'll get that no matter where you go.
The best way to combat it is to be as safe, confident and independent as you are. The first step in doing that is to embrace yourself. To accept, all the way down - because I really don't think you have - that your sight is gone and you have to adjust. That's terribly difficult for some people, but the good news is that you're still young and have a lot of time to make it work.
Once you've done that, you can essentially tell the world to take you on your own terms. You can advocate for yourself in the best way you know how. You can show others how to advocate for you, or how -not to advocate for you, as the situation is.
You do no one any service by refusing to use a cane, or by letting it hamper you. The fact is this: you're blind, you're going to stand out from the norm, no matter how hard you try. Rather than focusing on fitting in, focus on being yourself. Let the world accommodate you; don't try so hard to accommodate the world.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1