Amazing People Who Use Echolocation To See

Daniel Kish and Ben Underwood can ride a bike, play basketball, walk through crowed sidewalks, and across busy streets. Why is this so amazing? Because these two are completely blind! Both Daniel and Ben use echolocation to maneuver in their world without sight. To do this they make clicking sounds with their mouths and listen for the sound waves that bounce off objects in front of them to determine where and what things are. What they do is similar to what bats, dolphins, and beluga whales do. These two people are remarkable in that they have taught themselves to use sounds instead of eyes to see.

Ben Underwood had both of his eyes removed when he was 3 years old because of cancer. Even though he is blind, it doesn’t stop him from doing things like rollerblading, bike riding, basketball, and playing video games. He uses some aids for the blind like speaking software for the computer and a brail writer but he never uses a white cane or guide dog to help him move around. Ben taught himself to use echolocation when he was young. He uses this ability to see his world through sound. He doesn’t consider himself a blind person because, he says, there is nothing wrong with him.

Here is a link to the first of a five part video with more about Ben Underwood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA

Daniel Kish lost his sight by the time he was 13 months. Soon after that he started “clicking.” Daniel is not the first blind person to teach himself to use echolocation but he was the first to break down the process and teach others to use it. He said that he can’t remember teaching himself how to use echolocation so teaching others to do it was a challenge at first. Today Daniel has taught hundreds of blind people to use echolocation through his nonprofit organization called World Access for the Blind.

Here are some links to additional videos and articles with more about Daniel Kish:

http://www.mensjournal.com/the-blind-man-who-taught-himself-to-see

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/innovation/daniel-kish-poptech-echolocation/index.html

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/is-it-possible-real-life-bat-man.html

Sources:


Discovery (2010).  Is it possible? – real life batman. Retrieved 11/13/2011 from http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/is-it-possible-real-life-bat-man.html

Finkel, M. (2011, March 1). The blind man who taught himself to see. Men’s Journal. Retrieved 11/13/2011 from http://www.mensjournal.com/the-blind-man-who-taught-himself-to-see

Sutter, J. D. (2011, November 11). Blind man uses his ears to see. CNN. Retrieved 11/13/2011 from http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/innovation/daniel-kish-poptech-echolocation/index.html

Youtube (2007). Extraordinary people – the boy who sees without eyes. Retrieved 11/13/2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA

-by Kimberly Kolaga