Blind Boy Sees With His Ears
It seems that the brain’s visual cortex can create images from sound, and this British boy was taught to use this ability by a blind psychologist who has been teaching the technique for many years:
Born without sight, 7-year-old Lucas Murray used to be so afraid of walking he wouldn’t take a step without his parents by his side.
“He would walk, but he would hold our hands. Always,” said his mother, Sarah Murray of Dorset, England. “When he was younger, he wouldn’t even walk on a bumpy surface.”
But now Lucas has become more mobile than his parents ever imagined, running with friends, playing basketball and jumping on a trampoline — all on his own.
The incredible change, his mother said, is owed to a technique called echolocation, similar to the method used by dolphins and bats, that allows Lucas to paint a picture of his surroundings using sound he creates himself.
To “see” the world around him, he clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and listens to the echo that bounces back. From the sound, he can make out the location, depth and shape of objects around him, allowing him to navigate even unfamiliar areas.
Interesting discussion of echolocation for the blind in the story.
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