Chapter: Play with Senses
Echolocation is the process by which certain animals (such as bats and dolphins) use a sort of built in sonar in order to “see” their environment with the help of sound. They send out sound waves, which bounce off the objects and creatures around them. They then interpret the echo and use it to get a reading of what’s in the vicinity. This technique can be used for locating prey and navigating through dark areas. We may not consider it too remarkable when animals do it, because we’ve all heard about bats catching food without being able to see well, but what’s interesting is that humans can reproduce this effect as well. It’s not incredibly common, but a number of people have practiced the art of human echolocation to such an extent that it effectively replaces their need for vision.
Daniel Kish is completely blind. He lost sight in both eyes at 13 months of age. Now he uses his ears to see. When he walks around unfamiliar places (for example when hiking) he clicks his tongue and then listens as the sound bounces off nearby objects. Kish has also found a technique using a walking cane combined with echolocation to further expand his mobility.
Kish is the president of World Access for the Blind, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 to facilitate “the self-directed achievement of people with all forms of blindness” and increase public awareness about the strengths and capabilities of blind people. He teaches teenagers how to hike and mountain-bike through the wilderness and how to navigate new locations safely.
Possible Moral
This shows a person’s will to take control of his environment rather than letting it take control of him. Daniel’s insight reaches far beyond his blindness, and I feel it’s something we could all learn from. I admire his passion for life and wanting others to share his dream of “helping people reach beyond their limits through creativity, writing, and music”. Daniel Kish has proven that a person (blind or otherwise) can do anything he or she puts their mind to, and because he took the time to finely hone this ability, he’s able to live a very capable life that very few of us would be able to replicate if we were to go blind tomorrow.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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We All Need Heroes
Short StoryHey there! Here you'll find a collection of mixed stories from my debut book 'We All Need Heroes', which celebrates people with brave and innovative ideas. The finished book is filled with a huge mix of inspirational and fun short-stories of people...
