Blind 7 -Year-Old Boy Sees With His Ears

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I found this story at abc news. Lucas Murray was born without sight. His parents thought that he would never be able to be mobile on his own. They thought he would need a dog or someone with him at all times, but not now. He uses a technique called echolocation. By clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, he can listen to the way it echoes off his surroundings and can tell where he is. Sounds crazy, I know, but it is working for him and others that use this technique. Daniel Kish has used this since childhood, and is now teaching it to others like Lucas. Lucas' parents say that he loves to go places now, like the supermarket. He likes to explore on his own.

I found this story completely amazing. I can't imagine what it might be like to not be able to see the world around me. To be able to open up and master this technique is incredible. Lucas will have so many more opportunities in his life because of what he has learned.

Like I explained before, echolocation is the process of clicking your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and listening to the echoes bounce back from the objects surrounding you. But how does it really work? Daniel explains that you have to teach the brain to image using non-visual information. The brains of blind people have the visual cortex just like a person who is not blind, and it can image data from other senses, such as hearing. He explains that some people who have mastered the echolocation technique can listen to their echoes , and sketch an entire scene. I found this amazing. Even though you would think that people would see this as a wonderful thing, some think that it causes a negative distinction. People don't see blindness as normal, so when someone who is blind is clicking their tongue all the time, they think that it would call negative attention to themselves. I would have to disagree. I think that we have come a long way with how we look at people who may have a disability. Sure there is always room for improvement, but it is better. I think that this technique opens many new and improved ways to live for a person with blindness.

I think that this little boy has an incredible story. He was able to overcome his fear of being left alone with no one to help him, and is now going places his family never thought possible. There will be many more opportunities in his future. Good luck and best wishes!