Name: How I use sonar to navigate the world
Uploaded: 2015-03-31T14:46:26Z
Duration: 12 min 53 s
Description: Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13 months old, but has learned to "see" using a form of echolocation. He clicks his tongue and sends out flashes of sound that bounce off surfaces in the environment and return to him, helping him to construct an understanding of the space around him. In a rousing talk, Kish shows how this works -- and asks us all to let go of our fear of the dark unknown.

The Blind Man Who Taught Himself to See

Daniel Kish: How I use sonar to navigate the world

How I use sonar to navigate the world

Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13 months old, but has learned to "see" using a form of echolocation. He clicks his tongue and sends out flashes of sound that bounce off surfaces in the environment and return to him, helping him to construct an understanding of the space around him. In a rousing talk, Kish shows how this works -- and asks us all to let go of our fear of the dark unknown.

Blindness is often feared as a plunge into darkness, but it can reveal unexpected routes to perception and freedom. One man, blind since infancy, uses tongue clicks to navigate spaces, turning sound into a rich, three-dimensional sense of place. His story of climbing out of a hospital crib after surgery shows how adaptability and mindset shape our experience of challenge. This approach inspires both blind and sighted people to activate their brains and embrace the unknown.