Daniel Kish has been sightless since he was a year old. Yet he can mountain bike. And navigate the wilderness alone. And recognize a building as far away as 1,000 feet. How? The same way bats can see in the dark.
by Michael Finkel
photograph by Steve Pyke
The first thing Daniel Kish does, when I pull up to his tidy gray bungalow in Long Beach, California, is make fun of my driving. “You’re going to leave it that far from the curb?” he asks. He’s standing on his stoop, a good 10 paces from my car. I glance behind me as I walk up to him. I am, indeed, parked about a foot and a half from the curb.
The second thing Kish does, in his living room a few minutes later, is remove his prosthetic eyeballs. He does this casually, like a person taking off a smudged pair of glasses. The prosthetics are thin convex shells, made of acrylic plastic, with light brown irises. A couple of times a day they need to be cleaned. “They get gummy,” he explains. Behind them is mostly scar tissue. He wipes them gently with a white cloth and places them back in.
Kish was born with an aggressive form of cancer called retinoblastoma, which attacks the retinas. To save his life, both of his eyes were removed by the time he was 13 months old. Since his infancy — Kish is now 44 — he has been adapting to his blindness in such remarkable ways that some people have wondered if he’s playing a grand practical joke. But Kish, I can confirm, is completely blind.
He knew my car was poorly parked because he produced a brief, sharp click with his tongue. The sound waves he created traveled at a speed of more than 1,000 feet per second, bounced off every object around him, and returned to his ears at the same rate, though vastly decreased in volume.
But not silent. Kish has trained himself to hear these slight echoes and to interpret their meaning. Standing on his front stoop, he could visualize, with an extraordinary degree of precision, the two pine trees on his front lawn, the curb at the edge of his street, and finally, a bit too far from that curb, my rental car. Kish has given a name to what he does — he calls it “FlashSonar” — but it’s more commonly known by its scientific term, echolocation.
Bats, of course, use echolocation. Beluga whales too. Dolphins. And Daniel Kish. He is so accomplished at echolocation that he’s able to pedal his mountain bike through streets heavy with traffic and on precipitous dirt trails. He climbs trees. He camps out, by himself, deep in the wilderness. He’s lived for weeks at a time in a tiny cabin a two-mile hike from the nearest road. He travels around the globe. He’s a skilled cook, an avid swimmer, a fluid dance partner. Essentially, though in a way that is unfamiliar to nearly any other human being, Kish can see.
This is not enough for him. Kish is seeking — despite a lack of support from every mainstream blind organization in America — nothing less than a profound reordering of the way the world views blind people, and the way blind people view the world. He’s tired of being told that the blind are best served by staying close to home, sticking only to memorized routes, and depending on the unreliable benevolence of the sighted to do anything beyond the most routine of tasks.
Kish preaches complete and unfettered independence, even if the result produces the occasional bloody gash or broken bone. (He once fractured the heel of his left foot after leaping from a rock and has broken a couple of teeth.) He’s regarded by some in the blind community with deep veneration. Others, like a commenter on the National Federation of the Blind’s listserv, consider him “disgraceful” for promoting behavior such as tongue clicking that could be seen as off-putting and abnormal.
Kish and a handful of coworkers run a nonprofit organization called World Access for the Blind, headquartered in Kish’s home. World Access offers training on how to gracefully interact with one’s environment, using echolocation as a primary tool. So far, in the decade it has existed, the organization has introduced more than 500 students to echolocation. Kish is not the first blind person to use echolocation, but he’s the only one to meticulously document it, to break it down into its component parts, and to figure out how to teach it. His dream is to help all sight-impaired people see the world as clearly as he does.
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March 5th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
This is amazing stuff. I’ve read about it previously but never read about somebody using it so extensively. Very well-written article and very informative.
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March 7th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
There is a great book about a man with similar capabilities:
Crashing Through, by Robert Kurson
http://www.robertkurson.com/crashingthrough/thebook.html
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March 7th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
I appreciate that this article paints me in a warm light, and represents me tolerably well. There are two glaring misrepresentations that do require setting straight. Both of these were reviewed by the fact checker and clarified, but somehow still weren’t corrected in the final edit.
Firstly, I never said that echolocation was particularly hard to learn, and most of our students pick it up quite well, and quite quickly. It is true that perhaps 10% take it to an extreme level, like bike riding through obstacles and such, but most are able to use it to increase their navigation abilities notably.
The second point is that, I have no desire to become a human bat, nor
expect the same of others. I am very passionate about our work, and
although it is true that I look forward to handing over the reigns of
World Access someday to others more dynamic than I, the dream I would
pursue would not be one of science and ultimate hearing. I would hope
that World Access would continue to fly that flag without me. My heart
is guided more toward the arts, toward helping people reach beyond
their limits through creativity, writing, and music. I suppose I could
be rightly depicted to stride off into the sunset as the article
portrays, but more as a minstrel amid children singing and dancing,
and less as a human bat…
Daniel
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@modestgrrl Reply:
March 8th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Daniel,
I believe you when you say it’s easy to learn. Sure enough, I can hear a difference in the way a click resonates when I have a hand four inches in front of my mouth than when the nearest thing is a wall two feet away.
I doubt that, as a person who sees, I’d be willing to put the effort in to learn it myself. That being said, all humans (not bats!) with normal hearing should be able to pick up this skill to varying degrees of competence.
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Jimmy N. Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
I’m just wondering how you are able to reply to an article on the internet if you cannot see?
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tudza Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Use your noodle, or Google. They’ve had screen readers for years. I expect before that they had braille writers, probably still do.
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Eric Oyen Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Forgive Jimmy N. He’s only ignorant and needs to learn.
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Jamie C Reply:
May 22nd, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Wow – passive aggressive! Trying to make out your tolerant of someone while calling them ignorant!
His question was a valid one and wasn’t at all ignorant and Tudza gave some options.
Daniel Kish Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
I would say that although people don’t know about screen-readers or other such technologies, this does not by any means suggest that they must be, as one said, “forgiven”. A lack of knowledge isn’t necessarily a lack of effort to obtain knowledge.
I do use a screen-reader, in fact I use two depending on what I’m trying to read. I also use a braille note taker for smaller, more personal matters that a laptop could be too stationary or too cumbersome to bring with me on travels.
Essentially the computer program reads to me the digital text that is on the screen, and I utilize key commands (both out-of-the-box and some specialized ones) in order to access the information presented. Alt +Tab for instance will navigate you between windows out of the box, but Insert +F7 will not bring up your links in a list, or Insert +M toggle your talking cursor on or off. For those, you’d need a specialized speech program.
Thanks,
Daniel
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Eric Oyen Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Dan,
I’ve been a low partial for over 23 years. last year, I went total due to an infection in both eyes. 2 months after that, I joined with a tandem riding partner to see if I could solo ride a bike. sure enough, I could. trying to follow sound was intensely difficult. here I am 6 months later and I can solo ride easily and can also echolocate around the neighborhood. There are some situations where I still feel at a loss (noisy environments). Since I am learning these skills fairly late in life (age 46) I was wondering if you have any tips or tricks to overcome some of the pitfalls? I can be reached via e-mail at: eric.oyen@gmail.com.
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Jarett Reply:
May 22nd, 2011 at 1:28 am
I only wantes to say this: fuck anyone, sighted or not, who tells you or any other blind person not to click to echolocate. Asocial my ass. Any moron could tell what you’re doing and why. I think it is awesome that you’ve developed this skill and wish you the best.
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Ahsan Reply:
May 22nd, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Hi Daniel,
You have proven that a man (blind or otherwise) can do anything he puts his mind to. More power to you.
Thanks for the inspiration
Thanks, Ahsan
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LeslieDoll Reply:
July 5th, 2011 at 11:57 am
I cried tears of joy when I read this article, Daniel. You are my hero. Thank you for telling those who believe in the political correctness crap to go to hell. Thank you for being so determined to live life the way YOU want to live it, not what some holier-than-thou organization (or people) think you should. Kudos, and BRAVO to you. Keep kicking ass!
I read your article to my mom and a few friends, and they all laughed and laughed and said, oh my god, he sounds just like you. I’m deaf (90%), but went to mainstream school, college, got a job (I’m an engineer), travelled the world, took 12 years of ballet/tap/jazz, and flamenco for over 5 years. I consider myself a dancer, engineer, triathlete, someone’s best friend, someone’s wife, motorcyclist… who happens to be deaf. NOT the other way around. And I admit it, I’ve gotten nastier to people over the years, the ones who treat me like a retard (yes, I know that word is “forbidden,” but there is no other way to describe their attitude), and don’t include me into their lives because they think it’s too hard – well, I work hard to integrate myself with the rest of the world, they can put some damn effort into it as well. I tell people, who talk to me verrrryyy slowwwlly and talk to me like I’m an idiot, that I’m an engineer and ten times smarter than they are. So act like it. That usually gets their attention, and apology (which I don’t care about – just drop the attitude and treat me like a normal person!!!)
I’ve also told the deaf community to kiss my ass. I will wear hearing aids. I will speak, thank you very much. I don’t need sign language, except to communicate my true feelings to others. I will not isolate myself from the rest of the world. And – finally – get over themselves. Communication is a two-way street. Learn to speak, and get others to learn to sign.
Thank you Daniel. A friend forwarded me this article which is why I’m responding so late – but your article MADE MY DAY and you are my HERO.
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Whocares Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
I get your point.. But the truth is both what we called “normal” and “non-normal” people don’t get to see the perspectives of the other side, because they only see their side of the story. That’s why both sides misunderstand each others and form certain opinions or judgement expecting the other side to understand their side. So, I think both are as Bias and judgemental in my opinion, Sorry, I can call they are equally an ASS if they are mean and bitter, whether they are Normal or Disable.
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LAFD Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 6:11 am
No, you didn’t get my point at all.
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Whocares Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 9:24 am
You didn’t get my point. I totally understand what you wrote. My point is everyone like us only cares about looking at our own sides and our own perspectives and fail to see others’ dies. This has nothing to do with Normal or Non-normal. It has something to do with we humans think we know the other side but end up make an opinion or judgement based on our own expectations and views, without even Undrstand anything at all. You think you know but still fail to understand. If you were to understand, you won’t get nastier or even feel annoyed or even become bitter. Only a person who truly Understand will be able to empathize and have compassion at All different sides.
LAFD Reply:
July 20th, 2011 at 7:47 am
I’m quite finished arguing. You do not get it. This has nothing to do with trying to see the other person’s perspective. That’s useful in negotiations, working out a marriage, building friendships, and so on.
Not when it comes to treating people who are deaf or blind (or fill in the blank). I don’t care about your perspective, especially if it’s a condescending or limiting perspective. I don’t really give a rip that you (or anyone else) have a perspective on how people with disabilities (I call them different abilities) should be treated. I don’t care what people were taught in school about being politically correct; I think it’s a shame that it’s been so ingrained into our society that we treat those with different abilities as if they’re fragile and can’t handle life. I am so tired of people “in charge” thinking they know what’s best for the rest of us and don’t even try to work with us.
I care about being treated like a normal human being. People who blather on about perspectives and looking at how the other side “feels” do so to make themselves feel better when they patronize, condescend, or belittle those of us who have inconveniences such as deafness or blindness. I don’t give a rip about a person’s perspective, for example, if they think I shouldn’t be doing [fill in the blank] because I’m deaf. I really do not care. They don’t own my life and they have no right to tell me what to do. Now if it were something dangerous, I might listen – as long as they’re not using my “different ability” as a reason why I shouldn’t do something.
In general, I agree about empathizing and being compassionate towards others. However, I’m not going to help you feel better about yourself. This is about treating people as they are – normal human beings – who happen to have some kind of disability or inconvenience. Not about what makes YOU feel better.
Tina Reply:
July 5th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Wow, I am grateful for knowing you! A lesson for us all to dwell in possibility.
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March 7th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA
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March 12th, 2011 at 12:21 am
“He’s a skilled cook, an avid swimmer, a fluid dance partner. Essentially, though in a way that is unfamiliar to nearly any other human being, Kish can see.”
WOW.. HE HAS NO EYES.. AND DOING ALL THESE STUFF.. IT REALLY AMAZING.
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March 12th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Daniel and World Access for the Blind will be featured on NPR’s show All Things Considered on Sunday, March 13 (5pm in most areas, but check local listings).
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April 8th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
If this article doesn’t demonstrate the best and the worst of humanity, I don’t know what does. Someone discovers that he has amazing potential and perfects it to develop an incredible skill and the world, instead of cheering and rushing to emulate him, can’t do anything but criticize and undermine the effort. It is baffling. If Mr. Kish can do this, don’t you get it – we can all do it. We could see in the dark. And we could live in a world where being born without sight, or losing sight, would be only half as debilitating as it is now. Or only 10%. Who knows? If we started learning this in infancy, loss of vision would be so much less traumatic. It offers almost unbelievable opportunity and we’re never going to act on it because someone is afraid they’ll look weird clicking? I’m sure we can make an iPhone app to do it for us.
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Ahsan Reply:
May 22nd, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Well spoken, Alison.
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April 9th, 2011 at 12:48 am
There’s a whiff of bullshit about this. Certainly, blind people can routinely do most of the things sighted people do, and our ears can pick up far more information than most of us realize. But I have my doubts that Kish can actually click his tongue, and build a 3-D map of his surroundings. This has the same aura of self-promotion and charlatanry that surrounds gurus who claim to teach people to levitate. I wonder whether Kish is actually as impressive in person as he is portrayed in this story. Or, for that matter, as he portrays himself. Did he really detect how far the car was from the curb through echolocation? Because I bet I could do the same merely from the sound of the engine. I worry that impressionable kids who look up to Kish as a hero, might be convincing themselves that they can do things they can’t, and putting themselves in harm’s way. That mountain-biking incident didn’t seem to turn out too well. Maybe I’m too suspicious. But it’s served me well. I’ve always been the voice of caution among my friends, and I can’t count the number of times they’ve ended up being disillusioned by something I didn’t buy into.
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BM Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Bullshit? That’s rather uncalled for. Did you try to research the topic further before committing such harsh words to this blog? I wager no. You can view this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c49dS76KhGc
3D map? This is how you perceive “We hear in stereo 3-D”? Due to our ability to hear in stereo 3D, we can build an image of what is in front of us or around us. Thinking it is a 3D map is not accurate by any means. However, it provides enough information to go about life in a more-normal manner.
Try closing your eyes and use your fingers to feel an object in front of you. If you practice this long enough, you’ll be able to pick up minute details that would otherwise go unnoticed. If one can harness such an ability merely through touch, certainly, one can develop a more refined sensory input through hearing.
There are always risks in life. Some would risk everything to enjoy things in life most of us take for granted. One needs only to exercise a bit of critical thought. Stay in my room all day and not jam my hand in a biking accident (by the way, is something even sighted people will encounter), or go outside, feel the sun on my face, walk barefooted on grass, and hop some rocks across a creek. It’s not a very tough decision. I could equally say that every sighted person shouldn’t drive a car because they might become involved in an accident.
You should try attempting to navigate your home or apartment in the pitch black, perhaps even blind folded, before you speak to criticise one’s efforts to function in this world in a different manner without two working eyes. You might learn something from the experience. You’d be surprised at the subtle changes in sound as you explore different areas of the home. Do exercise caution if there are stairs in your home or apartment. If I, with normal vision, can hear the movement of a person in a hallway (a quiet person that is intentionally avoiding making any sound), it is quite feasible for one to harness sound to paint a rough image of the world around them using their mind as the canvas.
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J_Brisby Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 5:34 am
I thought I expressed myself rather mildly. But if you want harsh, how about this?
You don’t sound like anybody whose opinion I respect. You sound like a fucking idiot. Clearly, you lack the capacity to spare even a fraction of your mind for the formation of a critical thought. Nope, you “believe”, and that’s enough for you. Dumbass.
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D Reply:
May 21st, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Brisby, calm down before you hurt yourself. You waste your energy on hate.
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Beccc Reply:
May 22nd, 2011 at 7:08 am
There was no need to degenerate into using profanity, nor to get angry. It shows just the kind of person you are from someone who’s offering an explanation to discuss your opinion on this. You like to criticise, but you have to accept criticism too.
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Tom M. Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Listen Pal, you say Bullshit..! It’s NOT..! Daniel doesnt claim to be any guru by any means…! Daniel has always been Daniel, when i was younger my uncle (Daniels dad) would visit us and we would play like kids, jumping walls,climbing trees, getting in trouble and yes bike riding and we played baseball and would hit the ball useing the clicking sound to see the ball… this was normal for us know Daniel was blind and we didnt think anything of it. He used to show off by taking out his glass eye’s wash them and pop them back in. Daniel often would navigate from his home in Placentia,Ca. to visit his dad in Oakdale,Ca. a 350mile train ride by himself…Daniel has greatly enhanced his craft and is just trying to teach other blind kids how to see without sight by the use of Echolocation…Nobody taught him..! Daniel is an Inspiration and a Hero..!!! I introduced myself to a blind kid in a shopping mall in my community , this kid was about 15 years old and had a seeing eye dog, so i ask him if he heard of Dan Kish and the kid responds with an “I sure Do” I have read alot about him and I’d like to meet him some day.
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Aeiluindae Reply:
May 21st, 2011 at 4:11 pm
I can understand your suspicion. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. However, considering the ease at which I can navigate my own house when it is pitch black with no effort on my part, I think that his skill is certainly possible. Becoming proficient enough to do what he does would likely require a phenomenal of work, but if one has un-degraded hearing it wouldn’t be terribly hard to do simple things. There are probably many things where he simply listens for the noise the object itself makes instead of clicking. He’s not painting a picture with sonar, but simply getting enough of a gist of layouts to get around.
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Susan M.LPettingill Reply:
June 14th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Guess what J.Brisby,
I was lucky enough to attend public school with Dan Kish from the &th to the 8th grade at Tuffree Jr High in Placeentia,Ca,and even then he was echolocating to get around. soo you can shove it up your ass any thought that Dan is some kind of a Guru,when we were growing up he was nothing short of a inspiration,and any question of his blindness is just foolishness.On more than a dozen occasions i eye witnessed(no pun intended Dan)Dan removing his eyes to clean them.He is a gift from God put here to give hope to the blind everywhere.To bad no one can help your blindness.
sincerely sighted,
Sue P.
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April 11th, 2011 at 6:56 am
What an inspiring story!
And very well written.
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April 21st, 2011 at 11:00 pm
this echolocation thing is very cool. Combined with technology can be much cooler. I knew this Linux distro named Vinux which is dedicated for visually impaired people.
http://littlecrowd.com/vinux-linux-distro-for-the-blind/
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April 25th, 2011 at 6:46 am
amazing news and it inspires either sighted or sightless
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April 25th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
You are a leader, Daniel Kish, like it or no. I don’t believe in fate, but it does seem like the message you’ve been receiving is that you have to suck it up and keep at it. People are a drain. And I imagine this article was draining, as well. It puts you out in front of a crowd of “people.” (Who link this article in their blogs with such titles as “The Other Batman” and “If You Have Tears, Prepare to Shed Them.”) But I wish you well and hope the attention serves to better your purpose. I know if I had the 15 mill, I’d donate to see that technology come to fruition.
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May 21st, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Ben Underwood was one of the first person in the world with this capability.
He passed away when he was 16 back in 2007, however after battling retinal cancer early on in his life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA
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May 22nd, 2011 at 1:02 am
Great story.
Daniel Kish is an amazing guy.
I feel like a (sighted) wus.
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June 9th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Amazing story; if you’re still reading this Mr. Kish, I thank you for sharing your life with us.
The human ears and brain that processes signals from the ears is truly remarkable. Most of us use those for silly tricks like being able to identify one of a thousand songs from the first couple notes. If we can do that, then we certainly can process echo clicks–it’s simply a matter of training.
Spend as much time clicking as you spend on learning a musical instrument and I’m certain that you can reach some useful level of proficiency. I’m going to try this and see how I do. Any tips on how to start?
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June 21st, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Someone get this man a kickstarter.
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June 22nd, 2011 at 7:43 am
Mr. Kish,
My daughter (6 1/2 Yrs Old) was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma 3 years ago. One eye was removed. I really liked your story as I am very familiar with many part you share with us. I would like you to try and join my at face book (Elisheva Barkay) as I have many friends who are blind due to Rb. We alos meet once a year in Maine at Camp SunShine. Try to join us next year (we just were there last week). http://www.campsunshine.org. There, you will meet so many people like you and my duaghter. It is a great place. I shared your article with some of my friends too. Thanks again.
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July 10th, 2011 at 11:28 am
It think that his mother was great for letting him do his thing as so many would be so afraid that he would hurt himself. He is inspiring that he does do so well and teaches others even though he thinks people are “incredibly draining”. I do wonder why he got degrees in developmental psychology and in special education if he seems to dislike being around people so much.
My grandfather always told me that people who swear are just not smart enough to think of a better word. I don’t understand the crassness that was presented in some of the comments.
It’s a good article and he’s a blind man that had taught himself and others to function better in a sighted world. I think that is a very good thing. He didn’t have to share his methods. I don’t understand why the society for the blind wouldn’t want to supplement the cane with clicking. If it helps, what harm is there. For those who are embarrassed by it, they should look in the mirror and do some self evaluation, how incredibly petty.
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July 11th, 2011 at 3:14 am
Good morning Mr Kish.
last sunday I read about you on an italian magazine ( Internazionale) that translate foreign press. I have a friend that works for the italian blind association and he don’t know you and your work. How is this possible in 2011?
Regards
Enrico
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July 18th, 2011 at 10:22 am
What an inspirational story.
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October 15th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Daniel Kish – The Blind Man Who Taught Himself To See! Is a amazing blog post about a persons will to take control of his environment vs. letting it take control of him. His insight reaches far beyond his blindness and I feel something we all could learn from. I love his passion for life and wanting others to share his dream of “helping people reach beyond their limits through creativity, writing, and music”. There is a lot to Daniel Kish that I feel needs more research and probably even a film about. It would be a great documentary I’m sure of it!
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December 8th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I am completely amazed by this Kish’s life and how he mastered ecolocation.
I think we can all learn a thing or two from Kish and do greater for the society.
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December 23rd, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Reading this amazing article made me think of the son of Napoleon Hill who with the help of his determined father learned how to hear without ears. Yes, using our marvelous mind we can learn how to hear without ears and learn how to see without eyes. Great story!
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January 5th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
This is an inspiring story. It’s a good thing someone wrote about this. This reminds us that blindness can not stop us to live a relatively normal life.
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January 19th, 2012 at 5:32 am
Yes… it is very possible that blind people can see with other senses. For those who interested helping blind people you join to our program at vibrationmethod.com. Thank you!
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