[accessibleimage] Re: Fwd: Re: Re: link echolocation Ben Underwood

Hi All - I have met people who use the method, and heard interesting claims. One person told me that he teaches people to use it - He is a rehabilitation teacher. Other people have told me that they can hear shapes. The shapes are things like the direction that house siding runs, and the difference between the shape of a motorcycle or a truck.

I have seen some blind people tap the change in their pockets as they walked. Others made a clicking sound with their mouths. The person who teaches people to use sound for locating doorways, for example, told me he tries to amplify relevant sounds by placing a large metallic plate behind the person's head whom he is teaching - in the appropriate environmental context.

I have always wondered about the claim about shape. I don't doubt the ability of people to locate doorways, assuming that you don't have carpets on the floor.

I am not aware of any successful systematic attempts to study this in the laboratory. Blind people who have the skill tend to use it indoors, and use the long cane outside. One person told me that other noises (like traffic) can mask the auditory cues for the curb's location, for example.

Cheers,
Morty Heller
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********************
Morton A. Heller, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Ave.
Physical Sciences Building
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-2323 Office
217-581-2127 Dept. Office
217-581-6764 Fax

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