A New Vision

Echolocation is a natural sonar found in the animal world most famously among dolphins, whales, and bats. The animal makes a sound, and the rebound of that noise enables it to gauge direction, distance, size, and even, texture of an object.We might think that this is merely one of the gifts that Nature has chosen to endow on a select few species. Perhaps, what is a natural instinct for one species is an untapped  ability for another.

Daniel Kish lost his eyesight when very young. However, by the time he was two and a half, he had already developed a form of echolocation that later enabled him to ride a bicycle, play tag, and climb trees. He uses the term 'FlashSonar' to describe his 'echovision'. He says that his method of clicking sounds, and listening to the patterns of sound reflections gives him 3D images of his surroundings.

Kish doesn't feel that he is unique, saying that there is historical evidence that others before him developed similar abilities. Trained as a psychologist, he later became the first fully blind person in the U.S. to become a certified orientation and mobility specialist, meaning he teaches the visually impaired how to get around. Since 2001, he quit his job to start a non-profit organization, World Access for the Blind, to share the secrets of FlashSonar with others like him.