Daniel Kish
Encyclopedia
Daniel Kish is an American expert in human echolocation
and President of World Access for the Blind, a non-profit founded in 2000 to facilitate "the self-directed achievement of people with all forms of blindness" and increase public awareness about their strengths and capabilities, which has taught echolocation to at least 500 blind children around the world. Kish, who has been blind since age 13 months, holds Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) and National Blindness Professional Certification (NOMC) credentials, the first totally blind person to be so qualified. He also holds Master's degrees in Developmental Psychology and Special Education.
Kish's work has inspired a number of scientific studies related to human echolocation. In one, a 2009 study at the University of Alcalá
in Madrid, Spain, ten sighted subjects were taught basic navigation skills within a few days. The study aimed to analyze various sounds which can be used to echo-locate and evaluate which were most effective. In another study, MRI brain scans were taken of Kish and another echolocation expert to identify the parts of the brain involved in echolocation, with readings suggesting "that brain structures that process visual information in sighted people process echo information in blind echolocation experts."
Human echolocation
Human echolocation is the ability of humans to detect objects in their environment by sensing echoes from those objects. By actively creating sounds – for example, by tapping their canes, lightly stomping their foot or making clicking noises with their mouths – people trained to orientate with...
and President of World Access for the Blind, a non-profit founded in 2000 to facilitate "the self-directed achievement of people with all forms of blindness" and increase public awareness about their strengths and capabilities, which has taught echolocation to at least 500 blind children around the world. Kish, who has been blind since age 13 months, holds Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) and National Blindness Professional Certification (NOMC) credentials, the first totally blind person to be so qualified. He also holds Master's degrees in Developmental Psychology and Special Education.
Kish's work has inspired a number of scientific studies related to human echolocation. In one, a 2009 study at the University of Alcalá
University of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...
in Madrid, Spain, ten sighted subjects were taught basic navigation skills within a few days. The study aimed to analyze various sounds which can be used to echo-locate and evaluate which were most effective. In another study, MRI brain scans were taken of Kish and another echolocation expert to identify the parts of the brain involved in echolocation, with readings suggesting "that brain structures that process visual information in sighted people process echo information in blind echolocation experts."