Perception of a blind boy

[uvlaser]

Hi Everyone,

I am new here. I am working on a story and am curious to know how a young blind child perceives the world around. I did some research but could come up with the obvious ones like using auditory and tactile senses (and to some extent taste buds) to create their own world. I am curios to know if there is more to it than just the two.
Are there more resources someone can point me to?

Thanks a million. (I am truly stuck!)

UVLaser (incoherent)

[Honey Nut Loop]

Go visit a blind school. I'm sure that'll give you the best perception of blindness possible.

Or walk around for a day with your eyes closed with either a dog or stick to guide you(or person). That could work and be extremely interesting as well.

Sounds like a topic that's going to need a lot of research.

[reph]

I suggest interviewing a special education teacher who works with blind kids. There's a lot of misunderstanding about how blind people cope. The other senses don't become sharper; people simply learn to pay attention to their sensory input differently.

[Euan H.]

How does it feel to be blind? (http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?S=R&qisbn=0960443428&qsort=p&siteID=5XyA0IB08qw-JFexGZ3nFy66P30HHh3GBA)

[reph]

Another thing: most blind people have a little vision. My friend with retinitis pigmentosa can tell when the room lights are on and can see large shapes if there's enough light-and-dark contrast.

[Jamesaritchie]

I suggest interviewing a special education teacher who works with blind kids. There's a lot of misunderstanding about how blind people cope. The other senses don't become sharper; people simply learn to pay attention to their sensory input differently.



I've always wondered about that. I know it's said that if the average city dweller spends thirty days out in the deep woods, with no TV, radio, cell phone, etc., they will, upon returning to civilization, score 25% better on a hearing test. But is it because their hearing is 25% better, or because all that silence teaches them to actually pay attention and use their ears?

[reph]

But is it because their hearing is 25% better, or because all that silence teaches them to actually pay attention and use their ears?
It's most likely because the silence has induced a threshold shift. Their hearing really is 25% better for a while. A threshold shift in the opposite direction occurs when you stay too long in a noisy place and come out partly deaf. (I happen to know a bit about hearing.)

In a condition called hyperacusis, noises within a particular decibel range sound louder than they are.The worst thing to do with hyperacusis is avoid sound. If you wear earplugs all the time, the hypersensitivity increases until even the softest sounds are painful.

But vision isn't hearing. There are some parallels and some differences.

[Jamesaritchie]

It's most likely because the silence has induced a threshold shift. Their hearing really is 25% better for a while. A threshold shift in the opposite direction occurs when you stay too long in a noisy place and come out partly deaf. (I happen to know a bit about hearing.)

In a condition called hyperacusis, noises within a particular decibel range sound louder than they are.The worst thing to do with hyperacusis is avoid sound. If you wear earplugs all the time, the hypersensitivity increases until even the softest sounds are painful.

But vision isn't hearing. There are some parallels and some differences.

Interetsing and good to know. Thanks.

[uvlaser]

I suggest interviewing a special education teacher who works with blind kids. There's a lot of misunderstanding about how blind people cope. The other senses don't become sharper; people simply learn to pay attention to their sensory input differently.

Thanks reph. That is probably what happens. Some reaserchers in UK have found that children with disability start slowly on the learning curve as compared to the "normal" children but after a while the differece disappears.
I will look for a special education teacher.

[uvlaser]

Go visit a blind school. I'm sure that'll give you the best perception of blindness possible.

Or walk around for a day with your eyes closed with either a dog or stick to guide you(or person). That could work and be extremely interesting as well.

Sounds like a topic that's going to need a lot of research.

Visitng a Blind school maybe the best bet. Not so sure about the second option, since I will still retain the mental image of the world that was formed over the years using all my senses. I am struggling to find out how a child, blind since birth, gives shapes and forms to the object around him.

[Danger Jane]

The best advice I can give is to actually talk to blind people about it. Let them know what you're working on and that you'd be ever-grateful. Then put them in your acknowledgements.

[reph]

Another resource is Helen Keller's autobiography.

People who lose their sight will still think visually; not so for people blind from birth.

[September skies]

Don't forget the movie Ray.
The scenes with Ray as a blind child are heart wrenching.

I lived with a blind man for 17 years (My father who never did see my face - he became totally blind at age 22) and I kid you not, we could not get anything past that man. He was sharp and could hear the faintest noise and sense us (yes, I tried sneaking past him once or twice)

The suggestions to visit a blind school is good, but unless you live near one, the best bet is to check with the special education division of public education.