Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Is it common to make a clicking sound to meter the objects around you? In other words, do you use sonar? (self.Blind)
submitted by Togna-Bologna
My father in law does this. He clicks his tongue and listens to the response to walk around objects and to find things. I'm just wondering if he is an anomaly or if this is pretty common for the blind.
Note: He is completely blind. I'm not sure if there is a term for it specifically, but he can't tell if the light in a room is on. About the only thing he can tell is if the sun or a flashlight is shinning in his face.
Note: He is completely blind. I'm not sure if there is a term for it specifically, but he can't tell if the light in a room is on. About the only thing he can tell is if the sun or a flashlight is shinning in his face.
awesomesaucesaywhat 6 points 6y ago
The Invisabilia podcast did a good episode on this! They talk to a guy that can ride his bike this way and he teaches people how to do it. Apparently blind kids often do the clicking instinctively but then they are told to stop by parents, teachers, etc. It's a really interesting topic and podcast.
Togna-Bologna [OP] 4 points 6y ago
Wow, that's upsetting they discourage it.
My FIL used to pogo-stick everywhere when he was younger. I'm not sure if he's tried riding a bike.
My FIL used to pogo-stick everywhere when he was younger. I'm not sure if he's tried riding a bike.
awesomesaucesaywhat 3 points 6y ago
If I remember correctly it was very small children and the parents didn't know/realize the significance of the kids actions. It also falls under the category of "weird shit you'll get bullied for". Pretty cool that the kids figured it out on the own though.
Unuhi 5 points 6y ago
Daniel Kish made an awesome ted talk about echolocation.
I've got some usable sight some days and sometimes but i use it when i can and when it helps. I also move my head around to get a better clue of the shape of the space.
My husband made a comment a while back that i use echolocation also when i sleep. I'm well aware of that - one of our cats is blind so i use a lot of sounds with him. Instead of clicking with mouth i usually rub my fingers together, whether trying to get him to come next to me, or when trying to figure out the space. I use the actual clicking noise very rarely (who knows who's watching or listening outdoors?) but i do it sometimes to annoy people. With my kitty, i also tap on surfaces and use touch and all other senses with him. He can easily figure if I'm actually asleep or randomly awake pretending to sleep at 4am (fortunately a few minutes of snuggling usually quiets him)
I've got some usable sight some days and sometimes but i use it when i can and when it helps. I also move my head around to get a better clue of the shape of the space.
My husband made a comment a while back that i use echolocation also when i sleep. I'm well aware of that - one of our cats is blind so i use a lot of sounds with him. Instead of clicking with mouth i usually rub my fingers together, whether trying to get him to come next to me, or when trying to figure out the space. I use the actual clicking noise very rarely (who knows who's watching or listening outdoors?) but i do it sometimes to annoy people. With my kitty, i also tap on surfaces and use touch and all other senses with him. He can easily figure if I'm actually asleep or randomly awake pretending to sleep at 4am (fortunately a few minutes of snuggling usually quiets him)
fastfinge 4 points 6y ago
I do this sometimes, but mostly to judge the size of a room, rather than to avoid particular objects. Also, when I'm using my cane, I'll sometimes tap it on the ground a few extra times to hear how close I am to nearby objects.
Jnendy 2 points 6y ago
When I saw this topic, how people tap canes on the ground before them as they walk came back to my mind.
Nandflash 3 points 6y ago
I did this when I was young. After a while, I learned to use sounds that already exist, like my footsteps to do the same thing. I may do the click once in a while, but not very often.
modulus 3 points 6y ago
Yes, just to get a sense of where the closest things are. If I'm in an area where I'm trying to find a side-street or such I may do it more often to make sure I don't miss it.
Umikaloo 1 points 6y ago
It must suck to be in a sound insulated room.
Changoleo 1 points 6y ago
Yeah. He could be considered somewhat of an anomaly, but that's really cool. It reminds me of a video that I saw a couple of years ago about the way a guy uses echolocation to navigate while cycling. I found it. Check it out.
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