- As research confirm Echolocation could help Blind people navigate like bats.
According to information posted and shared on Facebook by Mr Chuck’s Betrand Ezewuzie, SSA to Gov. Obiano on Disability matters, the Gov., plan to give out free walk canes to visually impaired persons with Disabilities, INN learnt.
In the post shared on his Facebook wall, he says, “For Persons with visual impairment or low vision,register now for your free mobility training/cane walk.The executive Governor Of Anambra State,Chief Dr Willie Obiano wants to give you Canes for your independent travel, so it is time to get up and go., He said.
He further enjoined visually impaired people within Anambra to come to disability and human right services, inside Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka within the premises of Ministry of social welfare, children and women affair. He enjoined interested visually impaired persons to contact the under listed number for other information or WhatsApp the same on 09036412791.
In another development, Scientists have confirmed the accuracy of using mouth clicks to identify location of objects, and uncovers insights which could help teach the skill.
INN learnt that some blind people can learn the extraordinary skill of echolocation, using mouth clicks to explore their environment in a way comparable to how bats navigate. According to Hannah Davlin, a scientist, “the location of objects by reflected sound, in particular that used by animals such as dolphins and bats” is called Echolocation.
She said scientists have now uncovered new insights into how this feat is performed, which could help others to learn the skill.
The study confirms that people can identify objects with a high rate of accuracy by listening for echoes of mouth clicks and that they make subtle alterations to their clicking patterns depending on the object’s location.
Most people who are born blind are highly sensitive to the acoustics of their environment – using the echoes that bounce of objects, walls and buildings to navigate and avoid collisions. However, in recent years there has been a growing awareness of the ability of some blind individuals to use mouth clicks to actively echolocate.
One American echolocation expert, Daniel Kish, uses the technique to accurately build up a mental sketch of a room as well as using it to go mountain biking along new trails.
Lore Thaler, who led the work at Durham University, said: “From a scientific perspective, it’s firmly established that people can do this.” Thaler said that the skill often emerges spontaneously in children, as they experiment with ways to explore their environment. “We’ve found they end up doing similar things, even though they’ve developed the skill independently,” she added.