Echolocation. The ability to develop an image of one’s surroundings by a means of auditory senses. Ben Underwood was one of the six people in the entire world who displays such ability. Upon discovering he had retinal cancer, he had had his eyes removed by the time he was three years old. He was taught to walk with a cane but he also began to teach himself echolocation. Ben would simply throw objects around, click his tongue and when the sound would bounce back to him, he could “see” where it landed.
He displayed an exceptional level of echolocation. He could play basketball (better than I can), rollerblade, play videogames by associating the buttons on the controller with sounds a character makes, swim with dolphins (which also use echolocation, as do bats) and pretty much everything else people with sight can do. When an older boy decided he would pull one over Ben by sneaking up on him and punching him square in the face, he didn’t expect Ben to come after him and give him a taste of his own medicine.
He even helped lead his family, all of whom can physically see, out of the park after dark because he had the layout formed in his head.
To Ben, water was a challenge. But just as he didn’t let a physical blindness prevent him from living his life, he didn’t let his fear run his life. He went to San Diego’s SeaWorld Adventure Park to swim with dolphins to understand how they used echolocation. The staff were amazed with his outstanding abilities with the dolphins.
Ben Underwood did not lead an unhappy life. In fact, for someone who had been born into a physical limitation, he made the most of it and more. “I tell people I’m not blind,” he said, “I just can’t see.”
[youtube qLziFMF4DHA]There’s five parts but make sure to check out at least two minutes from this video! It starts at 00:30 but if you don’t want to see him putting in his prosthetic eyes, skip to 00:53.
Underwood died on January 19, 2009 at the age of 16 from the same cancer that took his vision.