The Sense Of Blindness

We as human beings utilize the five senses to process information about our surroundings. These senses help keep us safe. For example, we use our sense of touch to avoid picking up a hot pan, while our senses of smell and taste prevent us from cooking any rotten food in the pan. Our sense of sight allows us to see an oncoming train, while our sense of sound makes it possible to hear the train’s horn. Unfortunately, some people are born without the sense of sight, and many others may lose the sense at some point in their lives for various reasons. It is estimated that 1.3 million people in the United States are legally blind, and of the 1.3 million, only 1% are born without the sense of sight (National Federation of the Blind, 2017). Although …show more content…

The study involved three different groups, people who were sighted, people who were “early blind” which consisted of individuals who were either born blind or who lost their sense of sight within the first two years of life, and people who became blind later in life. The study consisted of the subjects listening to two tones, challenging them to determine whether the second tone was higher or lower in pitch than the first. The results concluded that there were no significant differences in the ability to hear the notes between the sighted individuals and the people who became blind later in life. However, the participants who were born without the sense of sight or who became blind early in life performed better than both other …show more content…

G., & Renier, L. (2010). Do People Who Became Blind Early in Life Develop a Better Sense of Smell? A Psychophysical Study. Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 104(6), 369-379. Gandhi, P. H., Gokhale, P. A., Mehta, H. B., & Shah, C. J. (2013). A Comparative Study of Simple Auditory Reaction Time in Blind (Congenitally) and Sighted Subjects. Indian Journal Of Psychological Medicine, 35(3), 273-277. doi:10.4103/0253-7176.119486 National Federation of the Blind. (2017). Blindness and Low Vision Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://nfb.org/fact-sheet-blindness-and-low-vision Neurological Institute / McGill University. (2004, July 23). The Blind Really Do Hear Better. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040723093712.htm Society for Neuroscience. (2010, October 28). Blind people perceive touch faster than those with sight. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from