Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Ben Underwood is fourteen (14) years old. He is like many other teenage boys. But Ben has one major difference. Ben is blind. One time, Ben was at school playing outside. A younger boy came near Ben. The boy hit Ben in the face. The boy did not think that a blind boy could follow him. But the boy was wrong. Ben chased the boy who hit him. As Ben ran, he made a noise with his tongue. Ben caught the boy and hit him. When asked about the incident, Ben said:
Voice 3
“He did not [think I would come] after him. But I can hear walls, parked cars, you name it. I am a master at this game.”
Voice 2
Ben cannot see with his eyes. But he can see with his ears. Today’s Spotlight is about Ben Underwood. He sees with sound.
Voice 1
Ben has not always been blind. But when Ben was two years old, his mother noticed something was different with Ben’s right eye. She said it looked like light coloured glass. Doctors discovered that he had eye cancer. The doctors had to remove Ben’s eyes.
Ben’s mother remembers the day of the surgery:
Voice 4
“When he woke up after that second surgery, he was so afraid. He said, ‘Mom, I cannot see.’ I took his hand and put it to my face. I said, ‘Yes you can, baby, with your hands and nose and your ears. You can see, just not like the rest of us.’”
Voice 2
Blind people use many different things to help them know what is around them. Some people use guide dogs. These dogs lead blind people as they walk. Some blind people use a cane, a long thin piece of metal. They move the cane in front of them as they walk. They can use the cane to feel things around them.
Voice 1
Often, blind people’s other senses become stronger when they lose their sight. Many blind people use sound to help them. But doctors believe that Ben’s sense of hearing is stronger than most people. His skills are rare.
Voice 2
Ben uses echolocation to understand the world around him. Echolocation is a sound system used by animals, and humans. First, the animal or person makes a sound. The sound bounces off objects nearby. The sound then returns to the animal or person’s ears. The shorter it takes for a sound to come back, the closer the object is. The more sound that comes back, the larger the object is.
Voice 1
Some animals use echolocation to move in areas where it is difficult to see. For example, bats, small flying mammals, use echolocation to fly at night. They make high pitched noises with their mouth. They listen for the sound to come back. When asked about his echolocation skills, Ben says:
Voice 3
“I tell people I am not blind. I just cannot see.”
Voice 2
In the beginning, Ben recieved help from many people. Teachers taught him how to read Braille. Braille is a written language for blind people. It uses raised points to form words. The teachers taught him to walk with a cane. Ben’s brothers and sisters also helped. They taught him how to put his clothes were on correctly. But Ben’s family also gave him freedom to learn on his own.
Voice 1
So Ben began exploring his home. He carefully touched everything to understand how things were shaped. He used his other senses too, especially his hearing. And that is how Ben discovered echolocation
Voice 2
When Ben was three years old, he began to teach himself how to use sound. He would throw objects across the room. Then he would make clicking sounds with his mouth to find them. He would listen for how the sound came back to him. Over time, his echolocation skills improved. Ben stopped using a cane to walk when he was six years old. Today, he uses only echolocation.
Voice 1
Ben can hear if an object is large or small. He can hear the difference between a truck and a car. When Ben walks down the street, he can hear the houses. He can hear objects on people’s property. Ben’s ability to see with sound is very strong. He is able to do things that would be impossible for many blind people.
Voice 2
Ben enjoys rollerblading. Rollerblades are like shoes with wheels on them. Ben rolls down the street quickly. He moves on his rollerblades better than many people. Ben also enjoys playing video games. Video games are games you play on a television. Some people think that it is impossible for a blind person to play a game that depends so much on images. But Ben listens to the sounds of the game. He hears what sounds people in the game make. Ben can play sports with friends. And he rides horses at camp. Being blind does not stop Ben from doing the things teenagers enjoy doing.
Voice 1
In school, Ben’s teachers treat him like all the other students. Ben’s mother wanted it this way. She wanted Ben to have the same work as the other children in his school. She wanted him to play the same games with the other children. Ben’s mother says:
Voice 4
“Yes, I was [worried] at times. But I didn’t want him to be cheated out of anything in life. I didn’t want him to miss anything. No one is going to tell him that there are impossibilities for him. Because anything is possible for him.”
Voice 2
Doctor James Ruben is an eye doctor. He says that Ben’s mother has raised Ben very well. She let him make mistakes. She did not protect him too much. She gave him freedom. And most importantly, she did not put limits on him. She believed Ben could do anything. Doctor Ruben says:
Voice 5
“This mom should be teaching a class about how [to] raise a [child] who cannot see well.”
Voice 1
Doctor Ruben believes that Ben’s hearing skills are only part of the story. You see, Ben believes in himself. That is the most important part of his story. Ben’s mother agrees:
Voice 4
“We must give our [children] confidence. We must give them pride. Empower [them] with who [they are]. And be proud of who [they] are, no matter what. There is nothing [they] cannot do. And that is [what they need to know]. That is what I want to give [Ben].”
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