How Blind People See With Sound… with

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Come see me on Molly’s channel! • A Scientist Explains M...
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I met Molly Burke a few months ago. She’s awesome. I absolutely love what she’s done on KZbin to bring awareness to living with disability, and turning it into ability. And her guide dog Gallop is awesome too! When Molly and I first met, we started talking about how she navigates the world, because I’m a nerd and I always steer the conversation toward science. I was not prepared for what she told me. She said she uses echolocation! Molly’s brain has adapted to listen to sounds in her environment in ways that most of us sighted people can’t even imagine. I went to meet her in LA and brought a special surprise, to see if my brain could learn what hers has.
#echolocation #blind
For audio descriptions, go to Settings - Audio Track - English Descriptive.
Special thanks to Brian Bushway, Daniel Kish, Molly Burke and Gallop!
Learn more about Brian Bushway and echolocation at visioneers.org
Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program
References: sites.google.com/view/echolca...
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[@besmart]

This was a really amazing experience. I learned so much, not only about how blind people experience the world but about how I and all of us view so-called "disability". Thank you so much to Molly for doing this with me. Definitely go check out her channel!

[@alphabeta9425]

Okay

[@williamsutton7]

Can you make a video on dyslexia

[@Nick_Slavik]

Joe, thank you for this channel :D I have always been a fan of PBS but, even more a fan of learning. I love thus channel because you delve into such cool topics, but they are long enough to hold my attention span too. I struggle a bit because I can be very easily distracted but for some reason I tend to hang on and even want more. Thanks for another great video and for showing all of your viewers a world we are definitely not "seeing"

[@JoseHernandez-ve8ym]

You look like wally hahahah. I like this chanel because of videos like this. Thanks for bringing molly

[@lynnenicholson6968]

Hi I came here from Molly’s channel. Loved both the video on her page and this video. What I love most is there is no condescending at all. As someone who lost most of her sight three years ago (just before my 55th birthday) I totally love the science you brought to the table in both videos. Thank you. Now I need to try both passive and active echolocation (neither of which I’ve been taught). I’ve already noticed I get more from sound (beginning to recognise birds from their different songs when out on a walk). As my sight continues to deteriorate I’m going to need to develop new skills to remain independent.

[@MollyBurkeOfficial]

This was truly SO fun! I can't wait to work with Bryan more to keep improving my active echolocation skills! I'll definitely be sharing my echolocation journey on my channel, so come hangout with me! Thanks for doing this with me, Joe!

[@alphabeta9425]

Okay

[@redbrixanimations]

Okay

[@daniel_pinilla]

Okay

[@mirofeya]

Cannot wait to see those series of videos. Good luck! You are a wonder!

[@besmart]

This was such an amazing experience! Thank you Molly, you rock!

[@TheGhilamonster]

I like how the two blind people will look at each other, out of respect, even though the other cant tell if they are or aren't

[@suns5807]

They probably can tell, at least when the other person is talking

[@TerryProthero]

I'm autistic, so I kind of do the same thing. Some of us feel uncomfortable looking someone in the eye. I'm more indifferent towards it. Whether I'm looking at you or looking somewhere else doesn't make much difference to me. But neurotypicals like it when you look them in the eye, so I try to remember to do that when I'm talking to them. Strangely enough, most animals consider looking them in the eye a threat. Try it with a chimp or a dog, and you could get bit or worse. So autistic people not liking it is not really that strange at all. Neurotypicals are actually the weird ones. Although that's true in most cases.

[@user-bl4oq7fd8d]

I bet they can hear when the "speaking mouth" is not facing them...

[@iamspencerx]

I think it's instinctive to face the direction of the sound

[@ianriddell5635]

Blind people are sensitive to the direction the sound is coming from, so are perceptive to whether or not they are being projected at. Its their equivalent to making eye contact to communicate you are talking to that person

[@alwinjoseph8413]

It’s amazing at 9:27 (it’s so overlooked) how when Joe lifts his hand and misses the bowl, Bryan WHO’S BLIND knows Joe’s mistake and corrects his mistake by moving his hand on the bowl.

[@david203]

Yes, even fully blind people can do almost anything, with appropriate assistive aid when needed. Blind people frequently teach blind mobility courses.

[@redpoint6870]

It blew my mind

[@RipRLeeErmey]

It made me genuinely forget he was blind for a moment.

[@conlon4332]

Oh yeah, wow! Thank you for pointing this out to me!

[@Dabubble1]

Molly:"I see blind people skateboarding" Me: *hol up*

[@MK-dr7dx]

Probably just a slip of the tongue and not meant to be taken literally. The concept of sight is taken for granted to the point that it's ingrained in language, and it's easy to say that you see when what you really mean is that you understand or more generally perceive something. Just another way that society as a whole is unconsciously biased in favor of those without disabilities.

[@MartyMusic777]

Molly made a comment about this in a video - she still uses the expressions like "watch a video" or "I went to see my mom" because she's not going to change her language for her disability. I think it's in a "why people think I'm not blind' video, or something similar to that on her channel - if she 'saw' something, someone sighted in her life described it to her.

[@calebb.890]

Literally me I was so confused. ALso why she be looking at their faces and what their holding

[@nia-marieryan4196]

@@calebb.890 I guess she wants people to know that she's paying attention....idk

[@elianna_ecc]

@@calebb.890 It's habitual. She was not always fully blind, so it's a habit from when she was visually impaired, but not fully blind, to look to where she hears the noise. She can also see some light.

[@goodday4221]

"Hey, smart people..." Alright, man- I think you might have me mistaken for somebody else.

[@impishDullahan]

Nah b, just being on this video makes you a smart person.

[@enaD.S]

Dang people are nice here

[@greensphinx]

Buider Tf909 the Canada of yt lol.

[@BakedPhoria]

Indeed, as he says people not person lol

[@Trythish]

It's ok to be smart,.

[@TheTwitch616]

9:46 "Let me take my blindfold off so I can experience this." Joe just flexing on the blind

[@twothreebravo]

Brian dunked on him for that when he called him "unsophisticated" :)

[@carlosmp2043]

Lmao that's what I thought

[@JuMixBoox]

The use of the word experience was pretty ironic for this type of video. Just say you suck at echolocation.

[@JuMixBoox]

@TheGhost I'm sorry if it wasn't clear that I was joking. I even left out the part where it would say "and go" because I thought it was too harsh. I just meant that the moral of this video is clearly that you don't need sight to experience the world, especially if you can use echolocation. I'm afraid I don't really understand your second point though. I get that you think vision is easier for you and gives you more information than echolocation, but I am pretty sure it still gives away your position when you are seen by others. And most humans don't have to fear predators in their day to day life.

[@TO5TADA]

TheGhost then coming up with a natural sounding noise would come in handy wouldn't it?

[@valerielinares2068]

"But really, a lack of sound still makes noise." That sounds profound on more than one level.

[@remen_emperor]

Being fairly sensitive to this from childhood, I found that phrase to be interesting. For me, it's almost like an absolute void just existing in the middle of the miasma of noise. The closer someone is, the more absolute the void. However, it's about as clearly sensed as sound, so I get it. I just wouldn't have described it that way, so it was interesting

[@austinfernando8406]

i wonder how that dude would react to one of those echo absorbing rooms

[@kerry1022]

It's nonsensical. A better way to describe what she was saying is that the lack of sound still provides sensory input, not still makes noise.

[@WilbertBeltman]

I found it so weird that Molly would sometimes while she was talking, turn to the camera and look right into it, she's very good at knowing where something or someone is its amazing

[@JohnPorsbjerg]

and now we're all sitting in front of our computers like idiots making clicking sounds and shushing at our hands

[@Epiccatqueen-un1ew]

Oml I though I was the only one 😂😂😂

[@dashinypunnymarsking]

you can read my mind lol

[@eamonahern7495]

Yep! 😂🤣😂🤣

[@Unholycrumpet]

Lmao I was sitting at a stoplight listening to this and trying it and the person next to me was looking at me weird

[@frewgi]

Literally just did that and then looked at this comment.

[@astral6749]

I can't wait for my mom to see me shh-ing a bowl.

[@rayakoth]

and clicking your tongue down the corridor, in the middle of the night, in total darkness.

[@Nihilist_Porcupine]

"Sweetie... it's not gonna talk back." But it doesssssssssss

[@thederpydude2088]

XD

[@thelasthawkthorn6613]

When i was young, the cops saw me shh-ing a bowl. I got a minor in possession charge...

[@philipmohlin3887]

comedian

[@remen_emperor]

"Sound shadows" is actually something I've been aware of most of my life, but never knew was a special concept until someone came face to face with me while I was napping in highschool. There was the room's general noises, where I was pretty aware of where the groups of people were and vaguely aware of how many individuals were in each one, (something I just liked know for whatever reason), when suddenly the most obvious void of sound popped up directly in front of my face. When I asked what they were doing, they were surprised that I could tell despite having my eyes closed. A decade later, and I still listen for those voids in the room. Actually, it helps me multitask as hospital security because I can take my eyes off of people that are likely to elope and still know when they stand up or otherwise change... sound shape? The dead zone grows taller when they stand up, or grows wider if they're leaning out of their chair/bed. Much easier on a chair. In general, I try to rely on my sight as little as possible. First thing I did with my multitool was learn how to access the tool I wanted by feel and memory. I put things down with the intent of taking them even if my eyes are somewhere else. Heck, I have a severe dislike of checking for my wallet by hand, so I just flex my leg to see if I feel its shape. My point is that even being sighted, I dislike having to rely on the sense entirely. I had never considered honing onto a single, individual sound (type) as my wayfinder. I just kind of listen for the garbled miasma of noises for voids in it. This video has given me something else to practice on!

[@matthewmorris5128]

I like how she’s blind but still closed her eyes to find the bowl 🤣🤣🤣

[@jeffgrill7214]

she 100% wasn't blind, altho what they showed works, she wasn't blind and this is bs because of the normal abient noise around everywhere it would work so frequently

[@junkoenoshima2756]

@@jeffgrill7214 how do you know she wasn't blind. My school teacher was legally blind but he could still see the difference between light and dark so he would close his eyes when doing things such as the party games we did (pin the tail on the donkey)

[@TuberoseKisser]

@@jeffgrill7214 lol okay internet scientist

[@atharvaruplag]

I guess she is partially blind. Partially blind people barely see thing till some range, beyond which they can't see.

[@froilanflorentino1252]

@@jeffgrill7214 thanks for contribution Einstein

[@Judymontel]

I love that beaming look on Molly's face as she realizes the active echolocation gives her more accuracy and that she can gain this skill. Wonderful!

[@shawnfunny2540]

First comment

[@david203]

When blind kids have the good fortune to work with a kind and expert teacher, amazing transformations can happen! Unfortunately, there aren't enough great teachers, school programs, or real understanding by adults for blind kids.

[@katedann8377]

"there's so much noise out there, we have to be able to filter out!" My ears must be working overtime they straight filter everything out. Deaf joke...I am deaf, not funny :) PS thanks for having good closed captions!

[@ahuman5772]

I'd like to inform you that my girlfriend and I love your comment. Both of us have sensory processing issues so we found the "your brain filters stuff out" sentence funny as well but for a different reason lol

[@lynxaway]

aHuman same here lol!

[@bpislove7065]

aHuman She isn’t actually deaf

[@katedann8377]

z706 sorry if I’m mistaken but are you saying I’m not deaf?! Because I am I have been deaf/ hard of hearing since birth. I can talk but that’s because I had enough hearing to learn how to. Again sorry if that’s not what you meant I just can’t see any other way to read the comment.

[@gradesam6306]

This is some toph energy right here.

[@Narveloz]

human echolocation work like this. Mom: Joeeeeeee!!!! Joe: Yess mooom!!! Mom: he is in his room Joe: mom's in the kicthen they've found each other

[@bluebehrry8473]

Joe mama

[@victoryjamz]

Mum: hey come here My dumb butt: goes to the opposite end of the friggin house

[@eeshathakoor646]

Mom's always use Active Echolocation. She always finds things I can't find😂😂

[@jherommiles9742]

Bryan is a real good teacher. Just watching him explain everything makes you learn a lot about active echolocation

[@AmandaBrown-pu4ev]

Hearing about how Molly was taught passive echolocation, helps explain how she is able to grab her drinks pretty easily, or know exactly where the handle of her fridge is, etc.

[@darkiee69]

I think a lot of that is just spacial awareness. She knows her appartement so well by now that she can walk right up to the fridge and know where the handle is. And she knew where she placed her water bottle, so she can reach out for it and know that it's there.

[@timan2039]

@@ragnkja if they know the door exist and where it is

[@chrizero2319]

she has a good chunk of her vision left, shes faking total blindness. ive seen her react to peoples movments in loud enviroments. she can clearly see something.

[@ragnkja]

Chrizero She is not faking her blindness, but she can see bright lights, though not colours.

[@pau259]

@@chrizero2319 what, you can't sense when someone who's close moves around you when you have your eyes shut or looking somewhere else? I've always been able to do that. We have more senses than just vision that help us reconstruct our environment, when are people going to understand that?

[@amirsafari7140]

i need this skill for when i turn off the light and trying to find my way to bed:)

[@timan2039]

I made a habit of not using any artificial light after bed. I can get around my home in complete dark, quietly.

[@ShankarSivarajan]

@@timan2039 Unless you live somewhere particularly remote, or your house is unusual in some way, "complete darkness" should still be bright enough to see outlines.

[@fiffihoneyblossom5891]

That's what the little toe is for, finding furniture in the dark

[@ikrar26]

If u r home everyday.. actually u dont need echo to find ur own bed.. cause u "know" ur room and ur house..

[@brianjuelpedersen6389]

@@fiffihoneyblossom5891 LMAO

[@orlevzach]

Not only interesting, but really important. Thank you all!

[@kid14346]

The comment of conquering the fear of darkness reminds me of my favorite Toph quote, Sokka: "It's pitch black-and-white! I can't see a thing!" Toph: (sarcasm) "Oh no... what a nightmare."

[@MarieSuzette]

Me, a hard of hearing person making clicking noises alone in my living room. What am I doing.

[@unfetteredparacosmian]

Same tho

[@bjrtjansdottir9159]

Me

[@mac81659]

Same here

[@andymiron7941]

Open your eyes stupid. :D

[@david203]

Answer: you're doing science. Experimentation leads to insight.

[@stastnysvet6653]

6:04 the moment Molly realizes she could possibly ride a bike.

[@pemo2676]

I love how she still closes her eyes when clicking

[@waynejohnson1786]

"Damn, that's a really good tongue click." Things I never thought I'd say.

[@jaypaans3471]

One of the thing I noticed is that Molly - being blind for (over) a decade now - is still very actively and specifically looking all around her. She actually looks at the people who are talking and even towards the camera. You really cannot see that she is blind. Very interesting. Especially when I think about people who have gone deaf - they usually will speak less and less clear over time.

[@swedneck]

I found that interesting too, looking at someone is such an important thing for socializing and i'd wager doing so helps her seem a lot more "normal" to others.

[@robburgess4556]

I was thinking the same thing. Brian was obviously blind but Molly could fool anyone.

[@Danspy501st]

I havent seen the video with her, or read so much into the illness that she has. But it might also be because she still can see, but the images is very blurry or really off focus. Again, I dont know much about it or really have an idea how it feels to have it that kind of illness. It can also be what she had learned. Like the passiv echo

[@Sophie-og4ws]

@@Danspy501st The only 'sight' she has left is light and shadow perception, this is how she can look at cameras etc. if they have bright lights behind them, they stand out.

[@Tinyvalkyrie410]

Yes! I was super focused on that too. Along with head and eye movements, she also uses very subtle facial expressions I have almost never seen on a blind person before. I wonder if this is something she does intentionally because she is a youtuber, and therefore has to appeal visually to sighted people.

[@zendehart9816]

Confirmed. Molly is Daredevil

[@doogless]

I need someone good at photoshop to do a version of this - i.imgur.com/VHaWXRP.jpg - with her face

[@georgplaz]

not yet

[@CheriBenIesau]

A mosquito just approached me in the dark while I watched this. I realized I knew exactly where it was directionally and in distance. Fascinating what can be accomplished when we don't accept the limits people put on us.

[@aussieproductions1422]

If anyone has VR, I 100% recommend Notes on Blindness, it's free and it shows how one blind person perceives the world around him through sound and has a lot of using passive echolocation, like how he always looked forward to windy days because it meant he could see the world through the sounds the wind made. As a sighted person I honestly didn't think it would be very realistic considering you can see things in it, but they did an amazing job showing it in a way that sighted people can somewhat understand (ie; part of it was about the panic of not knowing where you are or what's around you, it's legitimately scary to see the world in vr, see the world slowly fade away until you can just barely see what's around you, seeing the sounds of a car flying past you, bikes cutting you off, and just not knowing when something is coming... ) It's obviously not the same way for every blind or visually impaired person, but it's still worth the couple minutes to try it out for anyone who has vr :)

[@tobiasluong4621]

Is it on oculus?

[@aussieproductions1422]

@@tobiasluong4621 yup!

[@Hidfors]

Awesome timing. I just found out that i'm going to go blind in a few years due to a rare genetic thing. This gave me quite a bit of motivation.

[@jonsnor4313]

Sorry and i am nor blind or so, but apperently its more like a rough change than the end of the world. There is no time for self pity. I guess enjoy your time and watch what you want to watch whewn you can. Be strong but if something is on your chest, talking is the best way to deal with that. The world is unfair, but thats no reason to let yourself down. And i mean it seriously to use your time while still seeing instead of sobbing in self pity, a bit is ok, but only a bit. Watch sone good cartoon or the sea or whatever for closure, when you can. Then you have some memories to treasure. I dont really know what to say because it must be difficult, dont give up on enjoying your life.

[@jonsnor4313]

If you arent on mollys channel, she talks a lot about her experiences going blind, nd she is always that cheerful..

[@Hidfors]

@@jonsnor4313 Thanks. I've already accepted my future. That's not what my comment was about. I've had what you'd call a very "interesting" life, resulting in complex PTSD. I just finished my treatment, and trust me - it's been 15 very intense months of adjusting to rather radical change. I would very much have liked to establish something resembling normal life before adapting to the next big change. That's why I felt the video was motivational. It lessened the feeling of "huge change coming." I'm FAR from sobbing in self pity, thankyouveryfuckingmuch. I found that a bit offensive. See, when you've really *fought* to survive PTSD without blowing your brains out, you tend to *not* wallow in self-pity.That sort of experience tends to make you a fighter. No, I got a list of things to do before I go blind. A piece of advice: If you don't know what to say, stop talking. Asking questions is fine, but read the room, man ;)

[@jonsnor4313]

@@Hidfors Sorry, i didnt mean to ofend you, and neither knew you had already bckstory, really sorry.

[@Hidfors]

@@jonsnor4313 That's quite alright. Everybody has a backstory. Life experience. See when you get a larger diagnosis, like a neuromuscular disorder, PTSD, or blindness, or what have you... people have a way of telling you, to your face, who or what you are. Because everyone has ideas of what the "disease" means. That gets very condescending. See, I'm still me. I'm not my disease. If anything makes you feel different, handicapped, limited or what have you, it's when other people have these preconceived notions. You get judged on that, just like you get judged on your tattoos. Or gender. Or skin-colour. In short; Don't tell people who they are. It's quite alright to ask if you're curious though. Have a cool day, man :)

[@starcycle4308]

I've always had a sort of respect for "disabled" people, blind and deaf especially, but this just took it to a whole new level. I have a newfound respect for blind people, and deaf people a little too, and I hope to learn more about how people with sensory "loss" can actually gain more from it than any fully-sensed person could.

[@oegstv5899]

Echolocation skills should be part of our curriculum starting from our elementary school. It is as important as learning how to swim and even more important than learning how to sing as echolocation is kind of a life saving skill that is very useful during the absence of light.

[@davefx7949]

"You're probably wondering why I"m walking around blindfolded", no the title of this video explains it very well hahah.

[@yaelrapoport500]

Brian is like toph from Avatar only with ears instead of feat 😂

[@Max-ns8lc]

It took me a while to get it

[@ElephantsRock943]

He's like the ember island toph. "AHHHHHHH! I got a pretty good look at you right there."

[@audreydoyle5268]

I use both ears and feet. Sounds help me find vertical things and vibrations help me find things on the floor. Plus, as I'm walking, I can feel the exact type of ground underneath through, obviously the hardness, and and the vibration from the contact with the ground and my feet

[@shawnfunny2540]

Feet

[@skhafijurrahaman9204]

@@ElephantsRock943 but ear instead of mouth.

[@marioeagle93]

The natural way those blind guys move their eyes is wonderful. When Molly was making the bowl experiments, she actually closed her eyes and suddenly opened them when she figured out she was right. And I guess that's because she is not blind from birth: that led her to absorb that unconscious behavior and keeping it after blindness.

[@harrybarrow6222]

50 years ago, for my PhD, I did research into the sense of touch, funded by a foundation for the blind. At that time, My supervisor was doing research into navigation using auditory cues, sometimes called “blindsight”. Suppose you are walking near a wall. Ambient noise reaches your ears and so does the noise reflected from the wall. The two sounds interfere, so the spectrum of the result has peaks and valleys. You perceive a tone. The pitch of the tone rises as you get closer to the wall, and the rate of rise increases too. The rate of rise tells your brain how long to impact! You learn to stop when you are in danger.

[@randomsandwichian]

I think that has the same principle with an approaching vehicle; the sound waves are more muted due to the delay and volume of air molecules it travels through compared to sound that bounces off near objects, with a mix of other acoustic principle involved. That may be why the brain waves for motion and senses activate the same way it does for sighted people as it does for the blind as was explained in this video, it's not a 1-for-1 signal that our brain interprets as "senses" but a modular way of it identifying the "quality" of the object it perceives. Like how people with better eyesight sees differences in colors more accurately, those signals firing in the brain is telling itself what is considers "bright" or "dull". At least, that's how I am understanding it as.

[@cipher5893]

I actually used to do this as a kid when we played hide n seek in the dark. I'd keep replaying how the sound of their voices saying 'ready' felt on my ear drum and walk right to em.

[@KingWhoppa]

exploits, cheating, hacking, how do i press the report button?

[@Ms123kill]

Yes and you also came up with string theory

[@LaranyaM]

@@Ms123kill how did you know, omg you're too powerful

[@altioar]

That dude missed an oportunity by not calling his NGO "Visionears"

[@nolanwestrich2602]

That profile pic looks a little familiar. And your comment included a pun. ARE YOU TRYING TO TAKE MASTER THERION'S JOB?

[@tymmezinni]

So many companies for blind use that kind of wordplay that I didn't even think it would be spelled as "eers".

[@altioar]

@@tymmezinni same, i was playing videogames with the video in the background, and when I heard the name the first thing that came to mind was "VisionEars". Later I paused my game and happened to see the dudes shirt and I was disappointed.

[@brooklynskitz1124]

This was one of my favorite videos! I loved how amazing both of their souls are! God bless them on their journeys in life.

[@missaisohee]

This is so humbling.

[@fredriks5090]

Reminds me of blind Toph from "Avatar; The last airbender". She echolocates through the ground instead of the air.

[@curiousseal2678]

I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find this comment!

[@cyrilmuluh]

Wow, the brain is a true machine that we underestimated its potential

[@Juhanikki.]

The brain underestimates the brain? Boooooom!!! Mind blown

[@chelsey8737]

Its crazy!!! It's absolutely crazy how the brain works, it's abilities and capacities

[@georgplaz]

@@Juhanikki. the brain is the most important organ in our body according to the brain!

[@GamelanSinarSurya]

I am a long-time surfer, and we use our eyes for split second timing: went to drop in on a wave, how far down to travel the wave face before making a bottom turn, went to tuck into the curl to avoid being hit by the lip, went to cut back towards the curl when the wave slows down, and went to pull out of the wave and end the ride.Once when I was in a daredevil mood, I decided to go surfing on a dark moonless night. I could not even see the waves coming toward me. Somehow I felt a wave was near, paddled and took off. To my amazement I was able to accomplish all of the usual moves on the wave, without seeing a thing! It was then that I realized that “hearing” the wave was almost as good as seeing it. Your video really brought this home to me. Thank you.

[@smallandstressed2364]

“Brains want sensory information” Me with sensory processing disorder: yes, but not too much.

[@_cactuz__9749]

I have issues with locating where sounds are so if someone is making a noise or trying to call for me, I won’t know where it’s coming from because I can’t filter out noise. But when it comes to smells they’re so strong and I really dislike it so I know where they are or things on my skin even if it’s small, but for some reason sounds are hard to locate. And when I close my eyes I can feel things near me even if they aren’t touching me and it’s so intense I don’t like the feeling so that’s why I don’t like navigating in the dark.

[@ChibiYotsuba]

Ok, I'm autistic and highly sensitive to sound and visuals. The moment Molly stood in the corner to try and create an image of the corner with echolocation, my brain just flooded with information. It was a similar sensation to when I would look someone straight in the eyes. You see, contrary to what many believe, autistics who avoid eye contact (not all do), do so not out of lack of social skills, but because the amount of information flooding in is too intense. It's disstressing. With Molly creating that image in the corner, a similar thing happened. I quickly paused the video, 'cause of the disstress I experienced, and to take a moment to process. It was highly uncomfortable. When I got through processing, I realised the image of that wall was lodged into my memory, like it imprinted. I can just recall it now. I'm not trying to be special or anything. This really happened, and it greatly unsettled me. So why share it? Because I'm always interested in the workings of the brain, and people watching videos like these might be as well. So I thought people might find it interesting what an autistic brain with sound and visual sensitivities might do with sensory information like this. First I thought I might want to learn echolocation, because I thought I would be great at it. Now I think it would be a horrible fit. It's just too much and too disstressing. It's really interesting to me though.

[@jexsigreysandiego]

Thank you for taking the time to expound on you idiosyncratic experience with that particular event. I would love to learn more about your special disposition. Do you know what the official name is so I can read up on it by chance? I suspect that many people experience a flood of information during eye contact but may not realize or be able to quantify the phenomena.

[@ChibiYotsuba]

@@jexsigreysandiego It's just autism. Not all autistics experience this, but it is a very common symptom.

[@MiCKeyChannel0031]

You're a superhero

[@kin2naruto]

No - DO learn how to do echolocation on your own. Visual information is so intense that its often helpful to me to just shut my eyes and navagate blind for a bit. Ditto when I focus my eyes on something highly detailed (like a textured wall) to tune out noise. Knowing what to do with all the information coming in is useful in making it less overwhelming. Like when I go 'dectective mode' in social situations and observe/process all the non-verbal signals coming in without talking or adding to the conversation myself. (Hint - looking at the space between the eyebrows is a good "cheat" to looking people in the eyes. It reads the same to them, but isn't as overwhellming to you) Learning to process and sort overwhellming stimuli is one of the best ways to deal with overload. (Be careful of getting "overtired" tho - although adult brains don't seem to have that problem the way child brains do)

[@ChibiYotsuba]

@@kin2naruto That's an interesting take on it. I'll ponder that for a while. I know about the eyebrow thing by the way. That's how I usually get by.

[@al7162]

10:58 I like how she has her eyes closed even though she’s blind

[@maaikequest3760]

Mopsy does the draw she can see shadows and lights!

[@calebb.890]

um shes probably not even blind

[@lmao2302]

@@calebb.890 Bruh

[@victoryjamz]

@@calebb.890 maybe shes trying to be polite or sumthin bro

[@DaBestNub]

I like how Molly closes her eyes as she clicks

[@aaronthemartialmechanic893]

We do it as well when we're trying to focus or remember things. It weird how that helps

[@albertoborboncastro8513]

Hi Joe…I’ve been a fan of your show for quite a while. Thank you so much for what you and all of your fellow colleagues at PBS do. Truly opens our minds to new things and ideas…and keeps us curious!!Congratulations. This video in particular was amazing: Showing things about our brains, that also directly impacts the quality of life of many people, was impressive! Great job. Thanks again. Regards from Costa Rica.

[@MaesaAndreasnata]

How about seeing with your feet, like Toph Beifong?

[@ndpd7695]

It's actually seeing through vibrations and sound not feet but still it's so cool and Toph is a savage and I love her

[@karatesoccerbaseball]

@@ndpd7695 but is she a Savage in the box?

[@Mimyakko]

I think that was more her earth bending skills as well. Since she is able to actually move the ground she walks on and feel everything with her bending I think that gives her a much better perception of the world along with her echolocation.

[@haileymueller6153]

I think you could probably learn that to an extent, but you would be limited because you're not an earth bender.

[@stormtepas9768]

@DannyDaDuffyDucking Daffer have... Have you read the name of the channel you're watching?

[@vari1535]

I like how Molly closes her eyes when tongue clicking

[@awelotta]

Apparently she can see dark and light (on her channel she mentions this), so it's probably distracting to her when she's trying to echolocate. Really interesting.

[@helldronez]

maybe kind of half blind idk

[@SelanneFan8]

Happy Poop no she’s considered fully blind, she’s able to see shadows though if there is a light source

[@prestonang8216]

Vicky S So is it black and white turned on to 100%

[@minwellitsanicknamebegrate2531]

Happy Poop she’s legally blind .. imagine looking at the sun with your eyes closed if you put you hand in front you can tell it’s there just not where or what it is

[@jeremygarcia9372]

I like how when Molly does the exercises she still closes her eyes.

[@brianhuntington6347]

But why does she?? I don't think she's completely without sight!!

[@melance]

Molly makes me so happy. She's just so excited.

[@jesseydalla-vecchia3086]

11:50 Molly closing her eyes is the cutest thing because you forget that she’s blind but then big dog at her feet 😂

[@GregConquest]

Retinitis Pigmentosa is a progressive disease that causes sight to gradually narrow, to gradually lose contrast, and then to gradually fade out. It sometimes takes years and years (I had a friend who went through it). I don't know what stage she was in at filming. Did the video say? She may have still been able to see light and shadow at the center of her vision, so closing her eyes would have put her fully in the dark.

[@dagmar0904]

@@GregConquest she said she went completely blind with 14 and now she is 25

[@ravenhartley5319]

@@dagmar0904 she lost the majority of her vision at 14 but she is not completely blind.

[@thatjitkai5821]

@@dagmar0904 no she didn't

[@jamesbizs]

@@dagmar0904 she’s clearly looking directly at the camera….

[@ghendrix2264]

Im tearing over this. I never felt so inferior to a more handicapped individual. I hits me really hard on how much I have taken my body capacity for granted. On a less serious note, these 2 people can literally be a ninja.

[@elianna_ecc]

"Handicapped" is an extremely offensive word. Please use the word "disabled".

[@elkiness]

One of the best! Must admit, got tears in my eyes and a strange sensation of expanding brain.

[@YannChemineau]

I think passive echolocation is something even sighted people do, only not consciously. When you get up at night and wander in your dark home, aiming to the kitchen, you're using your spatial memory but also echolocation. Try and do the same with earplugs or headphones with music on, and you'll notice the difference.

[@IAmNotYourProblem]

My grandma was blind and taught me this. She told me that sound is like waves around rocks, you can feel the shift in current. She used passive for most things but active if in a place she wasn’t familiar with. I now have very sensitive ears, i can hear things most wouldn’t and I notice small noises that most would ignore as background noise.

[@heididavison816]

Video was too short!! I could have watched more like this for hours! Wow

[@Mzzcurlyhead]

Thank you all for sharing this experience!

[@daxhopkins7312]

Thank you. I'm having increasing difficulty with vision. I'm mostly tapping a finger ring or a ball bearing on my wheelchair to get the sound, as I can't really click my tounge well, but this is really useful, and validating, as so many people think I'm nuts if I try to explain I'm using sound to get an understanding of where I am. I'm autistic, and have always used sound to supplement vision, and have listened for the echo of my motor to hear whether I'm about to hit something for a few years now. But I never realised the fidelity I could get. 20 minutes practice and I could walk through a door without feeling for the frame first, now I'm doing so much more. I never thought I'd be able to locate things like this again. Thank you again.

[@jcortese3300]

I'm not blind, and I remember doing this in the family car when I was little, when we'd drive with the windows down in summer. I recall very clearly hearing a loud hiss that would periodically go completely away, then come back, then go away again, and wondering what was causing it. I kept listening and looking out the window to see what it was because it sounded like an echo -- and that's what it was. I realized that it was the hiss of the tire noise. When we were next to a curb, the hiss bounced back to the car. When we went past a curb cut or an intersection, the hiss went away. So I could close my eyes and tell when we were passing an intersection or curb cut by listening to the tire noise. Sighted people I think hear this more than we realize, but our eyes are so overwhelming a sense that we just tune it out -- but even we can tell things like how large a darkened room is when we walk into it.

[@amianji1832]

Someone should do “being blind for a week” ..and not like a joke but actually trying to adapt to the lifestyle

[@kimsim4647]

Ahh, no. No, that is not a good idea. Blind people who have lived with vision impairments have had time to learn how to compensate, learned ways to do things differently, putting on a blindfold for a week is similar to painting a white person black and believing they'll live the black person's experience.

[@htoodoh5770]

@@kimsim4647 bro it is just a suggestion.

[@remen_emperor]

I've been wanting to do something like that for a while and document the experience. Only problem is that I need a friend that I trust to be as aware and borderline paranoid of the area as I am before I'd be comfortable enough to actually work without too much hindrance

[@leadster2256]

I would wanna do that but could it damage your eyes ? Not seing any light for a week. But if it doesn't damage eyes it could be a great way to understand or see a bit of blind persons life but idk

[@orangebeagle3068]

I don’t think it would damage your eye. You might see the world upside down for a while after taking your blindfold off though. I heard that’s what happens to people who live in caves and stuff like that. Your eye sees the world upside down and your brain flips it rightside up. Your brain has been doing this since you were a baby. But if you don’t get any visual stimuli for a while, your brain will forget this trick and you will have to relearn it. I don’t remember how long you have to be blindfolded before this happens though.

[@chattyhyena3607]

Tope takes this to another level, unlike passive and echolocation, she uses seismic feelings through her feet

[@chrismoody1342]

I’ve know other that are truly accomplished in echolocation. The one that stands out is a teen who rides a bicycle with parked cars all around. He manages to ride with zero hesitation and seamlessly navigated the street. He said he learned echolocation with zero formal training and has practiced this since he was young.

[@misaalanshori]

When my family still uses CRT TV's I would use the high pitched humming from the TV to hear if someone is coming to my room... And now because my PC is always on I could listen to the fan sound to hear where I'm facing

[@lobsterrock4570]

love this! i love seeing a blind-majority activity where the sighted person is the one who's the fish out of water :)

[@SkyRunner21]

It makes me cry to see them looking at each other even though they're blind... I'm so glad they are able to cope with the world in their own unique way. Life sure ain't fair but you gotta deal with what you got. I kiss you blind people and send tons of virtual hugs, I'm so proud of you🤗🤗🤗

[@patrickcunningham1242]

This is a awesome video, heard about this as a kid and loved trying to walk around the house with my eyes closed doing this. I think this video really explains how certain disabilities can really be mitigated by creative solutions and even open up whole new worlds for those individuals.

[@InvectivePleasure]

I love Molly, and I would LOVE for her to learn this and be able to ride a bike. How exciting!!

[@siyacer]

Perhaps a reversed bike.

[@calebb.890]

Um

[@shuyan6887]

@@siyacer perhaps a me bike 😉

[@anomalocaristheabnormalshr3248]

@@shuyan6887 no

[@sophieturner577]

You can do a version of this with someone who is deaf (depending on their type of hearing loss), you can use claps to get a deaf persons attention because of the way they pick up on vibrations. Its fascinating!

[@TheBluemindedGod]

Weird, I was just thinking how she kind of looks like Sophie Turner from GoT.

[@captsparrowslady]

I went to a church dance with some friends who were deaf and there were balloons as decorations so the deaf people would lightly hold a balloon in their hands and the vibration of the music from the speakers would vibrate in the balloon and they'd be able to feel the music thru the balloon. As someone with hearing, I could feel the vibrations in the balloon as well, but it wasn't as profound for me as it was for my friends who were deaf.

[@conlon4332]

@@captsparrowslady Wow, cool!

[@tagrisaj3344]

I love how Molly closed her eyes even though she's blind.

[@eamonahern7495]

One of the most fascinating videos pbs studios have put out. I saw a news report on a Belgian guy who used echo location many years ago and since then I've never thought of going blind as something someone should be overly fearful of.

[@randomclips4094]

Teacher: "Humans have five sense hearing, taste, touch, smell, sight" Me: "I can see using sound" Teacher: "You cant see using sounds silly" Me: *shows him this video* Teacher: "Wait. Thats illegal"

[@thedragonsen]

The thing about this is that there are also many more than just five senses. School did us all dirty

[@justsomeautisticwoman6202]

DragonSen yeah they did

[@miguelbernardino2858]

Teacher: u can hear a picture Me: shows a pic of Minecraft experience orbs

[@sion8]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense#Other_senses

[@triviaseesawoutsold2104]

teacher: humans have five senses student: can you turn the ac on its hot in here

[@dashed0115]

Me: Has sight, but *walks* into a chair

[@bernard2735]

I think the title should read 'Featuring Molly Burke and Brian Bushway'. He was awesome in this video.

[@cesarvidelac]

Frank Herbert wrote the first "Dune" novel in 1965. Some years later in a sequel, one carachter was inside a cavern with no lighting, she was so skilled at echolocation that she used a clap of her hands to measure the cavern within centimeters of precision, not being blind. Oue brain plasticity is awesome in real life too. There is a possibility I go blind in the near future because diabetic retina disease (I already loss the vision of my left eye), this is inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[@chillsahoy2640]

What's interesting about passive echolocation is that I think I've always done it subconsciously whenever I was trying to get around in a dark room, but it wasn't until this video explained it that I even realized what my brain was actually doing.

[@ericlueck5359]

As a vision-impaired guy myself, I wish it wasn't quite so heavy on the "wow, blind people can do stuff too!" tone, but it helps show the world that we're not helpless and have our own means of doing things. So good on it. Anything to stem back the tide of ignorance when it comes to blind representation.

[@jeffgrill7214]

I've worked with several visual impared individuals and every one of them wished they had this ability. There is some ligitamacy in what they show, everyone can go and do the exact same thing they just showed. Then go try all of it and 3 feet away, now 4 feet away, then 5 or 10 or w/e.. you will quickly learn that after like 2 feet and your face isn't directly in it you have very little control over knowing the direction of the sound, at least enough to " human " echo locate

[@DARKELITE3000]

This comment needs more likes

[@vennom14]

Had a friend teach me this, years ago. Humans are adaptive to a level we don't fully understand

[@kristinessTX]

They literally see with sound...this is awesome

[@daisybrain9423]

"I release a sonic wave from my mouth." *sonic wave* "There. I got a pretty good look at ya."

[@Sofia2crazy]

Did this happen in the video?

[@daisybrain9423]

@@Sofia2crazy No, but I thought I'd make that joke ^^

[@Biomirth]

HADOOOKEN

[@delaneykeller1389]

What is this from? I know I know it from somewhere

[@inspiredimpression]

@@delaneykeller1389 I believe It is from Avatar the last airbender, during the ember Island play they have the buff guy playing toph say a similar line and scream then saying the second line after lol

[@GetToKnowNature]

This was utterly fascinating! The best possible way to do a collab. Thank you both.

[@KY_CPA]

I love everything I've ever seen that features Brian and active echolocation. There are several videos, shows, and documentaries featuring the topic, and even him ❣️

[@ajs11201]

Joe, you have put out some fabulous videos, but this is perhaps your best ever. Many thanks!

[@nalanix3058]

who else knew Molly before this?!

[@miguelbernardino2858]

Nalanix nope

[@nebukatt2143]

I'm not blind, but I actually think I have taught myself to use echolocation without really knowing. I usually used to listen to everything around me wherever I walked when I was being bullied daily. This way I was able to avoid everyone and every danger that I was worried I might have encountered

[@MrRendeer]

I like how Molly still closes her eyes

[@MoonJumpMania]

I just find it amazing how she can look straight at the camera

[@amandagriggs9646]

This is such an amazing video, I always knew that blind people experienced the world solely through sound but never to this intensity or detail

[@prashantpacific2575]

I have this habit of using a different glass to drink water every time i go to kitchen. And a lot of times my mom taking a bath shouts from the bathroom, exactly at the moment when i am about to pick a different clean glass, telling me to use the glass i used minutes ago or i will have to wash it. Beat this echolocation.

[@icarusash2241]

Just thank god that we have eyes and we can see the beauty of the world😢☺️

[@ChristianRyanVlogs]

Around 1:50, does anyone else hear that low sounding background laugh? How creative and quick to edit something like that into the video after his statement.

[@mortzon5681]

These two lovely blind people are so positive! Its pretty cool to "see" that. But i would still much rather have vision than being blind.

[@locke_ytb]

9:29 Woah, he echolocated his head. I was so confused for some reason.

[@markdickson3820]

Truly amazing - I tried it, and turns out I kinda suck at it but I love that this exists.

[@yatinvichare2425]

It's amazing! I am already familiar to distinguishing people from footsteps even when I am not a blind. So, my ears are always pretty much on high alert wherever I am especially when in the dark or eating something quitely and even when having earphones and the mobile volume max. Happy to share my experience 😊

[@richardstevens2707]

I have actually experienced the passive echolocation or at least it seems like it. I have RP and so have limited vision at night. Yet I can usually tell when something is in front of me. I just never knew what it was or why it worked. Very interesting.

[@rowan1011]

You should watch the video they did on Molly's channel! She also has RP, and they talk about it in depth there.

[@NoName-lq3zo]

Richard, I have RP, also. Throughout years, I've used mirrors, windows, shadows, and sounds to expand my field of vision, also.

[@meansquaretech]

There is a "phenomenon" called blindsight. Basically, there is more than one part of the brain that processes visual stimuli. Some people who are effective blind due to damage to the part of the brain that processes vision consciously can still "see unconsciously." These people can determine that there are solid objects in their environment without being aware of it. This description is a VAST oversimplication though.

[@boltaurelius376]

I hope you have a good sense of humour Richard because everyone has limited vision at night

[@dancingdays278]

Richard Stevens same! I don’t have an eye disease at all but I can do the same with my eyes closed ect.

[@MichelleC50]

1:51 *the Wilhelm scream* Nice!

[@FizzyToni]

Thanks for finally telling the name of that scream xd

[@FightingIncorrectStereotypes]

I noticed that too. I am nerdy and I always take notice when I hear a Wilhelm scream

[@klloydplata4098]

Even Morbius the Living Vampire used echolocation or bat radar many times even with or without missions.

[@Shub428]

Respect to all differently abled people around the world. Feel blessed for what you have got