Training Normal Hearing to Greater Usefulness: A Progress Report

Abstract

There is current widespread interest in the use of hearing by blind individuals for the purpose of better orientation and better mobility. The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is now supporting at least three hearing projects of major proportions. The most recent grant was made to C. W. Shilling Auditory Research Center, in Groton, Connecticut. They are equipped with the most modern instrumentation and, according to John Dupress, of the American Foundation for the Blind, they intend to do research which will lead to the identification of auditory cues used by skilled blind travelers. They also intend to design training material for the rehabilitation of blind persons who are not able to travel independently with a cane or a dog. Matching funds for this project have been provided by Seeing Eye, Inc., Morristown, New Jersey. A second project has been in progress about two years at the Industrial Home for the Blind, in Brooklyn, New York. Their objective is service to blind individuals who are hard of hearing. An excellent description of this project, written by Dr. Moe Bergman, the principal investigator, appeared in the December 1959 issue of the New Outlook.1 In the same issue of the New Outlook there appeared also an introduction to the hearing research project in progress at the Cleveland Society for the Blind.3 Our purpose is to develop methods for training normal hearing of blinded persons to greater usefulness. The following article describes the research further and presents some findings.—F.M.N.