Re: Extreme spacial and distance awareness.
No, we don't have "superpowers", the world is too mundane for that. People don't realize that there are other ways of accomplishing tasks that don't require vision. We must continually educate them.
As for spacial awareness, you're completely right. YOu're hearing the echos or lack of them, as sounds bounce off of objects in the environment. This is why you can stand next to a car and tell that something if immediately off to your left or right. The ambient sounds are muffled by the obstruction in that specific direction. It's not a "superpower", it's just you using your ears to process what's around you.
In terms of spacial awareness, I think this depends on the individual. I can use a cane pretty well and I know my directions, but navigating unfamiliar locations is my major problem. I think this stems from a few different things. First, I generally don't like wandering around unfamiliar environments. I don't know why, maybe it's partially due to my blindness, partially the fact that I don't find most of the world to be very interesting because it's too visual or loud, etc. If given the opportunity, I'd choose to work from home or stay in one location at work.
The other major problem I have is simply trying to detect what's around me. I can move around, whacking things with my cane, but I'm at a disadvantage compared to the average person. THe average person can open his/her eyes and immediately know that the elvators are off to the left down the adjacent hallway, the front desk is behind and to the left, the offices are off to the right down a corridor, etc. Since I'm totally blind, I don't get that instantaneous stream of information and have to rely on the cane, my memory, and ears. If objects don't make sounds, the ability to hear doesn't really help aside from detecting obstacles and openings. I'm not skilled at echo location and I honestly think it's a bunch of crap. The cane is good for avoiding obstacles from the ground to about chest height, but it does nothing for something that's at head level or above you.
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