Blindness and hearing

[deanna]

Is it true that a blind person's sense of hearing is heightened?

[wildwood]

Usually, but not always. Being blind, that person relies more on their hearing sense and will learn to pick up noises that hearing people ignore.

It is not a natural physical development after a person looses their sight. It is a 'sharpening ' of that sense because it is used and relied on more intensely.

[deanna]

Thank you, 'Wildwood' for your answer.
I am doing some research for a project on the five senses, and am looking at various ways of approaching - Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste and Touch. info. gratefully received!

[saxy_jag]

Wildwood is quite right. I've worked as support worker with college students who were blind. Those with acquired blindness all confirmed what we learnt during training - when you go blind, you gradually learn to use and rely on your other senses more. One chap said he never realised how much he could hear until he lost his sight. I suppose it's like muscles - the more you use them, the stronger they become.

[angeldraws]

Eh? What??? Lol