20.40

Echolocation is the interpretation of echoes in an everyday environment to help visually impaired people to make sense of the environment beyond the range of their cane. By making a specific clicking sound, people can decipher the varying echoes to know the size of a room, where objects are, their mass, shape and distance, and navigate obstacles safely. Echolocation gives a language to the sounds and is an additional tool for visually impaired people. This talk will give people an opportunity to participate and experience the echoes around them.

Speakers:

David Logan and Alex Campbell work for Visibility, a charity that delivers services and opportunities to people with sight loss living in the west of Scotland. Visibility’s aim is to provide person-centred services that support people to be independent.

David Logan is the Low Vision Co-ordinator, managing a team who provide mobility training to people affected by brain injury and sight loss, echolocation training and eccentric reading training. He has worked for Visibility for nine years and has been responsible for the development of these innovative services. 

Alex Campbell is a Development Worker and has worked with Visibility for four years. He had to give up his career and return to university to retrain after he became visually impaired. He was one of the first people in the UK to be trained in echolocation techniques and currently trains children and adults to use sound waves to increase their mobility.

Tickets will be available on the night, and issued on a first-come, first-served basis.