Brian Bushway lost his sight to optic nerve atrophy when he was 14 years old. Despite the loss of site, Brian finished high school, graduated from Pepperdine University, and pursued solo mountain biking. Via the Braille Institute, he met Daniel Kish, an expert in human echolocation, who inspired him. Kish helped him change his sense of what’s possible. Brian has gone on to become “the world’s best totally blind mountain biker” (per Mountain Bike Action Magazine).
Currently, Brian serves as a Perceptual Navigation Instructor for World Access for the Blind, teaching persons of all ages how to echolocate or “see with sound.” He has worked with many other organizations to create blind mobility programs and education courses based on FlashSonar™, Perceptual Navigation, and family coaching.
Plutopia News recorded this talk at the BDYHAX 2019 Conference in Austin, Texas. You can also find a transcript of the talk here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download