30 Helping People See and Hear-Mid

Helping People See and Hear FOCUS Question How do tools help people who cannot see or cannot hear?

Making Sense of the World. Our senses help us learn about the world We use our eyes to see things. We use our ears to hear many different sounds. Some people cannot use all their senses. Some are blind. They cannot see. Some are deaf They cannot hear. Do You Know? Some people are born blind or deaf. Others become blind or deaf. from an illness or accident.

Using Other Senses People who are missing one sense can learn to use their other senses more. Many people who are blind learn to read with touch. They use braille books. Braille books have dots that stick up The dots make letters and words. People can feel the words with their fingers!

"Seeing" with Sound Sound can help blind people go places on their own. Have you heard beeping coming from a stoplight? That sound helps blind people know when to cross the street. Some machines can hear and say words. People riding an elevator can say the number of the floor. The elevator will take them up and say which floor they are on.

Smartphones can listen and speak back to a person. Phones can answer questions. They can read signs out loud. Take a picture of something. The smartphone can say what it is! Technology Beep ball lets blind people use sound to play baseball. The baseball beeps and the bases buzz.

"Hearing" with Sight Many deaf people use sight to talk with others. They make words by moving their hands. They watch others move their mouth or hands to see what they are saying. Deaf people can read words on a TV screen instead of hearing the show. Do You Know? Hearing aids make sounds louder. They don't help people who cannot hear at all.