by Stefan Verstappen

Case Study   (continued)

Olfaction could also assist Alice in orienting herself in a strange environment. Finding the restroom in a restaurant could be accomplished by sniffing for the smell of disinfectant, soap, and moisture; entrances could be found through the smell of fresh or outdoor air; change rooms could found by following the smell of perspiration and deodorants. In addition, numerous environments such as kitchens, bedrooms, garages, closets, offices, medical facilities can all be instantly identifiable by their own unique scent. By becoming aware of the information available Alice was able to extend her repertoire of odor identifications that lent support to her perception of the world around her. For example, the very real fear of fire was reduced through her improved olfaction knowing that this enhanced ability would alert her to potential fire hazards. Also, in cooking, Alice's improved olfaction could help detect the smell of decay in meat and poultry, as well as smell the strength of a pot of coffee.

Upon leaving the house I would ask her to sniff the air and describe the weather conditions. Through a combination of feeling the temperature of the air, the warmth of sunlight on her skin, the smell of moisture, the sound of wind, Alice was able to accurately describe weather conditions and often even predict coming snow storms and showers. (See Helen Keller's abilities at weather forecasting.)

Auditory training began with audio calibration, a biofeedback exercise to refine the sense of direction a particular sound is coming from. In addition, extended hearing exercises were taught that Alice found quite relaxing and pleasurable being able to submerse herself into a world of auditory sensation that provided rich perceptions. Another exercise was what could be termed sound recognition indexing. This was simply having the student listen to a variety of sounds and noises and then try to identify the source. Initially numerous errors were made but once corrected they were seldom mistaken again. Through the simple process of walking through the town while identifying different sounds, Alice was able to create an auditory map of the town that she could use to find her way about alone using only her cane. While we walked together I would ask questions and Alice would answer. I would confirm or correct her answer so that she had real-time feedback of what those sounds were. For example:

SV. What is that? (A car passing by.)
Alice. A car.
SV. What direction is it heading?
Alice. North.
SV. Where is Main Street?
Alice. Two blocks east of here.
SV. How do you know?
Alice. The sound of traffic is always heaviest on Main Street.
SV. How many people are walking behind us?
Alice. Two.
SV. How do you know?
Alice. I hear only two rhythms.

Touch sensitivity was improved through a similar program of identifying and correcting different tactile sensations. Training was divided into two categories: general tactile sensitivity and the sensing of another person's body position based on information received through the means by which the subject is being touched or held. The latter being important for developing self-defense skills is dealt with later.

In the martial arts, weapons training consists of learning to extend that sensitivity into the weapon itself so that the body and weapon become one. The same principle was used in extending the sensitivity through the cane. The first step was to dispose of the telescopic cane since the hollow tube, segmented construction interfered with the vibrations generated through the cane. Instead, for the purposes of extending one's sensitivity, and as a possible weapon, I purchased a solid oak curve-handled cane. Training consisted of having Alice identify objects through their texture as felt through the touch of the end of the cane.

First we began with ground surfaces such as pavement, concrete, snow, ice, gravel sand, and grass. Next we worked with indoor surfaces, carpets, tiles, door jambs, stairs, furniture, and then objects such as keys, papers, shoes, slippers, and cutlery. In this way if Alice dropped something on the floor there was no need to get down on her hands and knees to search for it. With the cane she learned to probe outwards in incremental sweeps until the cane encountered an object and she could instantly recognize if that object was the one she dropped.

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"Master, how is it that even though you are blind you know there is a grasshopper at my feet?" asked the novice.

"It would be better to ask how, even though you can see, you did not know there is grasshopper at your feet." replied Master Po.

Dialogue from Kung Fu

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A student of the martial arts flees China after killing a member of the royal family in self defense. Pilot for the popular television series.