Spatial Orientation in the Blind

Abstract

LITTLE is known directly about the ability of congenitally blind subjects to orient themselves in an unfamiliar environment. Senden¹ went to considerable lengths to document the apparently inherent and unsurmountable difficulties arising from an alleged absence of a “sense of space”. It is clear, however, that the cases assembled by him did not as a whole show degrees of mobility which are more commonplace today. Having worked with a wide range of blind subjects during the past 5 yr we have become convinced that whatever difficulties congenitally blind subjects may experience in problems of spatial orientation are more likely to be caused by lack of experience than by blindness as such.