Freeport, ME -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/02/2013 -- According to engineer and author Tim Johnson, anyone who can hear can Echolocate. Requiring no special equipment or talent, the use of biological sonar is a skill that any blind or visually-impaired person can tap into for complete confidence in foreign environments. In his compelling new book, Johnson provides the world’s first literary guide to active human Echolocation and its simple implementation.

‘Beginner's Guide to Echolocation for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Learning to See With Your Ears’ is more than just a book; it’s a potentially life-changing guide that can bring a new sense of living to the 285 million people around the world who suffer with varying degrees of blindness. The book offers easy-to-understand explanations of scientific principles, inspiring and motivational real-world examples of the uses and benefits of echolocation and actionable lessons to launch anyone – blind or sighted – into a successful practice of echolocation to supplement their existing orientation and mobility techniques.

Book synopsis:

Echolocation is a fundamentally simple skill that many blind people use daily to navigate and understand their environment. This skill is sometimes misunderstood, but it’s far more realistic and much easier than you may think.

The author demystifies the growing practice of active echolocation in a way that anyone can understand, and gives the reader simple exercises, examples, and lessons as a starting point for launching you into a successful practice of active echolocation.

Sound waves – like ripples in a pond – reflect differently off of all objects and surfaces. This makes it possible for the trained ear to distinguish shape, size, distance and material of our surroundings. With sensitization and applied practice of this skill, it’s possible for people with visual impairments all over the world to become increasingly independent.

Understanding the simplicity of this skill will allow you to shift your way of thinking to accommodate an expanded awareness of your environment. With this awareness comes independence, confidence, new possibilities and new opportunities.

As the author explains, Echolocation is the logical next-step for any forward-thinking visually-impaired individual with a desire for more independence in their life.

“Echolocation can offer more detailed information and better visibility, or “resolution” than simply using a white cane or guide dog. While it is recommended to supplement these existing orientation and mobility techniques, echolocation offers the perception of distant objects, shapes, sizes and even materials giving the practitioner infinitely more independence and confidence when moving about the world,” says Johnson.

Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent string of rave reviews.

“I recommend this book for anyone, blind or sighted. Even if you are not interested in learning echolocation, it is still a fascinating read for anyone who enjoys learning something new. Don't know about you, but I am grateful to be able to sharpen all my tools as I continue trudging along on this sightless journey,” says Ro, who reviewed the book on Amazon.

Justin Oldham was equally as impressed, saying, “Anyone who wants to learn about the basics of echolocation can read this book in just a few days. The initiation it provides will literally and figuratively point you in the right direction. Johnson's technique, as presented, isn't hard to grasp. Pay attention to what you hear, and think about what it means.”

With the book’s popularity increasing, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.

‘Beginner's Guide to Echolocation for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Learning to See With Your Ears’ is available now: http://amzn.to/13M22Zl

For more information, visit: http://www.humanecholocation.com/

About Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson is passionate about life and helping all people realize their dreams and accomplish their most aggressive goals. As a martial arts instructor he works with young children as well as adults to help them understand their true potential and gain the confidence and ambition they need to grow into strong, independent people. He believes that no one should settle for anything less than remarkable; and that life is a spectacular journey in which more is possible than we may ever know, but we should never stop trying to comprehend all that it has to offer. Our innate curiosity and motivation to improve ourselves is what makes us human and what will always drive us to new heights.

As a full time engineer, Tim’s approach to echolocation is an analytical, fact-based exploration of the subject. He encourages the understanding of fundamental concepts in order to gain a complete knowledge of a subject.

As a sighted person, he knows that his ability to echolocate might never equal that of a blind person who has used these skills every minute of the day for decades, and whose life literally depends on the amount of awareness he or she has. But he has dedicated a great deal of time and effort to learning the concepts, intricacies and applications of echolocation in his own life with a slightly different perspective in order to understand it to the best of his ability and share these lessons with those in need.