More about Dean Hudson and using sound to get around

The blind depend on listening to navigate and keep in touch with the world.

Dean Hudson was visually impaired at birth and went totally blind at age 21 from glaucoma. Adapting to a life of darkness, his ears have become his eyes.

A Bay Area local, Dean received a B.S. in Computer Science from San Jose State University and has dedicated himself to helping people access information. Dean currently works as Information Services Coordinator at Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He employs his computer savvy to support the Lighthouse’s Web site and AIS program, a reading service that allows people with visual impairments to access literature, information, and news via radio, television, and the Internet.

A public transportation commuter, Dean navigates the stations and trains of the BART system nearly every day. Dean says that, with a little practice, all people with the gift of hearing can develop the acute identification and localization skills he’s mastered to get around in the world without sight. In addition to being an expert navigator and computer whiz, Dean taps into his listening skills as a keyboard player and vocalist.