Do Blind People Have Superpowered Senses?

 The short answer is no, but then I cannot speak for all blind people, just myself, it is entirely possible that there is someone out there with Daredevil-like super-senses but alas, that person is not me. However the long answer to this question is still no, but also, maybe?

This is one of those questions that comes up more often than just about any other question, when it comes to blindness. I am not sure from where the myth originated, but it sure is widespread today. Movies, books, and other forms of popular media have certainly spread it far and wide. The aforementioned Marvel superhero Daredevil is a blind lawyer by day and vigilante hero by night. His powers were granted to him in the same accident that cost him his sight and these include super hearing and a sonar-like ability that allows him to essentially “see” but with sound. Unfortunately, I lost my eyesight to boring glaucoma and retinal detachments so I get no cool superpowers. What I do have, is what I like to refer to as, a different level of perception from most sighted people.

I have heard other blind people say this as well, so I know I am not alone in feeling this way. I perceive things differently because I have to use the senses that I do have differently than the sighted. I definitely do not have super-hearing, my wife will tell anyone who will listen about this fact. But, when out for a walk in the city, I hear things that she doesn’t pick up on. I also smell things before she does and she has a fantastic sniffer. In those situations, my senses are working harder to pick up on details to add to my awareness of the space that I am in. 

I have found this to be especially true when using my mobility cane. The cane helps protect me from dangers like running into a mailbox or falling off of a curb. Imagine going through life always looking down and being afraid of falling. Using the mobility cane, I noticed that I was able to look up, wasn’t afraid of falling but also noticed that my other senses were heightened. I think it is so cool how this works and see this as a sign of how we were made by God, with overlapping systems that kick in when certain parts do not work as well. I actually feel that I appreciate the space that I am experiencing more now than I ever did when I could see better. The world really is a beautiful and an interesting place, even if you can’t see it.

Now, I need to find a source of radioactive isotopes that will grant me superpowers like Daredevil.