We call this initiative "Project SIA". The Egyptian God of Perception was called SIA, and the pronunciation of "SIA" is "see". "Project SEE" seems like a perfect fit for what we have in mind.

Should our organizations jointly sponsor this? It would look quite impressive.

The first step on this long journey is to gather a task force to do five things:

1- Make it clear what the end result will be (at least to articulate possible scenarios)
2. To set the milestones (in a time line) that must be accomplished on the way to the goal
3. To highlight research that must be done along the way
4. To highlight technologies to be developed along the way or as an end product
5. To set in motion stage two of the Project; including recommendations for further task force groups (with clearly articulated objectives)

1. Brain based research (neuroscience) should support our actions
2. The approach should be "gain-based" rather than be a "loss-based" philosophy; not "what is lost and therefore what is to be fixed"; but rather "what does the individuals brain need and how do we provide the correct input (pattern)"
3. The approach is practical, not academic. We are seeking appropriate curricular materials and strategies that further the development of native perception
4. The approach is based on the best knowledge we have of child development
5. Our approach is transdisciplinary, involves assistive technologies, has family training at its core, and is driven by function

Comparison with Braille:

Blind children who are taught Braille follow a step by step training process that begins in preschool and continues through high school. As a result of this developmentally guided curriculum, these blind children become exceptionally proficient using Braille. They read as fast as visual readers and comprehend just as well as the sighted.

Braille (haptic processing) can be understood as an alternative system to visual processing; they both accomplish the task of gathering print based knowledge. The function we call "reading" can be accomplished using either tactile or visual patterns.

By analogy, our belief is that blind children who are given alternative (non-visual) patterns from birth to high school using a developmentally guided curriculum and appropriate assistive technology will "see" the environment and will therefore travel about normally. They may also perceive details in the environment that are presently unavailable to blind individuals.

Consumer and professional experience:

Dan Kish is one of the best examples of a blind individual who uses self-generated (and at times technologically generated) sound patterns to navigate. Using simple tongue clicks he can "see" objects and perceive openings. He also can perceive scenes (landscapes). Dan was self taught; he is now an international expert on echolocation (navigating using sound patterns). Many blind children learn instinctively to hear and avoid walls and to perceive openings. Our belief is that this native intelligence can be trained through a developmental curriculum, and can be enhanced by technology.

Technological push:

Using existing technologies like Dan Kish's SoundFlash and Leslie Kay's Kaspa, we can demonstrate improved perception beyond the native abilities of blind children. In one example, with only one hour of training, blind students were able to use "hand and eye" coordination using Kaspa (ultrasonic sound patterns). One way to think about this is to consider normal spectacle glasses. Without glasses, sighted people can still see to get around and can still identify objects, even though resolution is poor. However, when spectacle lenses are placed before the eyes, object perception improves. The same holds true for blind children; the sound pattern technologies sharpen and enhance their ability to see with sound.

We are in an age of development in which technological breakthroughs are arriving at exponential speed. This means that technologies will arrive at a pace which will make prosthetic vision a reality for blind individuals in the not so distant future. One of our goals for Project SIA is to enable the development of sophisticated prosthetics that make seeing with sound a reality (and that add features beyond perception; GPS, face recognition,computer implant and molecular genetic interfacing, etc.). Dan Kish and I worked on a prototype design called Hawkeye several years ago.

The role of the task force is to create the time line and milestones (the pathway we will follow) to reach the goal. We anticipate that the final goal with have four parallel objectives:

1. The task force will recommend a series of technologies to be developed or adapted; these technologies would be applied depending on an individual's developmental level and brain based findings. The final product may be a visual prosthesis
2. The task force will recommend that a perceptually based developmental curriculum be developed; they will provide the initial outline/guideline for this curriculum
3. The task force will recommend that a perceptually based set of strategies be developed; they will provide the initial outline/guideline for these strategies
4 The task force will define "brain-based" and will create guidelines for achieving this objective

Port the three reasons that OT should be involved to the appropriate place in the AT web site

Contact SVSU about event planning; catering; grant writing and targeting, what they can do to accommodate the task force, etc.

Create a budget. 500 to 800 for transportation. Lodging two nights (informal gathering first night). Ground transportation costs. Consulting fees (500 to 2000). Event planning costs. Conference room rental

Start the grant writing process

The task force will meet for two days

The size of the task force will be nine to twelve members

Shoot for a fall date

This was the first set of names listed for task force membership:

1. Dan Kish
2. Brunhilda Merk-Adams
3. Doug Baldwin
4. Janet Nagayda
5. Suzanne Smith Roley
6. Joe Cutter
7. Curtis Chong
8. Merrill Palmer developmental specialist
9. Ray Kurzweil
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