• Blind sled dog thrives with brother's help

    Jim Cole / AP

    Sled dogs Poncho, left, and his blind brother Gonzo are hooked up for a run at the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel in Jefferson, N.H., on Jan. 17, 2013. Poncho has taken to helping his blind brother on regular runs.

    The Associated Press reports — When Gonzo started tripping over his food dish three years ago, no one could explain or stop the Alaskan husky's quickly advancing blindness. But a veterinarian offered some simple advice: "Run this dog."

    Jim Cole / AP

    Ben Morehouse guides a team of sled dogs, including Gonzo and Poncho, through a field below the Presidential Range in the White Mountains in Jefferson, N.H.

    Gonzo, one of 120 dogs at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, was happy to comply. With help from his brother, Poncho, he soon resumed his place pulling a sled all over New Hampshire's North Country to the delight of tourists and his caretakers, who quickly realized that if Gonzo didn't treat his blindness like an obstacle, neither would they. 

    Kennel owner Neil Beaulieu describes a spring day when he took the pair for a ride on a trail known for its deep snow, and Gonzo strayed to the edge of the trail and stumbled. With the team still moving forward, Poncho reached over, dug his head in the snow and pulled his brother out, grabbing his harness with his teeth.

    "He essentially picked him out of the powder ... threw him back on the trail and never skipped a beat," Beaulieu said. "I've run dogs in a lot of places, all over the country, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen sled dogs do." Read the full story.

    Video: Huskies train for famous sled dog rally in Scotland

    Jim Cole / AP

    Sled dogs at the Muddy Paw Sled dog Kennel in Jefferson, N.H. The kennel takes in rescues and "second-chance" dogs.

     

  • Blind athletes compete for gold in New Delhi

    Saurabh Das / AP

    Durga Midya, a blind athlete runs during the 18th National Sports Meet for the Blind in New Delhi, India. The four day event ends Friday.

    Saurabh Das / AP

    A blind athlete, left, is connected to her guide as she gets ready to run during the 18th National Sports Meet for the Blind in New Delhi, India.

    Saurabh Das / AP

    A guide gives a sense of direction to S Bidyarani Chanu during a shot put event of the 18th National Sports Meet for the Blind in New Delhi, India.

    Saurabh Das / AP

    Teammates smile while looking at a medal won by Suman Kumari during the 18th National Sports Meet for the Blind in New Delhi, India.

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  • Blind ballet: learning to dance without sight

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Deaf ballet student Raissa Goncalves and her blind classmate Vitoria Rodrigues rehearse Don Quixote at the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind, in Sao Paulo on Nov. 19, 2011.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Blind ballerina Vitoria Rodrigues, member of the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind, stands backstage before performing Don Quixote at the Brigadeiro Theater in Sao Paulo on Nov. 26, 2011.

    By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News

    Dancing is challenging enough when you have all of your senses. The movements, the rhythm, the music... the audience. It is hard to imagine performing on a stage that you cannot see.

    Watching your movements while surrounded by mirrors has always been an important part of training for ballerinas. These visually impaired dancers must learn their moves by trusting their other senses and their instructors. In 1995, Fernanda Bianchini embraced these challenges and created new techniques when she began offering free dance classes to the blind and founding the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind in Sao Paolo, Brazil. She has since expanded her teachings to include the deaf and mute.

    On Reuters' photographers blog, Nacho Doce writes about the challenges he faced in order to make these pictures:

    It was one of the most difficult assignments I’ve ever had. I had to learn quickly the steps of their rehearsals so as not to get in the way of their dancing. They surprised me with steps and jumps in which I feared tripping and injuring them. One of the instructors was also nervous with my position, and although I soon understood their movements I knew they could change at any time. That could have been tragic for them.

    What most impressed me was seeing how a deaf-mute dancer helped a blind one, and vice versa. They helped each other by holding hands to learn classic ballet together, with extraordinary simplicity and beauty. Simplicity describes the way they behaved together, and their young age made an even deeper impact on me. Continue reading.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Ballerina and teacher Fernanda Bianchini helps handicapped student Joyna Silva as they rehearse Don Quixote at the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind, in Sao Paulo on Nov. 19, 2011.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Blind ballerina Giovanna Zuttion of the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind gets makeup applied before performing Don Quixote at the Brigadeiro Theater in Sao Paulo on Nov. 26, 2011.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Ballet dancer Everton Bispo (R) and blind student Marina Gimaraes rehearse to perform Don Quixote at the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind, in Sao Paulo November 19, 2011.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Blind ballerina Geyza Pereira, a member of the Association of Ballet and Arts for the Blind, pauses backstage before performing Don Quixote at the Brigadeiro Theater in Sao Paulo on Nov. 26, 2011.

     

  • Marcelo del Pozo / Reuters

    Deaf-blind Christian, 26, swims in a heated pool at the Santa Angela de la Cruz center in Salteras, near Seville, Spain on December 16, 2010. The Santa Angela de la Cruz center was set up in October to house visually and hearing impaired adults and to enrich their lives. At the center, the residents are taught skills to cope with everyday life.

    Swimming in a pool at a center for the disabled in Spain.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    Sometimes the lack of light can make a nice photo too.

  • Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    Babis Koutsopetros, who has been blind since birth, touches a replica of the "Hermes of Praxiteles" statue during a tour at the Tactual Museum of Greece in Athens, Nov. 23, 2010. It is one of five museums of its kind in the world. The main difference between the Tactual Museum and other museums is the opportunity for visitors to touch all the exhibits that are copies of the originals displayed in other Greek museums.

    Greek museum never says, 'Don't Touch'

    FROM THE SOCIETY OF NEUROSCIENCE

    NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 10, 2003 - Until fairly recently, scientists believed that the information gathered by each of the senses — touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste — was processed in separate areas of the brain. Research is now revealing, however, that there is a complex interaction between the senses in the brain—an interaction that enables us to understand the world in a unified way.

    “Since we perceive the world as a whole and not split up into different sensory modalities, it’s important to study how signals from the senses affect each other in the brain,” says Colin Blakemore, PhD, of Oxford University.

    New research on how the senses interact is revealing some fascinating findings: What we see affects how we perceive odors. Blind people do have a superior sense of touch. And the odd mixing-of-the-senses condition known as synesthesia, in which people claim to “see” sounds or “hear” colors, is a very genuine phenomenon....

    Read the whole story here.

  • Blind Muslim student uses guide horse instead of dog‎

    By Carissa Ray

    Blind graduate student Mona Ramouni saved for three years to buy a guide horse because her strict Muslim parents consider dogs unclean. What considerations would you have to weigh when choosing an equine companion rather than a k-9?

    Check out the Full Story from TODAY.

    Mira Oberman / AFP - Getty Images

    Graduate student Mona Ramouni and her guide horse Cali head to class at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 20. Cali is just one of a handful of miniature horses in the United States known to be used as guide animals for the blind and is likely the first pony to attend college.

    Mira Oberman / AFP - Getty Images

    Graduate student Mona Ramouni and her guide horse Cali attend class at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 20.

    Mira Oberman / AFP - Getty Images

    Graduate student Mona Ramouni gets her guide horse Cali a drink of water during a break from class at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 20.