Brian Alan Bushway
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Having learned the ability to see with sound by the age of sixteen, expert echolocator, Brian Alan Bushway (born June 28, 1982 in Mission Viejo,California)[1] is a globally recognized diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (DIA) pioneer,[2] certified orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor,[3] keynote speaker, businessman, employment accessibility leader, media production consultant, and musician.[4]
He is co-founder of Acoustic Athletics.[5] In his role as co-founder, Bushway delivers perception and action cognitive enhancement programs for elite athletes, the military and first responders.[6]
Brian is also a program director at Wayfinder Family Services, the largest Department of Rehabilitation provider in California.[7] Bushway is responsible for programs that help disabled individuals learn the skills they need to join or rejoin the workforce. The programs provide assessments, training and placement, as well as coaching and orientation and mobility instruction to help disabled individuals find and keep jobs.[8]
Early life and childhood (ages 1-13)[edit]
Brian was born and raised in Mission Viejo, California. During his early years, Bushway was an active and adventurous child. He played many sports including soccer, baseball, and hockey. As a soccer player, Bushway excelled at the position of goalkeeper earning the nickname "El Gato" for his speed and agility while guarding the net. During the winter months, Bushway and his father Vernon, both avid skiers, spent countless hours navigating the double black diamond gullies at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. Bushway's love for the outdoors extended far beyond winter snow sports. He, his father, and his grandfather would often spend weeks backpacking in the California wilderness, fishing for golden and rainbow trout, and exploring abandoned mines from the California Gold Rush era. In pursuit of his passion for the outdoors, Bushway earned his PADI Scuba Diving Certification in fifth grade.
In grade and middle school, Bushway maintained Bs in his classes. During this time, he was more focused on socialization and interpersonal dynamics, receiving countless Citizenship Awards during his early scholastic years.
As Bushway entered eighth grade, his life changed forever. He was diagnosed with optic nerve atrophy and within a few short weeks was completely blind. As a result, Bushway became depressed and felt hopeless as he struggled with the looming identity crisis.
Adolescence (ages 14-19)[edit]
After completely losing his vision by age fourteen, Bushway developed a complex understanding and relationship with sound, exploring his newfound interests in both sports and music. Bushway found refuge in music and songwriting, using it as a type of emotional therapy, after his uncle, David Robertson, an independent music producer, gave him his first guitar, an Alvarez acoustic. Bushway's initial exploration of sound combined with movement occurred as he walked through the familiar halls of his school. As he walked down a pillar-lined hallway, he was able to distinguish the location of the pillars and open spaces as the echoes of his footsteps filled the hallway, revealing to him, for the first time, the ability for humans to passively echolocate. Seeking additional enrichment, Bushway's family learned of Daniel Kish, founder of World Access for the Blind, and immediately connected the two. Kish taught Bushway how to use self-generated sound for active echolocation.[9]
By the age of sixteen, Bushway mastered human echolocation[10] and began mountain biking under the leadership of Andy Griffen, a leading O&M Instructor in Northern California. Under the guidance of Griffen, Bushway regained confidence in his abilities, became academically competitive with his peers, and competed in track and field events shotput and discuss. By the time Bushway graduated from high school, his mentality completely transformed. His mentality shifted from hopelessness to confidence.
Bushway attended Pepperdine University where his obsession for exploration and adventure only grew as he conquered new obstacles, navigating unfamiliar social and physical environments independently.[11]
Early adulthood (ages 20-40)[edit]
While mastering human echolocation, Bushway and his father explored numerous sports together. Bushway's competitive drive led him to train in both Paralympic skiing and Paralympic wrestling however, his passion for mountain biking fueled his drive earning him recognition as the “World’s Best Blind Mountainbiker.”
Public speaking[edit]
With his unique ability to capture the attention of any audience, Bushway, in his highly charismatic and dynamic style, delivers reality-violating keynote messages that inspire audiences, transform societies, and catalyze change. Bushway, who first stated public speaking when he was sixteen years old, has shared the stage with speakers such as George Foreman, Angela Davis, and many others.
In the media[edit]
Brian’s presentations about FlashSonar™ have also been showcased at the Museums of Science and Industry in Chicago and Oregon.
Widely known for his 2020 New York Times best-seller, BREATHE,[12] award-winning author, James Nestor, chronicles Brian Bushway, and his remarkable ability to echolocate, in his 2014 book, Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and what the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves.
Among multiple television and radio programs, Bushway has appeared on Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Fox News, CBS Medical Minute, BBC’s Extraordinary People: "The Boy Who Sees without Eyes", RTL Network’s Spiegel Magazin, CNN/CNN International's 'Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta',[13] NPR’s This American Life, and The Story on American Public Media.
Brian has been featured in full length documentaries produced by Joni and Friends Ministries, BBC Switch ‘Teensville: Bat School For The Blind‘ for children and youth,[14] Calcutta Mercy Ministries, and Mosaic Ministries, as well as a featured subject on The Doctorswhich is archived with a second video clip, National Geographic’s ‘You Can’t Lick Your Own Elbow‘, and Discovery Canada’s Daily Planet.
Around the World[edit]
Bushway has traveled internationally to teach FlashSonar to India,[15] Thailand,[16] Armenia, Scotland, and Malawi.
References[edit]
- ↑ Huffman, E.S. (8 August 2016). "This Man Rides Bikes And Skateboards...He Also Happens To Be Blind". UPROXX. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ↑ Gupta, Sanjay. "Seeing Through Sound". CNN. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ↑ "Brian Bushway". 9 June 2016.
- ↑ Ellerton, Julie. "OLM Angel City Fiddle Squad". The Malibu Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ↑ https://acousticathletics.com/
- ↑ "Reality Violated: A LOOPHOLE IN NEUROSCIENCE". WFMZ-TV. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ↑ Wayfinder Family Services https://www.wayfinderfamily.org/. Retrieved 19 November 2021. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Provider Directory". CA Department of Rehabilitation. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ↑ Lair, Keith (26 September 2002). "Blind Ambition Leads to Bike Club". Daily News of Los Angeles. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ↑ "Human echolocation".
- ↑ "Seaver College Highlights". ISSUU. Pepperdine University. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ↑ "Breath".
- ↑ "Seeing through sound - CNN Video".
- ↑ "Features – Brian Bushway".
- ↑ "Seeing Not With Sight, but With Sound". United News of India. UNI. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ↑ Mozingo, Joe (11 August 2015). "Seeing with Ears Today the Visual World is Just a Few Clicks Away for Some Blind People". The Nation Thailand. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
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