While most people may view a lack of vision or hearing as a disadvantage, there are actually numerous advantages. When the brain loses a sense, it adapts by heightening the other senses. Thus, when a person has no sense of vision or hearing, they will have much better senses of feel, smell and taste. This heightening of senses can allow you to detect potentially harmful odors (eg. Natural gas leaks) before others, find imperfections in objects easier (allowing for better quality of products) or improved taste leading to a possible career as food critic. All of these attributes can be very beneficial to a human being. Although deafness and blindness separately are quite common, not many people have been affected by both. Helen Keller, is by far the most famous deaf-blind person. Born on June 27, 1880 without the ability to see or hear, she eventually learned to communicate with people and went on to get her bachelor of arts from Radcliffe. She then went on to become an author and political activist. Helen Keller proved that the senses of sight and hearing were unnecessary for communication. With the brain not focusing on using two extra senses, Helen Keller was able to concentrate more on her thoughts, thus allowing her to gain some very progressive ideas. Had she simply been another human with all five senses, she would not have had the chance to think. Instead she would have been put to work as a maid or a nanny. This lack of sight and hearing not only raise her other sense, but raised her social status as well. Helen Keller is a perfect example of life being better without your two main sense.
