![]() ![]() ![]() Their faith, diversity, and love of music shapes the work that they do.īut it is also free and infectious. Despite their differences, a sense of friendship and unity is palpable as they practice together. Even sighted people, when they play the piano, they close their eyes.’”Ĭherishing the multireligious heritage of Lebanon, Wehbe has brought together individuals from Orthodox, Maronite, Catholic, and Muslim backgrounds. “Once, someone asked me, ‘How can you play the violin when you can’t even see your fingers?’ I said, ‘I don’t need to see my fingers. “In Lebanon they are surprised when they see a blind person doing anything,” said Milios, laughing. None would say that being blind has been a hindrance to what they have been able to achieve, evidenced by their capacity to create music of such a high standard. Among them are many years of musical experience in restaurants and nightclubs, as well as with well-known Lebanese singers and musicians. The group includes Milios Awad (“The Maestro” on piano), Ziad Pawli (double organ), Fadi Homsy (drums), Mohamad Rammal (darbuka), and Gabi Khalil (violin). But this only amplifies the professionalism and expertise of the others, displayed in their ability to quickly pick up on his ideas and make his creations a reality.Įach musician comes from a background of music training mostly within the context of Lebanon’s schools for the blind. The words and notes he weaves together are all created in his head. Despite being the composer of two evangelical worship CDs, he is unable to read music. Wehbe, however, is fully sighted but a self-confessed untrained singer. ![]() “These guys” are not only professionally trained-they are also legally blind. “It was a dream for me,” he said, “to find musicians like these guys to play oriental music within the churches.” The quality draws in neighbors occasionally peering through the door.īoutros Wehbe, a warm, cheerful man in his 50s, is one of the founders of I Can See, a music group set up two years ago with the aim of preserving the traditional forms and styles of Lebanese music. With the mere roll of a dial, modern electronics can recreate the notes-but not without the skill testifying to the musicians’ talent. Well suited to stringed instruments such as the oud and violin, the melody is surprising to hear emanate from an organ and piano. Music made uniquely “oriental” by its use of quarter notes, the sounds created by the musicians practicing inside are different from ones a Western ear would be used to. "What we're really creating is technology that augments human awareness and this is just the beginning," he said.The captivating music emanates from a humble room in a quiet suburb of Beirut. Such a device would allow visually impaired people to roam freely instead of being tethered to their routine routes, Albertorio said. "But if you drop your wallet on the floor, you might prefer using Sunu over using a cane, which might be a clunkier solution for finding a small object."Īlbertorio said he'd like to link innovations like Sunu with Google Maps or Facebook, so a user could point a device in different directions to get up-to-date information about complicated urban environments such as business areas, parks, offices or transportation locations. "If you're walking down the sidewalk and you're anticipating a corner, it's hard to beat a guide dog that knows you and can help you travel long distances," he said. Having access to a portfolio of complementary navigational tools is often ideal, according to Dave Power, the president and chief executive of Perkins School for the Blind, the nation's first school for the blind. A vibrating cane might help a user detect large obstacles ahead of them, for example, but it can also numb the delicate sensations that allow someone's fingertips to perceive subtle changes on the ground below, Albertorio said.īecause of the variety of navigational challenges visually impaired people face, there is no single solution for getting around, experts say. The challenge for engineers, Albertorio said, is creating technology that isn't obtrusive, distracting the user from the sensations and sounds visually impaired people rely upon. By clicking, Daniel Kish, who lost both eyes to cancer as a toddler, can even ride a bike on city streets. And at least one man, known as "the real life batman," trains visually impaired people to create a rudimentary form of echolocation by clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth - a tactic he learned on his own. ![]()
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