​​No, I do not have supersonic hearing like the movies would have you think, but blindness does have its benefits. When people learn that I am visually-impaired, they want to know what I can see compared to what they can see. I’ve never been great at answering that question, but trying to answer it has led to some pretty profound discoveries about sight, disability, advocacy, diversity, and community. Jacob King has been visually-impaired since birth. This means - among other things - that he literally sees the world differently than most folks, which has helped him be a better writer, speaker, and educator. His writing includes three chapbooks of poetry and the production of two original plays. His speaking has been featured at state and national conferences in the fields of education and advocacy for the blind and visually-impaired as well as competition in regional poetry slams. He has taught students ranging from sixth graders to sixty-year-olds in settings including alternative public charter schools, county-funded GED institutes, private universities, inner-city high schools, community colleges, juvenile detention centers, and prisons. And, of equal importance, Jacob is a father, husband, son, and comic book enthusiast. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx