Blind Beekeeper Relies on Sound to Keep Her Hives Happy

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Aerial Gilbert has always had a lot of hobbies.

She used to make jewelry, go bird watching, take photographs, and she loved beekeeping. But at the age of 34, all that changed in an instant.

Aerial suddenly lost her vision. It has been almost 30 years since Aerial lost her sight. In that time she’s relearned everything she used to do before going blind. And she did it through the power of sound.

Sam Harnett and Chris Hoff of the podcast the World According to Sound visit Aerial in her home in Petaluma, and tell us how she reclaimed many of the things she thought she’d never have again. Along the way, we explore what it’s like to experience the world using senses beyond vision.