anc ▁and ▁Ga un et ▁( 1 9 9 7 ) ▁suggest ▁that ▁early ▁blind ed ▁people ▁show ▁limited ▁ability ▁in ▁spatial ▁representation . ▁Michael ▁still ▁strugg les ▁to ▁identify ▁pictures ▁or ▁illustr ations . ▁The ▁imp air ment ▁of ▁his ▁visual ▁cor tex , ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁his ▁vision ▁at ▁a ▁very ▁early ▁age , ▁resulted ▁in ▁visual ▁cor tex ▁cells ▁that ▁are ▁not ▁used ▁to ▁the ▁stim uli ▁in ▁his ▁surr ound ings . ▁C ohen ▁et ▁al . ▁( 1 9 9 7 ) ▁proposed ▁that ▁in ▁their ▁early ▁age , ▁blind ed ▁subjects ▁developed ▁strong ▁motiv ations ▁to ▁tact ile ▁disc rim ination ▁tasks . ▁Michael ' s ▁early ▁blind ness ▁benef ited ▁him ▁so ▁far ; ▁he ▁developed ▁very ▁precise ▁sens es ▁of ▁hearing ▁and ▁touch . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 6 , ▁journalist ▁Robert ▁Kur son ▁wrote ▁a ▁book ▁on ▁May , ▁Cr ash ing ▁Through , ▁expanded ▁from ▁an ▁article ▁he ▁did ▁for ▁Es quire , ▁which ▁is ▁being ▁adapted ▁into ▁a ▁motion ▁picture . ▁ ▁Cr ash ing ▁Through ▁was ▁released ▁on ▁May ▁ 1 5 , ▁ 2 0 0 7 . ▁ ▁Sh irl ▁Jenn ings ▁ ▁Sh irl ▁Jenn ings ▁( 1 9 4 0 – 2 0 0 3 ) ▁was ▁blind ed ▁by ▁ill ness ▁as ▁a ▁young ▁boy . ▁ ▁Ex perimental ▁surg ery ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 1 ▁partially ▁restored ▁his ▁vision , ▁but ▁like ▁Brad ford ▁and ▁May , ▁Jenn ings ▁found