ABSTRACT
Before attending the Vanderbilt University conference on brain plasticity and blindness, I was aware of the research related to human brain plasticity in people who are blind but had not thought of my own work as having a direct relationship to the science. It took only a cursory look at the brain plasticity literature in preparation for my presentation at the conference, however, to understand that much of my work is highly relevant. Part of the misunderstanding came from a lack of knowledge of what brain plasticity really is. In order to prevent confusion, the reader should know that I will use brain plasticity in its broadest sense (i.e., any change in brain structure or function). Examples include change in structure resulting from development, learning and experience, recovery from injury, cross-modal reorganization, network prioritization, and interrelationships.
