How Brains Learn To See

Pawan Sinha details his groundbreaking research into how the brain's visual system develops. Sinha and his team provide free vision-restoring treatment to children born blind, and then study how their brains learn to interpret visual data. The work offers insights into neuroscience, engineering and even autism.

http://www.ted.com/talks/pawan_sinha_on_how_brains_learn_to_see.html

Originally filmed at TEDIndia, November 2009.

The Opportunity of Adversity

The thesaurus might equate "disabled" with synonyms like "useless" and "mutilated," but ground-breaking runner Aimee Mullins is out to redefine the word. Defying these associations, she shows how adversity -- in her case, being born without shinbones -- actually opens the door for human potential.

http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_opportunity_of_adversity.html

A record-breaker at the Paralympic Games in 1996, Aimee Mullins has built a career as a model, actor and activist for women, sports and the next generation of prosthetics.

Originally filmed at the TEDMed talks, October 2009.