Christmas is for Me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases; with and without vision and it does not matter!  Christmas is for me.  The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making. 

 

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop.  To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the Church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages.  I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks.  I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground but most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights. 

 

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me.  True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year.  My sense of smell is still in tact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along.  I focus on the times when I could see and inter mingle those memories with the now.  I am blessed!  I am lucky!  With or without sight, Christmas is for me!  I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs. 

 

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan.  Will see you again in the New Year.

 

I Must Not Give Up

This has been my motto ever since losing my vision in early 2004.  I must not give up, I will not give up, and I will pray every day for a miracle.  There are some who have said to me that I should not hope for miracles because it only brings heart aches each time something is suggested and then fails.  I know that this is partly true; heartaches are not easy to endure but for the fighter that I am, I will keep on fighting. 

 

So much keeps on happening in the world of medical break throughs.  Stem cell advancements are continually encouraging us to hope and for me the hope lives on.  This is why I still hold on to my large print crossword books, my close circuit TV, and all of my treasured scrap books.  Every night I rock myself to sleep with vivid memories of colors, shapes, scenes, plus so much more.  I must not give up for I do then I might as well die!

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  You can visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What Does Ugly Mean?

This is a question that many of my friends often ask me; what do I think when I hear the word ugly mentioned.  It's a very good question and through the eyes of a blind person so to speak, the word ugly takes on quite another connotation. 

 

In my view, here are my thoughts.  When I hear the word ugly, I think of persons who are unpleasant, vindictive, unkind, dishonest, self-centered, and thoughtless.  To me, ugly means when someone has done something to hurt another or when they have done something to the detriment of another.  Ugly to me is expressed through actions and words; actions that are not nice and words that are hurtful.

 

I do not think of persons as being physically ugly.  I do not think of an ugly animal, an ugly house, an ugly car, etc.  My world of ugly resides in the words and actions carried out by others.  Ah, through the eyes of a blind person; someone who does not see the physical side of things.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit www.afb.org to learn more about how blind persons view the world.

The Unexpected Child

Yes, that's me!  The unexpected child.  I was born eight hours after my twin brother Jeffrey.  Mom did not even know that she was having twins until Jeffrey was born and then the midwife gave her and dad the news.  From thereon in, almost everything in my life became unexpected.

 

First, I was born with a vision impairment; very unexpected indeed.  Then I somehow managed to surpass all academic expectations; quite unexpected.  Then at university I somehow managed to keep my unexpected record in tact.  I was one of the first blind persons to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Commerce from Concordia University in Montreal Canada.  My unexpected record grew to include being one of the first blind persons to graduate with an MBA from McGill University of Montreal in Canada, and one of the first blind persons in the world to graduate with certifications in Microsoft Systems Engineering, and Novelle network administration. 

 

I do my best to preserve my unexpected record; by motivating others to become as unexpected as me.  I motivate them to do the unexpected; surpass expectations.  I motivate them to think about things that are unexpected; things that leave others gasping for air.  That is, doing things that take them outside their comfort zone, things that make others sit up and take note, things that help to create positive attitudes and reactions.  It's all in the name of being the unexpected child.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Technology Barriers for Blind Kids

As more and more toy companies continue to flood the market with new and improved ways for kids to learn and interact, the adverse effect could be said when it comes to the plight of blind kids.  For example, blind kids are unable to take advantage of all of those wonderful educational toys such as the ones that teach kids how to read, write, count, and spell.  Those wonderful pictionary games are out of the reach of blind kids, and learning by seeing is just not in the cards for blind children.

 

This is not really anyone's fault.  It is just how the ball bounces and it is practically impossible for us to hold technology back.  It could be compared to trying to pin a wave to the golden sand.  Not possible.  So, with all of this in mind, how can we make it a better world for our blind kids?  What can we do in order to try and narrow the gap?  A blind kid is no different when it comes to wanting to be a part of technology and play with technology.  They like their sighted counterparts yearn to learn, understand, and play.  They yearn to interact with the big TV screen just like any other kid and they yearn to be a part of the world of technology.

 

Progress has been made but we need to see more innovation on the part of all stakeholders.

If you would like to see what types of games and toys are available to blind kids then visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.

 

How I Navigate Aound My Freezer

It's really not that difficult; the only difference is that I use tactile methods to do this plus super organization.  In addition, whenever anyone goes into my freezer to retrieve anything, they need to know that everything needs to be repacked in the same way that it was found or else I'll be in big trouble the next time I go hunting for something in my freezer.

 

I pack all my packages of chicken on one side of my freezer.  Pork is on the other side.  Beef and fish are in the middle.  Boxes are labeled in Braille.  Packages of vegetables are banished to the door of my freezer and I use tape to distinguish between them.  I do not have to worry too much about bacon and sausages.  Their shapes are enough to help me out.

 

I do not think that this is too much different from what a well organized sighted person would do when it comes to organizing their freezer.  There are several other techniques that blind persons can use when working with their freezers and you can learn more about these by visiting www.maxiaids.com.  This website provides a magnitude of products for blind and partially sighted persons.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others.

Identification by Color Not For Me

When I had sufficient vision to do so, I used to depend heavily on colors to help me identify things.  I could remember that when I was growing up, the yellow cup was mine.  The blue cup belonged to Robert and the red one was Jeff's.  The green towel was mom's, the pink one was granny's and dad had a multi colored one.  Colors, colors, that's how I did it. 

 

Then it carried on into adulthood.  I used colors to differentiate things.  Documents were filed in folders of various colors to help me keep things straight.  CDs were mainly identified by colors; a red patch at the bottom or a blue one at the top, or a green bar at the top left hand corner or a yellow one somewhere else.  I even used colors to help me mix and match my clothes.  Mom used colors to help me identify things as well and my friends followed suit.

 

That was then and this is now.  I can no longer use colors to help me identify things.  So that when a pair of headphones comes with two identical jacks and the manufacturer has used different colors to distinguish between the one for the headphone and the one for the microphone, it means very little for me.  I have to use tape to help me distinguish the difference. I put tape on one of the jacks and then I have to make sure that I remember which one I have put it on.  The jack for the microphone or the one for the headphone.

 

Nowadays, there are talking color detectors to help a blind person overcome the challenge of colors and you can visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.

The Problem With Printing

For those of us who do not have enough vision to see whether or not there is printed text on a page, here are some daily challenges that we face as blind persons.

 

We need to ensure that when we print a page, it does contain text.  When the page comes out of the printer, there is no way to tell if the page does indeed contain text or if it is blank.  So for me, I use my scanner to help me out.  I scan the page and then I use my access software to tell me what is going on.  I can hear what is on the page through voice output.  However, there is more for me to be concerned about.  I have to ensure that all of the text is there and often enough, I have to ask for sighted assistance to ensure that everything is okay an that it looks okay. 

 

When it comes to the printing of labels and envelopes, I have to be very meticulous.  In my case, I have learned how to line up my envelope in the printer so that the text is well centered when it is printed but to be safe, I almost always ask for sighted assistance.  The other day for example, mom told me that the text on the envelope was not centered and I had to make two efforts before I got it right.

 

Nothing could be worse for me than to have missing text on a page, or an envelope with an address that is not properly centered.  So I have to use a combination of patience, my trusty scanner, and sighted assistance.  If you'd like to learn more about software that enable blind persons to use mainstream scanners, then visit http://www.kurzweil.com/

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world. 

As a Blind Child

I consider myself to be extremely fortunate; as a blind child I was surrounded by loving and devoted parents who were determined to help me live as mainstream a life as possible.  I also had two brothers, a granny, and other family members who helped me to enjoy so much.  This does not mean that they did not try at times to protect me from certain obstacles, objects, and daily challenges.

 

I learned to fly a kite and pitch marbles.  My dad used a big ball to play football and cricket with me, and he taught me how to swim in the ocean and ride a bicycle.  Heck, he even showed me how to surf and ride the waves.  Dad was my nature buddy; walking with me in the lush green meadows, smelling and identifying the various flowers, and holding those timid little butterflies in my hand.  He ran with me, walked with me, and we had so much fun!  He even took me fishing and showed me how to make boats out of large coconut leaves.

 

My brothers played hide and seek with me, ball games with me, and helped me to embrace the mainstream world.  Mom and granny were my teachers of the domestic side of things.  I hung out in the kitchen with them, learned how to write printed letters, and got a wonderful education on fashion and design.  My cousins filled in so beautifully, helping me to grow up in a wonderful world.  They read to me, cut out clippings from magazines for me, and walked with me on the beach as well as everywhere else; from quiet spots to busy streets. 

 

I had pets; big happy dogs and delicate little birds.  I played with all of them and I learned so much from everyone.  I looked at it like this:  Dad was my teacher of all things outside the home; from nature to politics, and from economics to religion and literature.  Mom and granny were my tutors of life; from the kitchen to the clothes closet and from the school to the church.  My brothers and cousins helped me to have fun.

 

O what it was to be a blind child and I loved it all!  Then came the skates and skis and I was moving on to other things.  I grew up but still I continued to be a blind child!  I still am in so many ways; if only it is in my mind on those quiet nights as I wait for the Sand man to escort me into dreamland.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  You can visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

My Memory Bank

Whenever I feel a bit down and am missing the vision that I lost over five years ago, and whenever I am in a mood to wish upon a star, I go to my cherished memory bank and pull out some of my most precious memories.  True to form, the colors are still o so vivid in my mind.  The shapes so real and I can practically reach out and touch.

 

Photos of my parents, brothers, granny, and dogs are highest on my list.  I can practically reach out and lightly touch their faces.  I can place my hands on their heads and look into their eyes.  Ah!  My stack of precious photos forever preserved in my memory bank.  Next comes those keep sake photos of some of my heroes; Pope John Paul II, Pierre Trudeau, The Kennedy brothers, Bill Clinton, Wayne Gretzky, and others.  I still find it easy to bring their faces into my unfocused eyes and remind myself as to why they are my heroes. 

 

I sit there for some time playing with all of these photos and I amaze myself at how I am still able to keep them so well preserved in my memory bank.  Then I move on to other things; images of my Montreal Canadiens hockey team skating swiftly up the ice.  Ice skating competitions.  The large graceful Air Canada jet bird gliding noiselessly over a deep blue Caribbean ocean with the golden sun streaming down over its silver body.  Next comes my nature memories; a rich blue sky with fluffy white clouds racing each other.  The golden sunrise and the pink sunset.  A purple dawn and green grass sprinkled with dew.  Rows upon rows of bright flowers, my beloved Yellow and orange canaries of so long ago, and a beach filled with yellow sand with lacy white capped waves rolling gently towards the shore.  Huge fat snow flakes clumsily chasing each other around, and silver raindrops falling helplessly downwards.

 

I linger over all of these for some time and then I finally pull out my very special memories.  Ah!  They too are still in tact.  Candles flickering in a church on Christmas Eve, Christmas lights twinkling in the night, and stores filled with shelves upon shelves of Christmas toys.  The dolls come into plain view followed by the doll houses and the electronic game sets.  Then the huge and handsome Christmas tree all decked off with hundreds of colorful Christmas lights and finally the manger with Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the wise men, the angels, and animals.

 

I can play with all of these memories for as long as I want and when I am tired I place them all carefully back into each of their little compartments and return them to my memory bank.  Then the fat tears of joy come pouring down my cheeks followed by the round ones of sadness.  Ah!  My precious memory bank filled with memories preserved forever and no one can ever take them away from me.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit me anytime at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.

Remembering My Dad

Dad left me a little over 21 years ago and to this day I miss him as if it were only yesterday when he left.  At his funeral, I eulogized him as someone who was not just my dad, he was my friend.  He left me an invaluable legacy, knowledge.  He understood my needs and never failed to come through for me.

 

I was the unexpected baby; born eight hours after my twin brother.  Mom never knew that she was having twins and when she and dad were told that I was on the way, just imagine their surprise and then they discovered that I was blind!  They never faltered as parents and my dad remained a constant source of knowledge for me.

 

As early as I can remember, he would read to me; story books, newspapers, and selected articles of interest.  He taught me all about Religion, politics, economics, plus much more.  He helped me to become a passionate and compassionate Human Being.  He taught me respect, how to treat others, but most of all, he instilled courage and motivation into me.

 

Dad taught me my alphabet, taught me how to count, and he was constantly challenging my mental strength and capacity.  He taught me how to ride a bike and we often raced along the beach either on foot or on our bikes.  He taught me how to swim, to fly a kite, and he often played cards, football, and cricket with me.  He even took me fishing and placed those delicate little butterflies in the palm of my hand.  Dad probably wished that I would remain his little girl for ever but that was okay.  I grew up and he was still my dad.

 

Dad was my hero; a gentleman to the end, and someone who was never afraid to help others.  He was loyal to his friends and family, a leader in his own right.  He was gentle, firm, and loving.  Most of all, he never stopped encouraging me to reach for the stars and had faith in my abilities as a blind person.  Rest in peace dad!  Till we meet again.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how sighted parents interact with their blind kids.

Those Treasured Story Books

Ah!  To be a kid once more or I should say it like this!  To dream of when I was a kid!  Those happy times when my ad and my older brother Robert used to read to me.  What fun I used to have; imagining as they read to me.  Dad and Robert have since passed away but their voices reading to me when I was a kid will always live on in my mind.

 

When I was a kid, I was unable to read print because of being blind and true to form my family came through for me.  Dad and Robert would read to me; from those treasured story books and fairy tales.  As they read, fairies came to life in my mind.  I was the little princess going off with the handsome prince.  I was the little girl getting into all kinds of trouble.  I was the little fairy waving my wand and carrying out acts of magic and good deeds.  When they were finished reading and long after the lights were out, I would lie in bed and imagine the stories all over again.

 

Some times I would day dream in class and even imagine that I could read these treasured story books for myself but when I grew tired of imagining I would conjure up dad and Robert reading to me.  I could practically zone everything else out as their voices came clearly into my mind and o how I treasured these special times.  I could hear them reading about the fairies flying around, the witch getting up to her nasty tricks, and the handsome prince saving the princess in distress.

 

Then I would go home and run to my room where I would look for my treasured story books.  I always put them in the same place after dad and Robert had finished reading to me the previous night.  Blind kids of today continue to enjoy reading books but now they can do it all by themselves; listening to them on MP3 or Daisy books.  If you would like to learn more about how blind kids read story books then visit www.aph.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.

 

 

 

My Dogs and I

First there was Yella; a fat and happy Lab.  Then came Lion and Tiger, her huge and handsome sons.  Then finally there was Boyo and Brownie, the grand children of Yella.  My treasured ones, my best companions.  These are the ones that gave me so much comfort during my formative years. 

 

Yella's happy and go lucky spirit enabled me to create and imagine all kinds of kid-like things; writing poetry and essays about her.  Gosh, I even won first prize in an essay competition for my composition about Yella.  By the time Lion and Tiger came along I was approaching the difficult adolescent years and these were the two that helped me the most.  I would often lie on my stomach and bury my face in their thick coats of fur.  There I would tell them all of my fears and fantasies and you know what?  They never turned a deaf ear on me.  They would always listened attentively and would often reward me with either a kiss on the nose or a paw on my shoulder.

 

By the time that Boyo and Brownie arrived, I was well into my teens and these two were a constant source of comfort to me.  I played robustly with them.  Loved them to bits, and in turn they helped me to cope with my adolescent years.  Each dog was special in his/her own way.  Each brought me special moments of glee and happiness.  Each broke my heart when they departed this world.

 

My heart broke with grief when I left home and left them behind but I still carry them in my mind.  When I was able to see enough, I captured their faces in my mind and now they are tucked away forever.  Their personalities will always remain a constant source of consolation for me.  Rest in peace wonderful furry friends!

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn how blind persons use guide dogs as part of their daily lives.

Mom and I - We Make a Team

As a blind person, it is vitally important for me to be able to have someone who can be my eyes and mine is my mom.  For as long as I can remember, she has been my eyes; using her natural ability to help me cope.  She has found ways to help me identify things.  She has developed strategies to help me navigate my kitchen, and she naturally knows how to assist me whenever we go shopping.

 

In the general scheme of things, many persons need to be taught or given certain hints and lessons when it comes to helping a blind person; but not my mom.  One can easily say that she should know or that she ought to know but this is not always true.  It should not be assumed that because you have a family member who is blind that you should know what to do.  Not at all.

 

It often seems to me that whenever I am in need of an arm to guide me, she is there.  Whenever I am looking for a lost object, she naturally knows how to help me find it.  Now that I am unable to match my clothes for myself, she continues to help me find ways to organize my closet.  In case you are wondering, mom does not live with me.  She visits and when she does it is always a pleasure for me to have her on my team.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others.  To learn more about how the sighted world can be better able to assist blind persons, visit www.acb.org.

 

My Favorite Colors

For as long as I can remember, yellow has always been my favorite color; as a child when my vision was just a bit, as a teen when I received much more, and even now when I have precious little.  Yellow has always reminded me of happy things and happy times. 

 

When I was a kid, I had to have a yellow cup, a yellow plate, and a yellow saucer and a yellow bowl.  I loved and cherished my yellow Sunday dress, the one that I wore to church.  I adored my yellow jersey, and my yellow bathing suit.  Mom and dad had to always buy me something yellow; the yellow beach ball, the yellow water wings, and everything else yellow.  I even loved the yellow balloon which was something special for me as I had a fear of balloons and when we got our dog and named her Yella, that was the best thing for me since sliced bread.

 

Yellow continued to dominate my life as I blew past my teen years into adulthood and I continued to buy yellow sweaters and jackets, yellow coats, yellow pants, and yellow dishes and even cutlery with yellow handles.  Part of my living room is even dominated by yellow. 

 

Now that I am left with precious little sight and no longer able to see color, I think of yellow whenever I need a boost or whenever I need to drive away unhappy thoughts or moments.  I have grown to love purple, red, and blue; all distant seconds to my precious yellow.  Yellow!  The color of my life!  The sunshine of my soul!  The light of my darkness!

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world. 

Can Blind Persons be Mainstream Persons?

This is a very thought provoking question and one that is often asked of me.  In response, I would venture to say that the answer is probably no and I say this with a lump in my throat. 

 

For as long as society continues to treat us with a difference, with kid gloves, or as second class citizens; we should not expect to be classified as mainstream.  However, let's just say that if all of this were to somehow and magically change, if somehow we were to find ourselves in an almost perfect society, then the chances of us being classified as mainstream would be greater; but we need to be realistic.

 

Blind persons are different because they are unable to see.  They use or employ different strategies to live their lives.  They use different technology in order to communicate; that being access technology.  They depend on sighted assistance to help them deal with those tasks and challenges that require eyesight in order to complete them.  The list can go on and on but I am sure that by now you are getting the picture. 

 

If you would like to learn more about some of the devices that blind persons use in order to cope, visit www.humanware.com and www.maxiaids.com.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with the sighted world.

The Importance of Knowing

It is always important to know; but when it comes to someone who is unable to see, it's even more important.  Like it or not, the eyes see all and absorb all and it is what the sighted world use in order to complete any picture.  For me, I use other strategies to complete a picture but to be very sure that the picture is complete and accurate, I depend on sighted assistance.

 

I need to know when things match; like my clothes, like my décor.  I need to know what gestures are being carried out around me; especially when I am in a business meeting.  I need to know what expressions persons around me are communicating to me and to each other.  I need to know where things are in my home so that I do not bump into objects, and that I can find what I am looking for.  I need to know what information is being communicated so that I can make the correct or appropriate decision.  In short, I need to know.

 

The importance of knowing applies to all of us; sighted or not but for a blind person it is always even more important.  If you would like to know more about why blind persons need to know, then you can visit www.nfb.org, or www.rnib.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about why it is important for blind persons to know; the importance of knowing.

Socializing in the Workplace

Now, here's one of the most difficult challenges for me; socializing in the workplace.  At the best of times, when I worked in a mainstream workplace, I always found it a bit difficult to socialize.  As a blind person, it is often difficult at the best of times to be able to tell when and where to socialize.  It is often difficult to find where people are gathered and in many cases we have to use our sense of hearing to find the action so to speak.

 

When it comes to going out to restaurants with coworkers, we often have to depend on our sighted colleagues to lend a helping hand.  Getting to the restaurant, finding a table, knowing what's on the menu, and so on.  We even have to depend on sighted assistance to help us navigate our way to the bathroom and back to our places at the table. 

 

There are many tiny things that much of society may not think of when it comes to a blind person being able to socialize in the workplace but there you have it.  If we are in unfamiliar territory, then we would definitely need sighted assistance to help us navigate and find our way and if we need to locate friends and acquaintances then the same would apply.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and educate your coworkers about how blind persons socialize in the workplace.

Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Technology Becoming More Difficult

Two steps forward for mainstream technology, but unfortunately, just one for access technology.  What I mean is this; the evolution of technology is like a runaway freight train.  It changes literally by the minute and we all have to find ways to keep up with it in our own way.  For blind persons, the challenge to keep up with it is made even more difficult because of having to wait for access technology to catch up and when it does; mainstream technology has already left the building so to speak.

 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what access technology is; it is the technology that is used by disabled persons to help them access software, the Internet, plus more.  Access technology includes such products as:  screen reading software, magnifying software, and specially adapted keyboards.  There are other types of access technology of course.  Access technology is also very expensive in comparison to mainstream technology and often time, it is financially out of the reach of many disabled persons. 

 

Access technology has come a long way in its development but there is much more to be done and it does not help when mainstream technology continues to change so rapidly.  This can't be helped.  We need specially developed devices to enable us to scan and read books.  We need talking GPS devices to help us navigate streets in unfamiliar areas.  We need clocks and watches that talk to help us tell the time.  We need appliances that have been designed with voice output so that we can use them.  In short, for a blind person, we need to have devices that talk and devices with large print displays so that we can use them.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about access technology.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

If I Could Dream

If I could have just a few seconds to dream then this is what I would dream of:

That blind kids of the future will have a better shot at enjoying a more mainstream life.  That they will be able to have equal access to such things as websites, information, and services.  That their parents would be in a position to afford to buy them the necessary access technology that they would need in order to function on an equal footing with mainstream kids.  That somehow, they would be able to go out there and literally reach for the stars.

 

If I could have just one solitary moment to dream then this is what I would want to dream of:  That aging adults who are either blind or will be come blind later on in their life will be able to live their golden years in relative comfort.  That being; that they would be able to receive adequate services to help them cope with their blindness and loss of vision.  That their golden years will be filled with happiness and joy and that their lack of vision would not be a hindrance to them.

 

If I could dream for that one fleeting minute then I would dream that the doctors would find a cure for my blindness.  That somehow and some way, they will be able to come up with a medical solution to help me and others like me.  That somehow in the not too distant future, I would again be able to cherish a golden rising sun and an orange sunset.  That I would be able to look at a deep blue sky with fluffy white clouds coasting lazily by and white capped waves and a jade green ocean. 

 

If I could have that one defining wish it would be this; that I could once again imprint the faces of my beloved parents, granny, and brothers on my mind.  That I would be able to see the Christmas lights, the ice skaters on an icy rink, my beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey team skating up the ice, birds of gorgeous plumage, and a plate all decorated with fruits of various shapes and colors.

 

If I could dream!  Ah, but only just a dream!  Then the rustic reds and burning oranges of fall and the burning candles in my favorite church would become a reality and then I would be able to reach out and touch whatever I wanted to.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my dreams with the rest of the world.  Visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Inaccessible Slot Machines

Now, here is something that much of the sighted world may not have given much thought to and I am only going to comment on the machines here in Ontario.  However, some friends in the United States have told me that they are facing the same challenges when it comes to inaccessible slot machines.

 

Up until about two years ago, it used to be relatively easy for me to play at the slot machines.  They emitted sounds, the coins made noise when dropping into trays, and the flashing lights helped to make my visit to the casino a very enjoyable one.  Now however, things have changed.

 

There are no more noises of coins to be heard dropping into trays.  No more sounds when I get lucky at win a few coins.  No more noise period.  So now when or if I win, I have to depend on sighted assistance to tell me what's going on.  Yes, I can understand the casinos wanting to cut down on the noise level but in doing so they have in effect severely limited our access to slot machines.  Too bad for us.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate casinos about why we are finding their machines to be inaccessible and somewhat unusable.

Can Blind Persons Attend Functions?

`Whenever someone asks me this question my immediate response is "and why not?"  This is a frequently asked question and you know what?  I always try to be polite in my responses.  There is still much for the sighted world to learn and discover when it comes to how blind persons live, work, and socialize.  We can definitely attend functions but there are slight differences in the way we interact with others at functions.

 

Because we are unable to see others, we need to use our ears to help us identify others at functions.  We need to depend on sighted assistance to help us navigate our way around at functions.  We need to depend on others to help us meet others.  We need others to help us navigate buffet tables, find our seats, and find our places at tables.  We need others to help us with visual cues.

 

This is the picture for a blind person when attending functions.  It may sound cumbersome to a sighted person but not really.  Once you get the hang of things then it's not too bad  It can be a lot of fun.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world as to how blind persons navigate their way when attending functions.  Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

 

Blindness is Not Contagious

Maybe this is a touchy topic for many; but here goes.  When I was growing up, I found that many persons, both kids and adults alike were often afraid to approach me and other blind kids.  I often used to think that maybe and just maybe, they may have been feeling that if they came too close to me, they too would become blind.  Things have improved over the years but there is still that hesitance especially so on the part of adults.

 

I am finding more and more that younger persons are not afraid to approach blind people.  They are much less inhibited and not afraid to engage in conversations with us.  For anyone who is hesitant to become friends with a blind person:  Blindness is definitely not contagious.  You can certainly become friends with us.  You would be quite surprised to know and learn what great friends we can be.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and spread the word about how you can become friends with blind persons.

Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Appliances Are a Challenge

There used to be a time when I as a blind person was able to navigate the buttons on the panels of my appliances without having to ask for sighted assistance.  Buttons and knobs on washers and dryers were big enough for me to feel and touch, you could set levels of water and temperatures by counting off the clicks, and you could do other things by simply memorizing how many clicks to the left or right, etc.

 

A few months ago, I had to replace my washer and dryer and thank goodness I was able to find a small appliance store that sold washers and dryers with manageable buttons.  Many of the appliances today are dominated by touch screens and digital displays and this makes life more difficult for someone who is unable to see.  Some appliances even have lights to indicate certain things and this too is not very good for a blind person.

 

In the good old days, I only had to ask for sighted assistance once when I was learning the position of the buttons but all this has changed.  I know, we are now in the digital age and that can't be helped but how I wish that someone can come along and develop a gadget for blind persons to use with digital displays and touch screens.  Thank goodness I have a talking microwave but my toaster oven is a challenge for me.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about the challenges that blind persons face when it comes to appliances with digital displays and touch screens.  Visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more.

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Is Anyone in the Elevator?

Whenever I get into an elevator, I always like to know if someone is there.  When I had enough sight, it was never a problem for me but now it is because I am unable to see enough to tell. 

 

So, as has always been my habit, as soon as I enter an elevator, I say hi and if someone answers then that's my cue to tell that someone is there.  If no one answers, it does not necessarily mean that the elevator is empty.  Occasionally, the person in the elevator may not answer or may just nod their head or smile not knowing that I am unable to see.  On these occasions, I use my sense of smell to help me out.  Or, I can normally sense if someone is close by because of a sense of presence.  The one humorous thing for me is getting on to an elevator and hearing someone else speaking.  Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that they're speaking to me but truth be told, they are on their cell phone.  It happens to everyone; not just a blind person. 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate others about how I along with other blind persons sense the presence of others on an elevator.

Doing the Laundry Carefully

When I do my laundry, it's really not that much different from what most sighted persons would do.  I use my color detector to help sort my colored clothes from my white clothes.  Next I wash the white ones separately from the colored ones.  All hand clothing is washed by hand and the rest go into the washer.

 

The trick for me is to be able to tell if a piece of clothing has run as they say; creating a disaster for other pieces of clothing.  So, I have to make sure that certain pieces of clothing can be washed together and those that can't I have to wash also by hand.  Not much different from what sighted persons would do. 

 

I am fairly comfortable doing my laundry.  Towels and sheets go together, jeans, sweat shirts, socks, and track clothes go together, miscellaneous go together, and all of my blouses and skirts and other delicate garments are washed separately and apart from each other.  The challenges for me are:  Making sure that stains have been removed, and realizing when something is a bit too worn to keep on using.  So, I use the tried and proven method of discarding anything that has become thin and thread bare.

 

Not much different from the sighted world but I have to depend on touch as well as sighted assistance to help me deal with stains and o yes!  When those darn socks drop from me when I remove them from the dryer.  When they drop without a sound and I have to go looking for them.

 

Dealing with buttons on washers and dryers is another story which I will cover in another blog.  For now, you can learn more about color detectors by visiting www.independentlivingaids.com. 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and help educate the sighted world about how blind persons do their laundry.

Missing Out on Bargains

Missing out on bargains is one of the most difficult things that I have to deal with on a daily basis.  For the sighted

world, it is easy for them to read about bargains in flyers, the newspapers, and see it on TV or on the Internet.  For

me, I am unable to read newspapers or flyers, and although I may hear it on TV, many ads do not repeat phone

numbers at the end of their infomercial instead choosing to display it on screen.  In the case of the Internet, so many

websites are not user friendly to those with vision problems making it almost impossible for us to access. 

 

When I go grocery shopping, I am unable to read the flyers that are stacked on the counters.  These flyers gaily

display all of the bargains in the supermarket but I do not have a clue as to what they are.  The same applies for

when I enter a store or pharmacy and as a result I am shut out of being able to reduce my shopping bills. 

 

This is something that I'd like to see addressed by the sighted world; ways to make it possible for blind persons to

know about bargains.  One possible solution that comes to mind is this:  Maybe, the larger store and supermarket

chains could have a phone line whereby we could call in and hear the bargains on a weekly basis?  Food for thought.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out and help make it easier for blind persons to learn more about bargains. 

Curb Curve Cuts No Good for Me

Curve cuts have turned out to be a big blessing for many; for those in wheelchairs, moms with strollers, and delivery staff hurrying along with heavy parcels.  However, for blind persons, it is the opposite.

Why is this?  Because when we go tapping along with our canes we depend heavily on landmarks such as; ridges, bumps, and anything else that is raised or has a slight step down or sink to help us identify where we are.  Many of these curve cuts do not help us because the sidewalks slope down into the street and if we are not careful then we can easily find ourselves in the middle of the street before we know what is going on.  So often, I have heard others like myself complaining about this and I am not sure what the answer is.  Curve cuts benefit more persons than they do not and as blind persons are often in the minority, then we have to find ways to deal with this.

 

If you would like to learn more about some of the problems that we as blind persons face when it comes to curve cuts, then visit www.nfb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

How Blind Persons Read Books

When it comes to blind persons being able to read books, we do it in several different ways.  We can read it in Braille,

We can listen to it on CD or cassette, or we can use our computers to download books and listen to them using special

access technology called screen readers.   

 

We can use cassette recorders to play our cassettes.  We can use CD players to listen to our CDs and we can also

use specially developed book readers to read books that have been formatted into DAISY formats.  We can also use

scanners to scan books and listen to them from our computers.

 

A lot has been done and continues to be done when it comes to making books more accessible to blind persons but

there is still much more to be done and this should be seen as a continuing job.  In the meantime, I have some

websites for you to visit to learn more about how blind persons read books and what they use in order to read books.

Visit www.aph.org, www.rfbd.org and www.humanware.com.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Is It Clean Mom?

This is one of my favorite questions and I constantly need to keep doing this because I am unable to decipher or tell when certain things are not clean.  When it comes to dishes, glasses, and pots and pans, I can usually tell if things are clean by running my fingers along surfaces.  If I feel bumps and sticky stuff, then I know that it is not clean but when it comes to stains it's a different story.

 

In the kitchen, stains are my main challenge because it is difficult to tell if a stain is there unless it is sticky or bumpy.  When it comes to clothes, the same thing applies.  When it comes to carpets and floors and furniture, it's all the same.  So, if mom is around I can as her but if she is not then I have to be super careful.  Walls and doors are also something for me to be careful with.  My fingers can usually tell if surfaces are dirty but in many cases it is impossible to feel spots and stains.

 

I'd like to see the development of some sort of device to tell blind persons when stains and spots are present.  In the meantime, you can learn more about how blind persons deal with such things as spots and stains by visiting www.rnib.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the sighted world about how blind persons deal with spots and stains.

Can Blind People Travel?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions that I am asked and my response is this:  Sure, blind persons can travel and enjoy what the sighted world does.  However, we do things a bit differently.

Here's how I do it.

 

Whenever I travel by plane; I first ask my travel agent to notify the airline that I will need assistance and this has turned out to be not much of a problem.  Air Canada has been excellent to me and has provided me with first class services.  They have always provided me with end to end services that include checking in, boarding, in flight, and disembarking services. 

 

When I arrive at the airport in Toronto, this airport's special needs services department is ready to help because I have notified them before hand that I would need help from my cab to the airline's counter.  I do not know if other airports provide this type of service but if they don't, then I have to depend on sighted assistance for someone to bring me to the check in counter.  I find this a bit nerve racking but I have learned to live with it as I am a frequent traveler.

 

If I take a train, I usually notify the railway company in advance that I would need help so that they can provide me with boarding, in train,  and disembarking services.  Not a problem for me and whenever I get to a station in Canada, the "Redcaps" attendants are right there to help me from my cab to the ticket counter.  Bus services are similar.

 

So you see, it is not as difficult as you may think and if you would like to learn more about how blind persons travel, then visit www.nfb.org or www.afb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about how blind persons can travel.

Agencies That Walk Away

In the normal scheme of things, many blind and visually impaired persons do not really have a good opinion of agencies that are supposed to be there to meet their demands.  By this I mean; those agencies that promote their mandate to service the needs of the blind are often guilty of doing the opposite.  There are good agencies, and bad agencies and not many fall in between.  Too often, these types of agencies just get up and walk way instead of carrying through with their mandates.

 

Here in Canada we are presently facing a crisis of finding an agency that is able to provide us with decent enough rehab services, employment services, social services, plus more.  I am not going to get into the politics of it all.  Suffice it to say that this is not just a Canadian problem.  It exists all over the world and it seems to be a common challenge for us all.  So, what can we do about this?  The only thing that I could think of, off the top of my head; continue to voice our opinions.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and help advocate on behalf of the blind.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn how advocacy is done in the most meaningful way.

My Favorite Scrapbooks

For as long as I can remember, and with or without sight, scrap books have always been one of my favourite pastimes.  When I was a kid, my cousins used to clip all of my favourite pictures and photos out of magazines and newspapers and then patiently paste them into scrap books for me.  I only had to ask and Nancy and Brenda would do it for me.

 

There were pictures of the Kennedy family; in particular the Kennedy brothers.  The Osmonds, and the Royal family.  I could barely see these but it did not matter.  I had to have them.  Later on, my best friend Charlene continued the tradition for me and my favourites expanded to include Paul Anka, Englebert Humperdink, Julio Iglesias, Wayne Gretzky, Princess Diana, and of course my hero Pierre Trudeau.

 

I expanded my favourites when I got my vision through a cornea transplant and for 25 glorious years I was able to cut and paste for myself.  There were many other favourites that I collected as well.  I collected memorabilia on the death of Princess Diana and JFK JR along with Pierre Trudeau and I extended my scrap book pastime to include videos. 

 

Five years ago when I lost almost all of my vision, my pastime came to a screeching halt but I held on to my scrap books and videos.  A few months ago, I decided to rid myself of some of these treasured scrap books because it was becoming too much for me to store and it was with a very heavy heart and a lump in my throat that I did this.  Before parting with them, I opened each and riffled through their pages doing my best to remember.  Then fighting back tears, I placed them in a large box and took them down to the garbage shoot.  "Rest in peace" was what I whispered as I gently pushed them down the shoot.

 

These scrap books have helped me to keep my memories alive.  I have kept some of the more treasured ones back but I shall always miss the others.  I still have my videos  because at least, I can play them and listen to them.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others how much a blind person can enjoy scrap books and videos.  Visit www.aph.org to learn more.

New Ways of Identifying

Now that I am barely able to see, I constantly have to find and come up with new ways of identifying things to others.  It is no longer possible for me to identify things by color so I need to let my fingers do the identifying for me.  The other day for example, I told my brother that his sweater was hanging in the coat closet and when he asked me which sweater we both hesitated at the same moment.  His first words were "O, you don't know which one" but my comeback was "the woolen one, with long sleeves, and workings on the front."

 

When I was able to see, and had enough vision to identify colors, my mom and others usually identified things to me through color.  It was the yellow book, the black shoes, the bottle with the green liquid, the tin with the red top, and so on.  Now, I have to come up with other ways to identify things to them and in turn, they are constantly coming up with ways to identify things to me. 

 

We usually communicate in terms of size, shape, texture, and where a certain thing can be found.  More work for both sides but it works just fine.  When I was a kid and as long as I can remember, my mom and I have used a very unique way for us to identify things to each other.  We identify things through incidents and memory and who has given something to us.  So for example; it's Gayle's bag because my sister-in-law Gayle gave me this particular bag.  It's Granny's dress, because the dress belonged to Granny.  It's mom's perfume because mom gave me the perfume, and so on.

 

Of course, there are other ways to identify things and there are devices out there that blind persons can use to identify things.  To learn more, visit:

http://www.independentliving.com

Or http://www.maxiaids.com

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.