Difficulties When Staying at Hotels

Staying at a hotel can more often than not be a treat but for a blind person there are some challenges to overcome if they are on their own.

Here is a list to start with if I am on my own.

 

I need to be able to find my way to and from my room.  Very important for me if I hope to survive.  So, if I am on my own, I ask the front desk to help me with this.  I ask them to show me the way at least once.

The key card; I need to know how to use it to open the door of my room.  I often take along a small roll of tape with me and use it to mark the side that does not have to be used to open the door.  Usually, there is no problem to determine if the door has been opened with the key card because I can hear the click.

 

Navigating my way around the breakfast area.  This is probably one of the easier of the challenges to overcome.  I normally ask the front desk staff for help and they are always very quick to oblige and the staff at the breakfast dining area are very quick to assist.

 

Dealing with the various bottles in the bathroom.  Here is where I really need sighted help.  The bottles are almost always the same size and it is often difficult for me to know what each bottle contains.  So, again, I need to call on the front desk staff for help and they would normally send someone up to help me out.

 

The layout of the room is not much of a challenge for me as once you get the hang of it, most hotel rooms are laid out in a similar fashion.  Each person has their own techniques to deal with the challenges of traveling on their own but these are mine.  If you would like to learn more, then you can visit www.acb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and help teach others about how they can assist a blind person if they notice that they are on their own at a hotel.  Before you render assistance however, ask the blind person if you can be of assistance. 

Buffets Are Not My Favorites

No!  They are not but sometimes I am unable to avoid them and that's because there are functions where they are present.

 

For me as a blind person, buffets are often a frustration for the following reasons.

I have problems knowing what foods are being offered if there is no one to help me. 

I need help to serve myself. 

I need to ensure that my plate is not overloaded.

I need assistance to find my way back to my table.

In the normal scheme of things, sighted persons can scan a buffet table and decide what they wish to take but for me, I have to depend on sighted assistance to tell me what is there one dish at a time and this often leads to my plate being full long before I get to the end of the table.

 

If I need to attend a buffet, I always do my best to ensure that I have a sighted person with me when I line up for the buffet.  If you would like to learn more about how blind persons interact with buffets, then you can visit 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 others to understand how blind persons interact with buffet tables.

My Memory Makes the Difference

Whenever I put something on the counter or leave something leaned up against a wall or door, I had better remember where I put it or else I am in big trouble.  Why?  Because if I don't then I will have to spend lots of time looking for it.  It's the same for a sighted person but whereas a sighted person can use their sight to help them find it, I have to use my hands to do the finding.

 

If I place my shoes or slippers somewhere and go off to do something, then I had better remember where I put it or else I'll have to spend lots of time looking for them.  The same goes for when I am vacuuming, cleaning, and cooking.  So, how do I deal with all of this?

 

Yes, I use my memory to help me but I also use my very own techniques to help me.  I have developed a strategy of placing things in specific places.  In the kitchen, I place things in specific spots so as to be able to find them when I need them.  Whenever I am cleaning, the vacuum cleaner is placed in certain corners so that I can find it as I vacuum each room.  In my office, the same thing occurs and it's the same for almost everything else that I do.   

 

My friends often refer to me as a super organized person but that's okay.  By assigning certain spots and corners for specific objects, it means less for me to remember and time is saved.

 

If you would like to learn more about how blind persons go about remembering where they place things, then visit www.nfb.org.

 

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 others.

Talking GPS Devices

When it comes to evolution of technology, GPS devices have come a very long way and for blind and sight impaired persons, it continues to be a very exciting time.  I myself do not own one of these precious little gadgets but I have had the pleasure of seeing one or two of them.

 

Last year, I had a demo of a talking GPS device called "The Breeze" and I was suitably impressed.  I was able to walk up and down my street and the little gem spoke important points to me; such as the names of cross streets and names of buildings on both sides of the street.  What impressed me most was its ability to tell me how far I was from an upcoming street.  So for example; when I was about 100 feet from a street called Pharmacy, it spoke this to me. 

 

Talking GPS devices for blind persons are being improved all the time and this is certainly going to help us become more independent travelers.  If you would like to learn more about talking GPS devices for blind persons, you can visit www.humanware.com.  In the meantime, please go out there and tell others about how talking GPS devices are being adapted for blind and sight impaired persons.

 

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

Board Games

Believe it or not, there are several board games out there that can be used by blind persons.  Monopoly, Scrabble, cribbage, just to name a few.  I myself am not a board game lover but for the little that I have played, they have been enjoyable.

 

Many years ago I invented a board game that was based on the economy; all about various countries using their resources and money to become the richest.  I have several friends who enjoy board games; and sighted persons can play along as well.  I hope that companies continue to make board games accessible to blind persons.  I have played Othello, and now I am a passionate play of Chess.  I have also played some checkers as well.

 

Board games are enjoyable to anyone at the best of times and it's a really nice ay for friends to come together.  I sure hope that some day they will be able to adapt Trivia Pursuit for blind persons; that is if they have not already done it.  If you are seeking to buy a board game for a blind friend or family member than you can visit www.maxiaids.com. 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the world about how blind persons can play board games.

How I Did It at University

Things are very different today when it comes to how blind and sight impaired students do such things as take notes at lectures, read their text books, and interact with the mainstream student.  They use electronic note takers that are equipped with special access technology, they are able to receive textbooks in electronic format, large print, and Braille, and they are finding ways to integrate more easily into the mainstream student population.

 

When I attended university, I taped almost all of my lectures and then I had to go home and listen to them and then take notes in Braille.  I received most of my textbooks on cassette tapes, and I either typed my exams or had oral ones with my professors.  My exams were given to me either in Braille or on cassette and my interaction with the mainstream student population was very limited; mainly due to my own shyness.

 

By the time I completed my Master's degree, computers were just coming into play so you see!  I did not have the luxury of the electronic age.  Nevertheless I managed to succeed and there was one thing that I always adhered to and it was not taking any extra time to do my exams.  Even when it was offered to me, I always refused and my reason for doing this was that I felt that it was imperative for me to complete my work in the same length of time like everyone else.  It was important for me because when I stepped into the real world, I would be fully ready and prepared to compete with the rest when it came to completing tasks and jobs in a specific length of time. 

 

I have continued to be a student since graduating and within the last few years, I have had the luxury of being able to take courses using electronic methods but I still continue to stick to my way of completing exams in the time allotted to the mainstream person.  If you would like to learn more about how blind and sight impaired students go about getting textbooks in electronic formats or if you would like to learn more about some of the note takers that they use, then you can visit the American Printing House for the Blind at www.aph.org.

 

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 others.

Radio versus TV

This is one of the more frequent questions that I am asked:  As a blind person, which do I prefer?  Great question and I will say that there are benefits to both for me.

 

TV has brought and continues to bring me countless benefits; and despite having to deal with several infomercials that do not always announce information on the screen, I continue to use TV as a main source of information.  More and more movies and programs are now including audio descriptions as part of their content and this helps lots.  As a whole, commentators and sports announcers do a great job at describing events and things as they happen.

 

I still use the news stations on the radio to gain much of my information and there is no problem here.  Radio describes everything for after all, they have no choice and they do a terrific job as well.  I also use radio stations to gain much of my information and with the advent of Internet radio, this makes it even more exciting for me.

 

Having both TV and Radio around me helps to enrich my environment and I like hearing the sound of both as I work in my office and go about my daily chores.  For TV:  I enjoy the news channels, the sports events, the cooking shows, and of course my favorite Soap Opera!  I also enjoy movies.  As for radio:  It's the news and the easy rock and classical music stations.

 

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.  If you would like to learn more about descriptive audio then please visit www.wgbh.org.

My Favourite Sounds

Whenever I need to recharge my battery or whenever I am a bit down and need a breather, I like to sit and meditate on some of my favorite sounds.  They help me lots and I can use them to dust off some of those memories that I continue to carefully preserve in my memory bank.  Memories that I was so fortunate to have been able to capture when I had enough vision to see things and objects around me.  Of course, there are some memories that I sometimes have difficulty capturing through sound; like falling snow and sparkling sunshine.

 

The pitter patter of raindrops on the roof of my house reminds me of such things as:  green leaves loaded with silver drops.  Petals of a flower weighted down with water.  Grass that glistens and dogs with soaked fur scurrying along on the side walk.  Walks in the rain with my friends coming home from classes. 

 

The sound of a strong wind blowing through my window often reminds me of brisk walks in the snow or trees swaying gracefully.  Ice skating outdoors doing my best to avoid falling over those little ones learning to skate or skating on an outdoor rink with Christmas lights of all colors winking back at me.  The sound of a gentle breeze reminds me of swimming in the ocean; lying on my back and looking up at a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating lazily by. Or, walking along a sandy beach allowing my feet to sink into the cool yellow sand while watching the white capped waves roll gently onto the shore.

 

The sound of rushing water enables me to conjure up memories of having been able to see leafy boats racing down the river, the waterfalls with water spraying high into the air, and jumping into a river and swimming around in the fresh cool water.  The sound of cheers reminds me of having been able to see my favorite ice skaters doing their pirouettes on the ice or watching my favorite ice hockey team the Montreal Canadiens skating up the ice in preparation for an attack on their opponent's goal.  The sound of birds reminds me of my beloved Scotty; with a voice as pure as an angel, and pleasant walks through the gardens.  The sound of pots and pans reminds me of cooking delicious meals for friends and family and helping my granny in the kitchen at Christmas time.

 

I can go on and on but I'll stop here for now.  If you would like to know more about how blind persons use sounds to bring back memories or associate them to other things, then you can visit www.nfb.org.

 

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

How I Label Things

What I can tell you is this!  It's not really too difficult to imagine when you come down to it.  The rest of the world label things using pens, pencils, and markers.  I do it using Braille, and talking labels. 

 

Before I lost my vision, I use to label things with thick markers; using different colors for different things.  Now that I am unable to do so, I use Braille labels and recently I bought a new device called the Pen Friend.  This nifty little device was developed and manufactured in Britain and its price is a lot cheaper than its more expensive competitor the bar code reader.

 

Here is how it works.  The Pen Friend comes with a package of 120 specially coded blank labels.  You can use the Pen Friend to record anything you want on these labels.  You place the Pen Friend on the label and press the record button.  Then you can play it back and presto!  You can hear the recording of your voice loud and clear.  These labels are reusable.  Nice and easy!  All I need to do is place the Pen Friend on the label the next time I want to know what it is and press the play button.

 

This device is a huge break through for blind persons and if you'd like to learn more about it then you can visit www.rnib.org. 

 

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.