Some day at Christmas

One of my favourite Christmas carols is "Some Day at Christmas," made popular by the late Michael Jackson. Yes, some day at Christmas, when I could wake up on a peaceful morning and welcome yet another special day with my loved ones around me and the Christ Child in my heart.

When I would be able to say, "Finally! All is well and now blind kids will have an equal opportunity to be like their mainstream counterparts." When they can play with mainstream toys and be able to use cell phones and IPods just like sighted kids. When they would be able to play with games just like their sighted friends and not have to worry about inaccessibility. When their classrooms and playgrounds would be free of accessibility barriers and they would have an equal opportunity to just be kids!

Some day at Christmas, when I could go to bed just before Santa makes his rounds knowing that all of my wishes have been granted. That all websites have been made accessible. That all supermarkets and stores have been made fully accessible to blind persons. That online courses and distance learning have all been made accessible and usable to blind persons. That blind persons have equal access to all reading materials in the same way that sighted persons do.

Some day at Christmas, after Santa has come and gone leaving a huge package for me under my Christmas tree, I could wake up and say "Finally! The banks have finally gotten it! Their ATMs are now fully accessible. Blind persons can now access all point of sale devices and touch screens without having to ask for sighted assistance. Blind passengers can now access kiosks at airports, they can enjoy movies on board airplanes, and no more problems at airports, train stations, and bus terminals for them."

Some day at Christmas, as I sit quietly in a church along with others waiting for the Christmas mass to begin, I could say, "Thank you, God, for ensuring that from now on society will treat blind persons as normal persons who can function on their own and the only thing wrong with them is that they are unable to see."

Some day at Christmas! Ah, yes, it is only my dreams but who says that dreams don't come true? The smell of cookies baking in my kitchen is real! Christmas carols being played around me are real! Children laughing and families decorating are real! Is it too much for me to ask Santa to help make my dreams come true?

The late Steve Jobs made some of my dreams and those of other blind persons come true! Dare I dream that there could be another Steve Jobs out there just waiting to bring hope to the blind world?

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, wishing you a very merry Christmas!
Joyeux Nočl! Feliz Navidad!

The Christmas feeling

Christmas for me is simply a plethora of feelings, emotions, and so much more. Christmas for me is a season where so many memories race across my mind. I can tell you that Christmas for me can be viewed in two different ways: as someone who has precious little vision and as one who once upon a time had enough vision to see so much.

When I had enough vision to see many things, I could appreciate the flickering candles in Church, the flashing colored lights as I skated around an outdoor rink, crowded streets with scurrying shoppers, Christmas trees loaded with decorations and presents piled high beneath, tables loaded with dishes of food, and of course! Santa Claus! I used to spend so much time in the toy departments admiring the dolls and doll houses. Drawing sets and coloring books. I used to help decorate the house and always enjoyed putting up the angels, the lights, and most of all, the manger with all of the figures.

Now that my vision has dwindled to almost nothing, I have all of these memories to bolster my enjoyment of Christmas and in addition, I use my senses of sound and smell to help me continue enjoying. Fragrances of burning firewood, pine, baking cookies, and turkey and pork all help me to conjure up pictures and images of years gone by. Sounds of bells, kids laughing, Santa Claus ho ho hoing, and the scraping of blades on ice add to my happy memories. You see, I have so many ways to recreate, reproduce, and make new memories.

Christmas as a blind person could be really interesting. So much to enjoy and so much to share with others. Christmas through the eyes of a blind person could be a very different perspective for many. You can learn more by visiting www.acb.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Little Christmas tree

It was the night before Christmas and in my dreams, I slipped lazily and happily into memory lane. Another time had come and as I stood there, the little Christmas tree twinkled in front of my eyes. The tree smelled so wonderful! It gave off the scent of warm pine. The colored lights danced in front of my eyes as they took turns blinking on and off.

I moved oh so carefully towards my little Christmas tree, being careful not to step on packages neatly piled in front of it. I had to get as close as I could so as to see everything. My partial sight only allowed me the luxury of seeing things very close up and at best only a few things at a time. Nevertheless, it was enough for me.

I gingerly reached out and placed my index finger on one of the little lights, a little yellow one. Then I took my time at identifying other colors. Red, blue, and green. Then I had to take my time at finding a spot where there were no lights. I found it after a few moments and I held a tiny portion of a branch between my fingers.

Next I looked upwards and found the star at the very top. I stood gazing for quite some time thinking of the story that my parents would tell me every Christmas; the night that Jesus was born. What a lovely memory for me. Then I bent down and felt for some of the packages and finally I made my way to where the manger had been set up. There I spent most of my time, examining each little figure: Baby Jesus in the arms of Mary and Joseph, the three Wise Men, the shepherds, and the animals.

Ah! That was a memory of when I was a child and had enough vision to see it all. Now I can only recall this memory each Christmas and that’s okay for me. At least I have a memory that I can recall and one that I can cherish forever. Merry Christmas everyone!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you happy Christmas dreams!

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. I loved 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 loved walking in the snow and watching 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 intact 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 intermingle 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. I will see you again in the New Year.

Under the Christmas tree

It may not be yet Christmas but boy do I have some wonderful memories to share with you. Memories of me as a child with very little vision enjoying my experiences under our family’s Christmas tree. I had enough vision then to see the lights in their different colors. I could see the other decorations on the tree, as well, but I did not have quite enough vision to help decorate the tree.

That was okay by me. I enjoyed smelling the fragrant pine of our live tree. At night, I would crawl under our tree and lie quietly among the presents taking care not to crush any of them. My two brothers were always trying to peak into their presents and they would let me have a feel of mine. I would shake them to see if I could tell what mine were but my brothers would peak and tell. Oh, how much fun it was then.

I always loved our Christmas tree and everything that went with it. I loved everything about those wonderful trees. The smell of them, what lay under them, and what was placed on and around them. Ah yes! Under the Christmas tree!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my memories of being under my Christmas tree. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more.

My first vision of the sun and the moon

Two more memories for me to share with you! My very first memories of being able to see the sun and the moon. What brilliance and what beauty! Things that many would take for granted but for me it was a total treat, a luxury, and keepsakes forever.

It is somewhat difficult for me to put it all into words but I am going to try. The sun in all of its glory: a golden ball of orange at sunrise, a huge blob of yellow at noon, and a gentle pink at sunset. The moon: a big round brilliant light high in the sky, smiling down on me. The moon, silver at times, then I am not sure how else to describe it.

The sun: peeping through the trees, shining down on a blue sea, rising above the horizon, and sinking in the west. The moon: smiling down on me on a moonlit night, a big round face in the night’s sky, and lighting the path in a peaceful park or following me as I walk along a sandy beach.

I can no longer see these two wonders of nature but I can still feel the sun on my face whenever I go outdoors. As for the moon, I have to use my memory and imagination to keep it in my mind forever.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Visit www.rnib.org to learn more.

When I first saw birds

I shall never forget the day when I was first able to see birds. It happened on a beautiful spring day as I was standing in a quiet park in Montreal. I had just had a cornea transplant and it was about 3 weeks later and I was just getting used to a whole new world made up of a plethora of objects, colors, scenes, faces, shapes, and so much more.

At first, I did not know that it was a bird that I had seen and it took me a few minutes to figure it out. The bird flew a few feet in front of me and was of a bright yellow color. It flew quickly by but what clued me in was when I heard it singing close by. I did not get a chance to see birds again until I traveled to the Caribbean a few months later and then it was just a magnificent picture for me!

Ah yes! Birds of all colors! Birds of all sizes and birds all around me. Now I could see and hear them all at the same time and I soon learned how to draw them close to me: by offering them food, of course! A brilliant memory forever.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about my experience. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

When I first saw TV

Of course, the mainstream world takes for granted being able to sit and watch TV from the comfort of their homes. For me, watching TV was a great excitement and luxury when I was first able to see it after gaining vision. What amazed me the most was that I was able to see faces, bright colors, and scenery.

I was able to see how the camera would focus on a person whenever they went to speak, something that I could never know about and discover until I got my vision. I was able to see a hockey game and watch the players skate swiftly up the ice holding their sticks, and then I could see the puck lying on the ice, the blue lines, and players battling each other for the puck.

I enjoyed being able to see scenery, ice skating competitions, the Santa Claus parades, and so much more. I was so attracted to the fast, action-packed shows and much more. Seeing TV for the first time was simply a memory that I will always keep close to me.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my experiences.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

A blind perspective of a computer screen

In most cases when a blind employee navigates their screen, they do so by using their keyboard exclusively. Whereas a sighted employee uses their mouse to point and click, a blind employee uses their keys to do the same. They depend on shortcut keys to get them where they need to be on the screen.

For sighted persons, their dependence on a mouse is almost exclusive and for a blind employee, their dependence on shortcut keys is almost exclusive. The tab, control, escape, and alt keys are a blind employee’s best friend. Or should I say a blind person’s best friends. Various combination's of these keys are also best friends and of course there is the find command to help a blind person find things quickly.

This is how blind persons navigate their screen. In the workplace, a blind employee can be just as fast as a sighted person when navigating the screen. The one huge challenge comes when a screen freezes and a blind employee is unable to tell what is going on because their access technology software is unable to speak. Such situations would be during circumstances such as: A system crash, a hard drive failure, or a screen interruption. A blind employee would also depend on any sound that their computer gives off in order to help them navigate their screen and/or decipher what may be going on.

For someone with enough vision to identify colors, they may use their vision to help them identify such things as: Where the cursor is, an image on the screen, and maybe location of fields and icons and/or images. Some blind persons use screen magnifiers to help them navigate while others use closed circuit TV devices. It all depends on the level of vision.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my words with others.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Navigating the subway

Now that my vision is down to bare bones, I am very careful whenever I step into a subway station. First, I make sure that I can find my way safely down to the platform. Next, I use my keen sense of hearing to listen for approaching trains, and lastly, I ensure that I am far away enough from the edge of the platform by using my trusty cane.

There was a time when I could use my limited vision to see the edge of the platform and to see the approaching headlights of the engine, but now that my vision is no longer adequate enough, my sense of hearing has kicked in.

My cane is my most trusted traveling companion. I also use it along with my sense of hearing to find the door of the train and to locate an empty seat. It takes a lot of concentration on my part and a set of nerves of steel to do all of this. With subway stations becoming more crowded with more travelers, I have to be more aware of my surroundings and everything else.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Waiting on the bus

Well, I have to tell you that waiting on the bus is really no different for me than it is for a sighted person. Whereas a sighted person can see the bus coming, I merely depend on my sense of hearing. There was a time when I could see the bus approaching at close quarters, but no more.

Now I listen for its approach and when it stops I follow other passengers to the door. I use my cane to help me find the door and then I climb aboard along with my fellow passengers. Very often, I receive help from any one of my fellow passengers. Most bus drivers are extremely helpful and they call out the stops as the bus travels and stops. I normally ask them to tell me when they get to my stop and they are always happy to oblige.

In Toronto, there is legislation to ensure that bus stops are announced so all of this helps. I love traveling by bus.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Steve Jobs, a man forever!

No one can dispute the fact that this man was so many things to so many people. Not just the co-founder and former CEO of Apple INC, but a visionary, a leader, a technological giant, someone who understood the needs of the market, and above all, someone who dared to go where so many are still afraid to go.

Steve Jobs did for the disabled world what so many are either still not willing or able to do or do not understand how to do it. Under his leadership, Apple designed and incorporated accessibility into their product lines. He opened a world for the blind community so that today, access to Apple's mobile devices is no longer a dream but a mere reality. We as blind consumers can now use IPods, IPhones, and IPads just like anyone else; we have now become a part of the mainstream world. No more having to wait for another manufacturer to decide when they would be ready to include us as consumers. No more having to buy additional access technology software to incorporate it into mainstream technology so that we can use the mainstream technology like anyone else.

In other words: When blind persons buy Apple products, they can buy it straight off the shelf and use it like anyone else. They do not have to purchase access technology at exorbitant prices and then install or incorporate it into mainstream technology. Now we can download our own music without sighted assistance and we can communicate with the rest of the world whenever we want and wherever we choose.

For years now, several blind musicians have been telling me how much they enjoy using Apple products to work with music. Much easier, less problems with software, and above all, much less costly. Steve Jobs has opened up an entire new landscape for blind consumers and we can only hope that his successors continue on in his footsteps.

Thank you, Steve Jobs. I personally am eternally grateful to you for your vision, your innovation, and your insight. The world has lost a giant and history may not be able to duplicate your great works but your memory will live on for generations to come.

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

Both ends of the medical spectrum

So, what am I talking about today? Well, it is as I have said: both ends of the medical spectrum. At one end you have the doctor who genuinely feels that there is no hope for his blind patient and at the other end there is the one who honestly believes that in my lifetime something or some breakthrough is going to come along and restore my vision.

I have seen both ends of the spectrum. Seven years ago I had the misfortune to run into Dr. William Dixon who told me, "You have reached the end of the line and in your lifetime there won't be anything for you." A few months ago I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Kraft who told me, "You never know! You're still young and something is going to come along and change things for you."

I judge no one and I criticize no one, but how different can attitudes be in this field! On the one hand you have a doctor who holds out no hope for you and on the other you have another who is the opposite.

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.
Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Blind tennis anyone?

Believe it or not, I started playing blind tennis some time ago, and you know what? It is great, it is terrific, and I thank Alan Ma for having introduced it to us here in Toronto.

What exactly is blind tennis? Well, you use a junior tennis racket and you play with a soft ball that has bells in it. It is a sponge-like ball and bounces quite nicely. As the ball moves, the bells from within make noise so that a blind person can hear the ball as it approaches. It is fun and I just need to be able to judge when the ball is approaching, the distance between me and the net, and most important of all, hit the ball with a scoop-like motion so that it can float effortlessly over the net.

Alan is great! He has divided us into two specific groups. The first of which I am a member is for those of us who are either totally blind or have light perception. The second is for those with partial vision. I just have to remember to go out there and meet the ball, not wait for the ball to come to me. We play in the large basement of a Church.

Yes, that's blind tennis for you and Alan is hoping to train us well enough to play matches and eventually reach for the Olympics.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility expert, wishing you a terrific day and if you have any questions then please read the following.
The sport of blind tennis was started in the 80s by a Japanese inventor, a student at the time, Miyoshi Takei. His website is the following: www.hanno.jp/matsui/

Is anyone there?

One of the surest ways for me to know if someone is there is to ask, “Is someone there?” More often than not if someone is there they would respond, but sometimes they do not.

As for me, I am always on the lookout. I listen carefully. I use my sense of smell to help me determine if someone is close by and I use my intuition to guide me. I often feel vulnerable whenever I am not sure if someone is there. Sometimes my imagination tends to run away from me and I start to think that someone is lurking close by, just waiting to pounce.

Whenever I get into an elevator, I almost always say good morning or good afternoon or good evening so that I can give anyone in the elevator the opportunity to respond. When I had enough vision to see, it was not a problem but it is different now. I need to concentrate much more now on my immediate surroundings.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit www.afb.org to learn more about how blind persons interact with their surroundings.

At the hairdresser

Yet another very interesting adventure for me. Yes, going to the hairdresser is almost always an interesting time for me. What do I mean by this? Simple! It means that if I do not go with my mom or trusted friend, I have to trust solely in my hairdresser and take her word for it that she has done a good job on me.

Now that I can no longer see myself in the mirror, I have to use my fingers to help me determine whether or not my hairdresser has done a good job on my hair, but even at that, it is often difficult for me to tell. Sure, I can determine the length of my hair and whether or not my hairdresser has kept my side peaks and cut my bangs to the length that I have requested, but in the general scheme of things, I am unable to tell whether or not she has kept the general shape of my previous hair style.

I trust my present hairdresser, Sophie, but if I were to change hairdressers, it would mean that I would have to start all over again to trust them. I have never really had problems trusting my hairdressers but I do have to place all of my trust in them whenever I go on my own for my haircut.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my blogs.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how blind persons interact with service providers.

Lost without my chiming clock

Yes, if I don’t hear my chiming clock, then I am lost. My chiming clock helps me to keep track of time. You see, I can no longer see the faces of clocks and it is often a bother to get up off my chair and find my talking clock.

My chiming clock chimes every 15 minutes so I am constantly in touch with the time. I use my talking clock to augment my ability to keep track of the time. Chiming clocks and talking clocks, this is how I keep track of the time.

Even at night as I lie in bed, I listen for the chimes of my clock. The other day when my chiming clock stopped working because it needed a battery, I was totally lost and had to seek sighted assistance to reset the time for me.

Ah yes, my beloved chiming clock. I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about how much I depend on my chiming clock to help me keep track of time.
Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Humor or sarcasm?

This is one of the most difficult challenges for me as a blind person. How can I tell when a person is being humorous towards me or are they being sarcastic? The sighted person can easily decipher this through facial expressions, gestures, or body language, but for me it means that I have to depend on one’s voice.

I need to listen very carefully to the person’s tone, inflection, intonation, phrasing, and anything else that I can pick up on. Even if the person were to laugh, I would need to make sure that the laugh is what I believe it to be.

There are persons with dry senses of humor and sometimes it can come across as sarcasm. So I have to depend on my sense of hearing to analyze the tone of their voices, inflections, and whatever else I can determine. All in a day’s work.

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. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

The most misunderstood group

In my opinion, we are! Yes, blind and partially-blind folks are probably the most misunderstood groups. Here are my thoughts on this.

Much of society does not believe that we can be contributing members to society, let alone to an economy. They believe that in order to talk to us they need to shout most of the time. If we are with someone else at the store, bank, or supermarket, they feel it better to address their questions to our escorts rather than to us.

Continuing on, they do not think that we can function on our own. They are amazed to learn that I ice skate, ski, and swim. They practically fall out of their shoes when I tell them that I can cook, use a computer to do my work, and actually watch TV. I think that by now you have the picture.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and help dispel the myths about blind persons. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Accessible computer games

One of my passions in life is accessible computer games. Yes, you now know and it has been one of my hobbies for many a day. This is why now and then I ask this question: can we look forward to more accessible computer games for the blind?

A lot has been done but there is much more that can be done and with the advent of the IPad and IPhone, accessible computer games are becoming more of a reality than a rarity. I know that there are some accessible computer games developers out there who are very committed to this, and hats off to them.

Accessible computer games can benefit so many, starting with blind and partially sighted persons and including those with dexterity and learning challenges and so many more. I play as often as I can which is not as often as I would like but I am going to leave you with some websites to check out.

Ian Humphreys has come out with the 18th free accessible game from Spoonbill Software. BG Codebreaker substitutes all the letters of the alphabet with numbers then invites you to decode words. You can browse all 18 game descriptions here:
www.spoonbillsoftware.com.au/blindgamers.htm
www.audiogames.net
gamesfortheblind.com
Accessible chess puzzles hosted by Mario Lang.
delysid.org/chess/epd.cgi
For tennis and bowling -
www.oneswitch.org.uk

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.

The right to read

So many of us take the ability to read for granted. We are living in an informational society and a knowledge based economy and it is so vital for us to be able to read whatever we desire, when we desire, and in whatever mode we desire. For blind persons the right to read is so important and must be preserved at all costs.

True it is that we, as blind persons, have seen progress with the evolution of devices that enable us to read more freely and widely. We can now access more books online, many more than a decade ago. The digital era has enabled us to start taking advantage of digital media, but there is still much more work for us to carry out if we wish to truly preserve our right to read.

We need equal access to library facilities and services. In other words, whatever the mainstream person has access to, we should have as well. We need to be able to download the same books that the mainstream person can download and we need to be able to access books in our choice of alternate formats. Braille books should not be made redundant; the deaf/blind person depends heavily on this format.

Without equal access to library services, many blind and even print disabled persons will stand to suffer greatly. Those in rural areas are uppermost among them. For those without adequate technology to access the Internet, the lack of access to library services is a great loss. The right to read for blind persons is even more paramount and acute because it is one of the most important ways for them to access and acquire information.

So, in the final analysis, two vital pieces are needed if we are to protect our right to read: library services and access to websites that are accessible.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my blogs.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

It's all about perception

How we perceive things is almost often the major factor in what we do, what we say, and how we act. This is what a blind person has to accept; this is how the rest of the world does it when it comes to their perception of us.

We are perceived on how we act, what we say, and what we do and for a blind person the rest of the world may be perceived by us to be more inclined to judge us on the above. Unfortunately, much of society tends to paint us based on very narrow experiences. In other words, if they have had an experience with just one or maybe two blind persons, they tend to perceive that all blind persons are just like those they have had an experience with.

Believe it or not, and I am really not trying to be condescending, each blind person is an individual on to his/herself. We are each unique with a unique set of characteristics; just like each person of the rest of the world. We each think differently, behave differently, and do things differently.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my blogs.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

The online dating scene

This trend has certainly blossomed in the past few very short years and seems to be growing among all sectors of society but for a blind person there are certain drawbacks that I’d like to highlight here.

First, many of the dating websites are not accessible to a blind person because their screen reading software is unable to decipher the graphics and icons. This then makes it difficult for a blind person to navigate the website in a meaningful way.

Second, a blind person is unable to see photos of perspective and potential dates so another drawback.

Third, and no fault of anyone, just a hang-up of society, many people shy away whenever a blind person discloses that they are blind.

Everything has become so visual on the online dating scene and for a blind person it is doubly difficult and challenging. Even if they were to try it out and get as far as landing a date, it is uncomfortable to go out there and meet someone for the first time. So, I’ll just watch, so to speak, from afar. I don’t have any suggestions to offer as to how to make this easier for a blind person.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca. Please go out there and share my thoughts with others.

My trick when I go shopping

Actually, it is very simple and it works like a charm. Whenever I go shopping and I need assistance, I do my best to provide my helper with much detail about what I am looking for, and in this way it cuts down on time spent looking for things as well as the frustration levels. Here is what I do.

Whenever I go grocery shopping I take a shopping list with me so I do not have to spend time telling my helper what I need. They can read everything and then decide how to go about finding what I need. If I am not sure what I need then I take along an empty container, bottle, jar or package to supplement my shopping list. In this way I spend less time explaining and my helper has more information to help them find what I need.

When it comes to clothes shopping, it is a bit more difficult and in this case I have to depend on what I am told and the descriptions that I am given. I am practically in the hands of my helper and I have to trust that they are helping me to choose the right style and color to suit me.

In the case of shopping for equipment and appliances, I have more control over what I choose. I use my sense of touch to help me but it is still a bit of a challenge to ensure that they are describing the right colors to me. However, I am in charge of ensuring that the features and attractions are exactly to my liking.

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. Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Remembering my favorite waterways

Whenever I feel like spending some down time, I sit quietly and bring up memories of when I had enough vision to see my favorite waterways. It sure helps me to relax and remember. These memories are still very much with me and they will probably never die. They are preserved forever.

Let me start with a peaceful river, so quiet, so sparkling, and water so cool to the touch. Leaves floating noiselessly down its way reminding me of tiny pleasure boats racing each other in the current. Rocks on either side of the bank and me sitting there taking it all in.

Next is a calm ocean in the Caribbean. Jade green water swirling around me. White-capped waves rolling gently towards the shore and surf looking like lace. I am lying on my back in this calm ocean looking up at a bright blue Caribbean sky that is tinged with fast moving, puffy white clouds.

Then comes a peaceful lake that is dark and smooth. The water somehow looks like a dark glassy surface. Noisy birds of all sizes are squawking and flying around. Snow geese, gulls, and swans are hovering close by and I am standing on a ferry looking out at them or sitting in a restaurant that overlooks the lake.

Ah yes! The waterfalls, with white water shooting upwards! I am sitting on a bank a few hundred yards away looking out at this fantastic spectacle. I am elated but at the same time a bit afraid and not sure why.

Finally, a blue ocean with a surface as smooth as glass. I am either swimming in it or admiring it from the rails of a cruise ship. Everything is so fresh and pure. The air is cool and a gentle breeze is running across and down my cheeks. I hear some birds, hear laughter close by, and I am totally in my own world.

There you have it! Memories of my favorite waterways forever and it does not matter if I am no longer able to see them, they are my memories forever.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to pass on my memories to others. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Some important rules for me

As a blind person, I am always conscious and cognizant that whatever I do and whatever I say, it could almost always have an affect on how the next blind person could be treated or spoken to, and accordingly I have developed a set of rules for myself. This list is by no means complete and I encourage others to add to it.

Here they are:
Whenever I am offered help, I take it so as to encourage the person who has offered to help the next blind person.
If I feel that they are not sure as how to be of assistance, I help them along by politely showing them how to be of assistance to me.
If they ask questions on how I go about my daily life or how I do my work, I answer the question in a frank and forthright manner. I am polite and courteous in doing so.
If the person who offers assistance to me thinks that they need to speak loudly in order to get my attention, I politely tell them that there is no need to shout at me.
If they ask questions on how I use my cane, I am always ready to tell them and if they ask why is it I do not have a guide dog, I am always ready to respond.

These are just a few rules of mine and I hope that it helps others. Please visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

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 others.

How colds disorient me

Yes, they sure do! When my head is all stuffed up, then I don’t hear well and I become confused. When I constantly have to take care of a runny nose while traveling or doing something, I lose my concentration and focus, and when my ears are all clogged up then I surely become disoriented.

For the mainstream person it is definitely the same but when you are blind it is a bit more difficult because whereas the mainstream person can use their sight to help them maintain their equilibrium, we do not have that luxury of sight to help us. So what do I do?

Whenever I have a cold, I take things very easy. I try not to work too much outside or at my computer.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

No hats for me

It could be one of the coldest Canadian winter days, or one of the hottest summer ones. When most people would reach for their hats or caps, I deliberately ignore them, and why? They cause me big problems. As a blind person, I need to depend on my sense of hearing much more than the mainstream person so whenever I put on a hat or cap, my hearing is greatly affected.

If I am crossing a street with a hat or cap on, my sense of hearing is greatly affected and I often become anxious and/or confused. If I am walking along a sidewalk and wearing a hat or cap, the same thing. So, you know what? No hats for me.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and tell others about my opinions about the wearing of hats and caps. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Watching soap operas with Mom

This is absolutely one of my favorite times to spend with Mom! Watching our favorite soap opera and boy do we have a great time. Mom is the perfect blow-by-blow commentator. She describes everything to me: facial expressions, gestures, actions, practically everything.

If there is no audio description to a show or movie, then it is very hard for a blind person to follow everything. Especially so when there are silences or all we can hear are things being moved or thrown around in the show and we are left to use our imaginations. Or if someone is reading from a paper or book and it is being displayed on the screen, then we have no clue as to what it is.

I would miss out on all of this if Mom was not beside me to describe what is going on. I would not know what the various characters were wearing if she was not here to tell me and I would not know what the interiors of the various settings look like if she was not here to tell me. Example: restaurants, living rooms, kitchens, and more.

Hopefully more audio description will continue to make its way into our living rooms and I urge broadcasters to be mindful of the growing demand for this facility to their programs. You can learn more by visiting www.wgbh.org.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

When I seek help

It is often a last minute decision for me whenever I decide to seek help. When I had more vision, it was a bit more difficult for me to decide but now that my vision is at a minimum, the decision is much easier.

What am I going on about today? There are two things that play around in my mind and are uppermost whenever I am faced with a decision to seek help. For what it is worth, here they are.
First: Do I really need the help? If I do indeed need it then how can I make this a win-win situation for me and the one who has either offered to help or the one to whom I am considering asking for help?
Second, I need to ensure that the person whose help I seek or accept will not hesitate in the future to either offer or agree to help another blind person.

So, how do I ensure that all of my objectives are met? It is simple for me! I need to be polite, respectful, courteous, and considerate. Even if I may not want or require someone’s help, I need to be mindful of their feelings if I decide to refuse their helping hand. Just my thoughts on this subject.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my thoughts with others. Come by and visit me some time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What happens when vision starts to fade?

Not the very best of circumstances, I can tell you for sure. One minute your world is filled with light and life and the next it begins to shrink and darkness starts to creep in. This is what it was like for me when my vision started to fade away over eight years ago before I finally lost almost all of it.

It’s a very nerve-wracking feeling. A feeling of helplessness and a feeling of great uncertainty and sadness. I watched helplessly as my vision started to leave me. I was lost and at a loss. Objects started to disappear right in front of my eyes. Things began to be lost to me and fade away right in front of me.

My world began to get dimmer and dimmer. The room began to feel bigger and emptier; I could not tell what was around me. Faces started to fade away, the skies became dark, and the precious sunlight was no longer a reality for me.

This is what it was like when my vision began to fade away. Colors are gone. Shapes are no more and shadows lengthen to a maximum.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about me. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

How do I know what I look like?

A very good question for me to answer. I really never knew what I looked like until the day I was able to see myself in the mirror after my first cornea transplant so many years ago.

When I first saw myself I almost fainted from feelings of surprise, shock, and great excitement. Shock and surprise because I realized that I could actually see myself in the mirror. I was able then to see my facial features and from there as the days went by I could make out the rest of me.

It was quite a shock to discover what I looked like and I quite liked me if I could say so. Over the years I came to accept my looks and I was able to capture and store this image in my memory bank. Now that my vision is at a minimum, I have to depend on this memory to keep me going. I am very sure however that my memory of myself may not match what I look like today; I am older now and probably have more grey hairs hanging around than when I could see myself.

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. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

No way to tell

In the world of a blind person, it is often difficult for us to tell certain things. For example, we have difficulty telling when there is a stain on our clothes; that is, if there is no way to feel it. Sometimes, stains could be crusty but if they are not, then we are in big trouble.

Stains on clothes or on furniture are a great challenge to decipher. Similarly, we are unable to tell if there is writing on a sheet of paper unless we have a scanner with the appropriate scanning software close by to help us.

We are also unable to tell if our computer screen is really on unless we have a light detector to tell us what is going on and there is so much more that we have difficulty with. These are just a few examples.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit www.rnib.org to learn more.

Reference points

As someone who had a fair amount of vision but now I have lost almost all of it, I use reference points to help me get by. I have references implanted in my mind and I use them all the time to help me to do such things as refer to my surroundings, remember how things would look, plus much more.

I use reference points in my mind to locate objects within my home. I use reference points in my mind to help me locate buildings and other locations, and I use reference points in my mind to help me find things in my closets and cabinets.

Here are some examples:
Close to my kettle would tell me that my spice rack is close by or that my hand soap is not too far away on my counter.
Close to my microwave would tell me that my toaster is also close by.
My spider plant would tell me that not too far away is one of my wing chairs.
My ski jacket would tell me that on the same side of the closet are my winter jackets.
Hanging pants in my closet would tell me that right next door are my business suits.

I also use color associations to help me decipher. So that if someone tells me that the cheese is yellow, I have an immediate caption in my mind that this is the cheese that I am after. Similarly, if I am told that the wall is blue, then I know that in all likelihood it is probably the same color or similar in color to my bathroom’s walls.

These are all my reference points and I use them all the time. Probably no different from how a sighted person navigates through their daily lives.

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. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Downtown with Mom

Whenever Mom and I go on an outing, it is almost always filled with fun, surprises, and introspection. A few months ago she and I ventured downtown in her home city to run some errands and what a morning it was.

The day was very hot and sunny as we started our outing. The traffic was heavy, the sidewalks were crowded, and there were many pedestrians walking along. We were real troopers and as Mom took charge, I allowed myself to be taken in by the ambiance.

Captain Mom described all of the buildings around me. She told me about what was going on around me, what people were wearing, how they looked, and so on. As we walked along I realized that my captain was giving me a talking tour of downtown and o how I loved it all.

We spent about two hours downtown and at the end of it all I had experienced something new and enjoyable.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my experiences. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

The challenge of trusting

When it comes to trust, it is always a very difficult thing for most of us, but when you are blind it is even more difficult. The mainstream world uses a variety of variables and cues to help them determine how to trust and who to trust. As a blind person, I have to depend almost exclusively on what I hear.

So I use things such as the tone of one’s voice, their speech patterns, and their intonations. I listen carefully and I take my time to analyze. I always try not to fall into the trap of falling for a sweet voice and a fast speaking person. I also trust my instincts and my vibes.

Obviously, I cannot use visual cues such as how one dresses, how they look, and so on. So I have to depend almost solely on my sense of hearing.

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. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Are you asleep mom?

Now that my vision no longer affords me the ability to see when someone is asleep, I just simply have to ask the question whenever I am unsure. Two years ago when my mom was ill, I had to do just that. On so many days when she was just lying there very quietly, I could not tell what was going on with her and I had to ask if she was asleep.

Sometimes if I heard her snoring softly then that was my indicator, but most of the time I either had to go and touch her lightly or just ask. It became a game with us. Sometimes she pretended to be asleep but when I went to make sure that she really was, she would burst out laughing. Ah yes, that was my mom!

I often wonder how I would do if I had to check to see if a baby were asleep or not? Fun and games, aye?

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 others. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Memories of ball games

Ah yes! Those cherished memories of those ball games that I played in my childhood with Dad, my brothers, and my cousins. From football to cricket, catch, and throwing the ball around in the ocean. Dad and I had a special ball game that we played; we would bump the ball to each other and try to see who could keep the ball bumping the longest.

I usually played with a large ball of a bright color, usually red but sometimes a multi-colored one. It was so much fun. I played in the hallway of our home. I played on our patio, and I played on the beach and in the savanna and park. I played in the sea and I loved it all. I used my sense of hearing to help me play and my limited vision enabled me to see the large colored ball.

Ah yes! Those memorable ball games! Forever embedded in my memory.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my memories. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how blind persons play with balls.

The tones of bells

It is one of my favorite sounds, the tones of bells, and in so many ways I associate a tone with either a memory or incident.

To me there are sad tones, happy ones, exciting ones, and ones that sometimes invoke some trepidation in me. I have always enjoyed hearing the sound of bells: at Christmas time, and at weddings. I also associate them with times of sadness at funeral time.

O how I love the sound of bells as I approach the Church for Christmas Mass. The sound of bells wafting across the snow is so peaceful. The chiming of church bells on a quiet evening is so enjoyable to me. I know that many others enjoy these things but as a blind person I may probably pay more attention to the tones of bells.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca and go out there and tell others how much I enjoy listening to the toning of bells.

What makes food attractive

I can only speak for myself and I’ll tell you what makes it all attractive to me as a blind person.

First, smell! I love the good smell of food: chicken, pork, or beef baking in the oven. The smell of cake and cookies. The smell of a good stew on the way, eggs frying, coffee brewing, or the healthy smell of a grill or barbecue.

I am also attracted to salads, but in this case, as I am unable to smell the presence of a salad, I depend on others to tell me what the salad is made up of. Most foods have a smell of their own and whenever I visit a buffet table I use my sense of smell to help me determine what to choose. Most sighted people also use their sense of sight to help determine whether or not they are attracted to various foods but for me this is no longer an option.

Of course, the smell of certain foods helps to remind me of specific occasions. The smell of cookies baking in the oven reminds me of Christmas time and Granny at work in the kitchen. Meat baking in the oven reminds me of my mom cooking up a storm as she prepares the Sunday meal, and the smell of stews simmering away on the stove reminds me of a cool day in the fall. The smell of grilling and barbecuing all remind me of a summer’s day seated outside on my balcony.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and learn more about how blind persons enjoy cooking and eating through their sense of smell. Visit www.nfb.orgwww.nfb.org to learn more.

Remembering fireworks

A few months ago I decided to take a short walk down memory lane. I was reminiscing on the night of July 1 as I lay in bed listening to the noise and crackle of fireworks going on around me to celebrate Canada Day.

Now that I am no longer able to see the colorful displays, I dip into my memory bank to help me remember and boy do I remember! So many memorable occasions: New Years, July 1 Canada Days, and on and on! The huge bursts of shooting lights of all colors and shapes and my friends and me cheering. The same for my family clapping happily along.

I remember how Dad used to stand beside me on our balcony as we watched the fireworks on Independence Day evenings. He would describe the fireworks to me and I would follow along. Then, on a special Canada Day evening in Montreal, my best friend Char along with other friends went with me to see the fireworks display in Montreal West. There were other memorable occasions as well; so many to remember and cherish forever.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about my memories.
Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Finding each other

Try finding a blind person when you yourself are blind and you are in for some fun and great learning experiences.

First of all, we cannot see each other. We cannot see each other approaching, nor can we spot each other in a crowd or in a room, mall, store, or anywhere else for that matter. We can easily walk by each other without even knowing it or sit next to each other without even knowing it unless we speak to each other.

We cannot wave to each other. We cannot smile at each other and we cannot make eye contact with each other. So how do we find each other? By making sure that we are at the same place at the same time. By calling out for each other and by ensuring that we get our signals straight.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a great day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

When someone does not respond

One of the biggest challenges for me is when someone does not respond during a conversation with me. I have no idea as to whether they are listening, what body language they are using, their facial expressions, or gestures.

It makes me very uncomfortable when someone does not respond because now I have to use my sense of hearing and intuition to help me out. I cannot hear or see when someone shakes or nods their head. I cannot hear or see when they smile or frown, nor can I hear their gestures. So, please remember to respond when talking to 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 share my words with others.
Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Why I prefer shopping in person

To me, it is better for me to do my shopping in person rather than ask someone else to do it for me. The explanation is very simple for me. If I do it in person then I get the opportunity to choose exactly what I want and then if I am unable to find it, that is, if my assistant at the supermarket or store is unable to find it for me, then I can easily ask them to help me choose something else.

Some volunteers prefer to ask for my list and go off and do my shopping for me but almost all of the time I politely say no because what if they are unable to find what I need? Then what? Best for me to do it all in person.

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.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Why I accomodate

When it comes to determining how I choose to decide, my first rule of thumb is to accommodate. I am living in a predominantly sighted world and my challenge is to accommodate as much as I can. That is, without giving up my rights to certain basic things. Things such as: My right to privacy and confidentiality, my right to access to information, and my right to have my voice heard.

I am always prepared to accommodate the shortcomings of others. I am always ready to accommodate those persons who are challenged when dealing with a blind person for the first time and I am always willing to accommodate those who are either hesitant to or do not exactly know how to deal with a blind person.

It is all a matter of us teaching each other and learning from each other. It is all a matter of sharing, experiencing, and accommodating. It is all a matter of helping each other to accommodate and understand.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others. Visit www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more about me.

Blind persons socializing

My sighted friends and family often smile whenever I tell them about how blind persons go about socializing. You just need to think of it like this: We call out to each other in order to determine where we are. We use our canes and guide dogs to help us locate chairs, tables, and other objects. We ask for sighted assistance if available to help us locate persons and things and we ask for assistance to have menus read to us and any other printed materials.

It is only natural and logical that if we are unable to see who we are looking for that we would raise our voices to call for their attention and that if we wish to be heard by someone else that we would do the same. If one is unable to find who they are looking for, would it not be logical for them to call out?

Most of us are unable to see the one sitting across from us or beside us. We would not know who is seated at our table unless they identify themselves to us. We would not be able to find the bar or washroom unless we are given directions. We are unable to spot the waiter/waitress and so we need to raise our hand in order to catch their attention.

This is what socializing as a blind person is all about and I would like for you to go out there and share my words with others. I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

The Bronte sailing club

It is always so very nice when I get to talk about a club that has gone out of its way to ensure that blind persons are able to experience something out of the ordinary, and in this case it's the joys of sailing. A few months ago I did just that and boy did I ever have a wonderful time. The joys of sailing were so real and exciting to me, and now that I have precious little vision I have to depend almost totally on the guidance of my instructors.

It was five days of heavenly bliss. I, along with 30 or so blind friends, was treated to the rudiments of sailing. There were about 10 boats, give or take a few, and about three times the number of crew members and volunteers. We had morning and evening sessions and we sailed in calm as well as semi-choppy waters.

I learned how to steer a boat. I learned how to tack, winch, and turn the boat and I learned how to determine the direction of the winds. I sailed in excellent boats and on the last day we participated in three races. Believe it or not, I and my team won the overall competition in our boat called Pagan!

I learned so much and I felt and experienced even more. I was shown so much kindness by total strangers and I saw where club members were so willing to teach and share. I would personally like to thank Irene Bantin, all of the volunteers, all of the crews that I sailed with, but most of all my winning crew! Colin, Mark, Brian, Joan, and Peter. It was an experience that I will never forget.

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 others.
Visit www.bhyc.on.ca/sailingschool/ to learn more about the Bronte Yacht Club.

The desire for vision

A few months ago I was at a meeting where the president of this particular chapter asked his members to explain what the loss of vision meant to them. As I listened carefully, I realized that there were so many stories to share. Some mourned the loss of their vision while others were scared. Still others accepted their lot in life while others were just happy to go along with the flow. It was a complete landscape of varying degrees of acceptance, mourning, and being scared.

As for me, my desire for the return of my vision still burns brightly. True it is that I have accepted my loss of vision. There is nothing that I can do about it, but still, I long for its return.

Why? So that I could do more for myself and for others. That things would be made a bit easier for me: shopping, house cleaning, cooking, and traveling. I miss seeing things: colors, shapes, and light. I miss being able to truly appreciate Mother Nature’s wonders and I miss being able to glide independently around the ice rink.

I miss being able to see the ocean, the blue skies, the puffy white clouds, and the gorgeous flowers and green grass. I miss being able to see faces and so much more, but you know what? My desire for the return of my vision will be fulfilled in the next world.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. Visit www.nfb.org to learn how people cope with the loss of their vision.

Why I chose the IPad

Thanks to the wisdom and guidance of my friend, Larry Lewis, I have chosen to go the IPad way. Hopefully and no reason why not, I will be enjoying all the benefits of the IPad plus more and I am going to use the Braille Pen to help me navigate my way as I prefer to leave the touch screen arena to others.

By using the IPad, I will be able to surf the Internet without having to power up my computer. I will be using a fantastic mainstream device to surf and I will not have to worry about access technology and whether or not it can interact and communicate with the Internet. The Braille Pen will greatly help me to get around.

I can’t wait to join the millions who have graduated to Apple’s suite of devices: the IPhone, the IPod and IPod Touch, and the IPad. No more having to power my computer when I wish to surf. I can now read books more easily with my IPad. I can surf more easily, and I can even take scrap notes plus so much more. I’ll probably install GPS on my IPad in the near future, and o yes! Omoby, an app which will enable me to take pictures of various objects and be able to have them described back to me.

Thank you, Larry Lewis! You can visit Larry at www.flyingblind.com.

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

How I do my gardening

For as long as I can remember, I have loved flowers and plants. It was so when I was a child, when I grew up and had enough sight to see the bright colorful flowers, and now that I can no longer see them.

How well I remember going with my parents to stroll in the Botanical Gardens and Dad placing flowers in my hand and telling me what they were, and the tiny delicate butterflies that he would catch and gently place in the palm of my hand.

I take every opportunity to engage in my style of gardening, using pots and boxes on my balcony to do it. Mom has taught me how to do this. I group my pots by types of plants and flowers. Geraniums, impatiens, mums, and so on. I mix my colors and under the watchful eye of my mom; I carefully place my pots and boxes in specific spots.

It’s not too bad as when I had vision she taught me and now I just have to follow her instructions and retain my mental picture.

I love my balcony garden and whenever I visit my mom, I enjoy her huge rooftop garden. Ah yes! The joys of gardening!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my gardening thoughts with others.
Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more about me.

Under the Christmas tree

It may not yet be Christmas but boy do I have some wonderful memories to share with you. Memories of me as a child with very little vision enjoying my experiences under our family’s Christmas tree. I had enough vision then to see the lights in their different colors. I could see the other decorations on the tree as well but I did not have quite enough vision to help decorate the tree.

That was okay by me. I enjoyed smelling the fragrant pine of our live tree. At night, I would crawl under our tree and lie quietly among the presents taking care not to crush any of them. My two brothers were always trying to peak into their presents and they would let me have a feel of mine. I would shake them to see if I could tell what mine were but my brothers would peak and tell. O how much fun it was then.

I always loved our Christmas tree and everything that went with it. I loved everything about those wonderful trees. The smell of them, what lay under them, and what was placed on and around them. Ah yes! Under the Christmas tree!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my memories of being under my Christmas tree. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more.

Playing in the surf

Every now and then I like to sit quietly and remember my childhood. It helps me to relax, but more importantly it helps me to preserve my memories when I had just enough vision to see some things.

How well I remember being able to play in the surf with my dad and brothers. They would let me try to catch them and sometimes I did just that. They would not make it easy for me to do so but that was okay. I loved the challenge.

They would use their voices to lead me to them and then when I was close enough they would attempt to swim away, but sometimes I was just a bit too swift for them.
We would play ball with a huge beach ball. We would ride the waves. We would race each other in the clean white foamy surf and then we would laugh and tease each other.

My cousins Nancy, Brenda, Brian, Stephen, and Robert would also play with me. O how I loved and adored those memorable times. They were always so good to me. They never took advantage of my blindness and they were always so protective of me. Thank you, Dad and brothers, and thank you cousins! My memory bank will always be filled with memories of all of you playing in the surf with me.

I shall never forget the foamy white surf. The waves of all sizes. The sparkling green water. The blue skies up above and the sun beaming on us lying on the beach and digging huge water pools.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my precious memories with others. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Birthday flowers from mom

She knows how much I love my flowers but she also knows that I can no longer see them. so what did she do? My beloved mom sent me flowers for my birthday a few months ago, making sure that they were my favorite colors. They were beautiful! They felt just right and smelled just right.

Mom also knew that I love small arrangements and in baskets so she again made sure that it was what I received. Yellow flowers that were all just ready to open their petals. She remembered that my favorite color is yellow and that I love to smell their sweet fragrance.

She did the same when I was sick a few months ago with pneumonia. A beautiful basket of flowers arrived for me on one of those cold winter days when I was battling the clutches of pneumonia. Ah yes! Flowers! One of my favorite things to receive and to give.

Flowers are forever with me. I live for them and I can still visualize them in my mind despite the fact that I can no longer see them. I love to gently touch their petals. Run my fingers ever so gently over them and to smell them. I love to try and tell the difference between the various types of flowers.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others how much I enjoy flowers even though I can no longer see them. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

My pen friend

This is a really nifty product that I believe was developed in Britain. I use it to label things. It uses special labels to do its work and here is how it operates.

It is shaped like a pen. There are buttons that you can use to record a few words to create a label. You place the pen friend on the special label and press record. You record what you wish to and then stick the label on your desired box or package. Later you can come back to read it by again placing the pen friend on the label and pressing play. Voila! You hear your voice telling you what you previously recorded.

The pen friend is extremely affordable but I hasten to add that there are other products out there on the market that are very similar in function. You can check out these at www.independentlivingaids.com or at 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 tell others about this nifty gadget.

Using accents to help me decipher

This is the method that I use to help me identify a person’s race. However, I hasten to add that it does not always work. It works if I am curious to decipher one’s nationality but in more cases these days, someone who was born in America or even Canada may not always have an accent that would enable me to tell their true race.

For example, someone of Chinese descent who was born in Canada almost always has an accent of a native Canadian so I would not be able to tell their race. It is even more ironic if I am trying to tell the race of someone who has a French accent having been born in Quebec. These days, there are so many Canadians with French accents and at the same time of different races.

I am always curious to learn a person’s background, culture, and race. Just so that I can get a complete picture of them. Some accents are easier to detect than others. Intonations also help me. The accents strategy still works to some extent but I am not sure how much longer it is going to work for me with the advent of the intermingling of more cultures and races.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others how I use accents to help me decipher.

My cell phone and I

I don’t think that I am any different when it comes to my attachment to my cell phone. Whereas the mainstream person uses their cell phone for so many things such as: making and receiving calls, texting, taking pictures, playing games, and surfing the net, I use it in just two very simple ways. I use it to make calls and to read my mail.

Yes, you heard me right! Mine is a talking cell. It is equipped with software that produces voice output. When I press a key, it is identified through speech. All of the menus are accessible to me through voice output and I can access my address book and make calls being prompted by voice output as I go along.

The wondrous part of my beloved cell phone is that it is equipped with a piece of software called Talks and this software enables me to read my mail. Talks is good for reading such things as mail, labels, and anything that is short in length. The voice is very clear and I do not have any difficulty understanding the output. My cell phone has a camera that snaps the content of the page or outside of an envelope and then it reads it back to me through its voice output.

The trick of the trade here is to ensure that my camera is properly positioned over the text so that when the picture is taken, it is taken properly and accordingly the text is identifiable. It is really not too hard to learn how to do this.

So there you have it. My beloved cell phone and you can learn more about talking cell phones by visiting www.nfb.org.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my talking cell phone.

Accessing web based courses

As technology continues to steam along, blind and sight impaired students need to find a way to keep up. It is only going to become more popular so what do blind and sight impaired students do? This is the big question for me who loves to take web based courses.

We can lobby for more understanding from web developers, educational institutions, and professors and teachers. We can start by doing this in an orderly way using logic as our mainstay. We can offer to work with the above mentioned to make web based courses more accessible to us.

There is no doubt about it; we have no choice in the matter and if we have a hope and Prayer of being able to have access to online education and distance learning courses, we must speak up now. Education is one of the cornerstones of society and we as blind persons have every right to be able to access it like anyone else.

If we are shut out from web based courses then there goes another avenue for us to be treated equally. Time for us to identify ourselves.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share our concerns with others. Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

The challenges with medical forms

Talk about having to part with confidentiality and privacy and there you have it. When it comes to the completion of medical forms, I still need to depend on sighted assistance to do so. If I am at a doctor’s office and I am required to complete a form, I either need to ask the receptionist or the one accompanying me. Or if I have to do it from home, I have to depend on sighted assistance.

One of the things that I would love to see is the introduction of a system where I don’t have to depend on sighted assistance to do this. Maybe some sort of online system or maybe a phone system? If I need sighted assistance to complete medical forms, then I make very sure that the one I ask to help me is one that I trust with my life. My family, or very close friends.

Being put in a situation where I need sighted assistance to help me complete medical forms makes me extremely vulnerable. I am depending on the person to fill in exactly what I say. I am divulging personal information to someone else. My privacy and confidentiality are being exposed. Maybe someone will read this and come up with some sort of solution!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about this circumstance. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

As a blind baby

Sometimes, when I am in the mood for reminiscing and remembering, I like to ask my mom what it was like for me as a blind baby. Now that my dad is no longer around, he passed on over 23 years ago, she is the only source of reference for me so here goes.

Mom tells me that she knew right away after I was born that something was wrong with my eyes. She was right and she and my dad did everything that they could to help me. First, they managed to get an eye surgeon to operate on me at six months to save my right eye. Then when I was just four, Dad sent me to England along with my mom, granny, and two brothers Jeff and Robert to seek further treatment for my eye. Unfortunately, nothing more could be done at that time.

Mom tells me and my aunts have confirmed this, that I used to amuse myself by taking my heel and banging it against the bars of my crib and then I would burst out laughing. Granny used to hang a balloon over my crib and I would follow it with my vision. At that time, my vision was very limited.

My older brother Robert told Mom that she should adopt a baby sister to keep me company when he found out that I was blind. My twin brother Jeffrey was always very protective and he and I were constant playmates. I had cousins as well who were constantly around me.

I was told that I loved music, loved to play on my own and was never afraid to play with others. I loved company but I also loved to be by myself at times.

So, in every aspect, I was just another baby growing up in a mainstream family except that I was blind.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my words with others.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about blind babies.

What forgetting does to me

In the normal scheme of things, forgetting is something that we all have to deal with, but when you are blind it means much more. It means spending so much more time looking for misplaced things and this is why I have to spend so much more time in being super organized.

Whenever I forget where I have put something, I have to resign myself to spending additional time to find it, but whereas the sighted person would be able to spot it more easily and quickly through visual checks, I have to remember and then use my hands to locate where I think it is. If it is where I think it is, then great, but if it is not then I have to use the memory process and the hand finding method to go looking.

This is why I am so organized. It works most of the time but like anything else there are those days when things go wrong.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Wheelchair or cane?

A few months ago, I decided to ask this question to the airline attendants as I stood waiting for assistance. I have been an airline traveler for more years than I can remember but it never fails. Each and every time I ask for assistance, out comes the wheelchair and each time I have to politely say that I do not want one. I would prefer to walk and take the arm of my sighted assistant. Even when I specifically ask for assistance by booking the services at the airport before hand, the same thing happens. I always state that I do not require a wheelchair but alas! There is one for me to seat myself in.

Another thing that I have noticed over the years is that when it comes to assistance, the wheelchair passengers are always assisted first and I am the last to be assisted. Now, I know that someone has to be last in line but why all the time does it have to be me? Am I missing something or do I need to be educated? Would it be better then for me to take the proffered wheelchair?

Maybe someone reading this blog can give me a logical answer. I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Daddy I still wish upon the moon

When I was leaving home for the first time to study in England, my dad took me aside and told me this. He told me that if I ever wanted to communicate with him, all I had to do would be to go out at night and look up at the moon and presto! He would be looking up at it, too, and then we would know what each other wanted to say.

Of course, it was Dad’s way of comforting me and trying to squash my fears of leaving home for the first time, but you know what? It worked. On so many cool British nights, there I was standing out in the cool looking up at the moon and talking to my dad. In those days my vision was very limited but I could still see that big round moon. Sometimes it was quite small and at other times it was as big as I wanted it to be. Even when there was no moon on a given night, I would still go out there and pretend that I could see one.

After Dad passed on I continued to do it and even after losing most of my vision over seven years ago, I still do it. It is not too difficult to do. Not as difficult as you may think. I allow my imagination to kick in to high gear and I could still envision the moon and I don’t even have to go outdoors to do it. Ah yes! Daddy, I still wish upon the moon! I know that you also do the same wherever you are.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Blind kids sighted kids

When it comes to kids, they are practically all alike. By this I mean that they all love toys! They all love candy! They all love to laugh and have fun! They are all curious! So what is the difference between blind kids and sighted kids?

In my humble opinion, blind kids use their sense of hearing more acutely then their sighted counterparts. Some of their games are talking ones and some of their toys are the same. For those kids who have enough vision to read large print, the scope of games and toys available to them is more than for those who do not have enough to read large print.

When I was growing up, my brothers and cousins made every effort to include me in their games and I played with their cars. At times they went overboard to ensure that I fit in. I rode bikes, scooters, and ran, jumped, and skipped with the rest. I played doll's house with my girl cousins and they, too, made it possible for me to be included.

Blind kids of today have a better opportunity to find some mainstream toys and games that have been adapted for blind kids and it is only going to get better. Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again just to play with all of the technology available today.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others how blind kids play with toys. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

The challenge with facial expressions

For the most part, I depend on one’s voice to help me determine and decipher expressions. For those who do not have enough sight to read facial expressions, it is the only method for us to use. When I had enough vision, I could read some body language but now that is gone, I have to depend solely on the inflections in one’s voice to help me out.

The reading of body language and facial expressions is so important when it comes to communicating and you can add how so many use their eyes to express themselves and you have the picture. Blind persons for the most part are unable to use their eyes to express themselves but they can certainly use facial expressions and body language to do so.

I refer to this whole thing as a one way communication path. For whereas I can use my face and body to express myself, I am unable to read the return expressions. Just another challenge to deal with.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

No way to verify

We are living in an information society and a knowledge based economy where one heavily depends on the other. Without information we are nowhere and without knowledge gathered from information we are unable to make decisions of any kind. So, just imagine not being able to make vital decisions because we are unable to verify the relevant information.

Does this circumstance really exist? Indeed, it surely does and it is the case for millions of blind, sight impaired, and deaf/blind persons worldwide. Why does this circumstance exist? Well, it all has to do with the inability of blind, sight impaired, and deaf/blind persons not being able to verify online information. Why is this? Because a lot of the information is inaccessible to these persons in alternate formats and more often than not, they need to depend on a sighted person to read it to them. This means that there is no mechanism for these persons to verify the information because they are unable to read it for themselves.

What does all of this mean? It means that without any dependable way of verification, blind, sight impaired, and deaf/blind persons are practically held to ransom so to speak. They are unable to verify information and accordingly they are unable to make safe and sound decisions for themselves. It's something like this: If you are unable to read something for yourself it only goes to say that you really cannot verify it. So then what's next? A call for information to be produced in alternate formats in a timely manner.

What is meant by the term alternate formats? In Braille, large print, and in e text format; that is, HTML, TXT, Word, RTF, and PDF that is appropriately tagged so that screen readers can decipher them.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and learn more about the meaning of alternate formats. Visit www.tbase.com to learn more.

Strength lies in one voice

As an advocate for the rights and concerns of blind persons, in my country first and foremost and internationally as well, I truly believe that our strength lies in one unified voice. It is often said that strength lies in numbers and it is the same if we are somehow able to present ourselves in one voice. A voice that is strong, unified, and unwavering. A voice that is consistent, persistent, and one that is continuous.

Like many other groups, it is often difficult to present or represent ourselves in or as one voice and it continues to be a challenge but we need to work more on this. Too often, governments and those we seek to engage count on us to be fragmented, and in many instances they are even seen to use the divide and conquer strategy. So forward and onwards!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to spread my thoughts around to others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn how and why they are so successful as advocates.

The problem with prescriptions

Prescriptions are definitely a part of our lives and a great blessing to us all, but when you are blind and are unable to read printed labels on boxes or bottles or read what your doctor or physician is asking you to take to your pharmacist, then here is where the challenge occurs.

At the best of times, the majority of the sighted world is unable to read the handwriting of their physician or doctor so just imagine what it would be like for us as blind persons. Whenever we ask a sighted person to read our prescriptions, we are literally at the mercy of how much time they can devote to reading it accurately to us. It may be time for our medical system to come up with some sort of way to enable us to read our own prescriptions. I can only make suggestions and hope for the best so here goes.

For those with computer access, email the prescriptions to us. This can also help sighted persons as well. Or maybe some sort of telephone system that enables us to hear our prescriptions? Or maybe a call for manufacturers to come up with some sort of device to help us read our prescriptions? Maybe some sort of label reader? Maybe we could use the Pen Friend reader to help us label our prescription boxes and bottles but here again, a sighted person’s time and help is needed to read the contents to us.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and discuss our prescription challenges with others. Visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more about the Pen Friend.

My chiming clocks

Now that digital time pieces rule the world of clocks, I have had to find ways to ensure that I keep up with the times. In other words, now that I am no longer able to remove the face of a clock in order to feel the position of the hands, I have had to turn to chiming clocks in order to help me keep track of time.

Of course, I can still use Braille clocks, but in the past I used to use non-Braille ones because they were more affordable. With the advent of the digital clock it is no longer possible for me to remove the face and feel the position of the hands so I have had to turn to the chiming clocks.

For the most part, the chiming clock works extremely well for me, especially those that chime on the quarter hour, but the drawback to this is that I have to depend on sighted assistance to set the time for me. I can easily change the battery for myself but because most if not all of these are digital, I am unable to feel the position of the hands and the dots that represent the minutes and hours.

I guess that I can’t win them all, so to speak. I have three chiming clocks in my home and I love them all. They keep me on time and they have become an integral part of my daily life.

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 others. Visit www.independentlivingaids.com or www.maxiaids.com to learn more about the types of clocks that blind persons can use. time

A talking remote?

Maybe one of these is already on the market but I have not had the opportunity to find one as of yet. If I am wrong and anyone reading this blog knows otherwise, I would be really grateful if you can tell me where I can go to purchase one.

I think that a talking remote would be so good for so many. If someone could develop a talking remote that enables us to hear what keys we press for starters. I do not know how difficult it would be for a manufacturer to do this. With so many keys on a remote these days and more to come, it is very difficult to remember where everything is.

Maybe someone out there is listening and has already started to work on this. A talking remote could help so many in addition to blind persons. We are using remotes for so many gadgets and devices these days and as time marches on, we are going to see even more uses for remotes. So how about it? How about a talking remote?

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Visit www.aph.org to learn more about some of the gadgets and devices being used by blind and sight impaired users.

Walk a mile in my shoes

This is usually the tack that I take whenever I feel that someone does not quite understand my world. Whenever someone challenges me to explain why it was necessary for me to have sued the Canadian Government over their inaccessible websites, my response is: Walk a mile in my shoes and see what it is like.

For the mainstream person, it is easy for them to gain access to information on the Internet if they have access to a computer and Internet connections. For us as blind persons, it is not that easy. Several additional components must be in place in order for things to work for us.

First, we need to have access technology installed on our computers. What is access technology? The software that enables us to hear what is on the screen or software that enlarges the text on the screen. Or software that enables us to communicate with our computer via Braille.

Next, we need to be able to communicate with websites through the use of our access technology and if websites are not configured so that this communication can take place, then, in a word, we are sunk. In short, websites need to be designed so that we can all read and communicate with web content, forms, and files.

We are living in a society whereby we depend on information to help us make decisions, keep up to date on the latest happenings, plus much more. So here is the question of the day: How would you feel if you were unable to read information on the Internet? Chances are you would be extremely unhappy and you would eventually do something about it, and this is exactly what I did.

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. Visit www.bakerlaw.ca to learn more about why I sued the Canadian Government over their inaccessible websites.

Techniques of banking

I can only speak for myself when it comes to how I do my banking and I encourage you to talk to other blind persons to see how they do it. The first thing for me as a blind person is to ensure that at all times, my confidentiality and privacy are protected.

So, I pay my bills using the phone system of my banking institution. I also check my account balances and transfer funds if I need to. It is a great phone system and affords me total privacy. If I run into any difficulty then I can get immediate help from a customer service rep on the phone and I have never had any difficulty with this service.

If I need to have any banking forms completed, then I go to my bank branch and they are always ready and willing to help me. For everything else, I go to them as well. The trick of the trade for me is to retain and maintain my confidentiality and privacy. I do not engage in any sort of online banking because I am not comfortable. Nor do I do any online purchasing because of not being comfortable entering my credit card information.

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.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

At the buffet with mom

In my humble opinion, this is what I think should happen for a blind or partially sighted person whenever they go to a buffet table. It is the way that mom and I do it and it has worked perfectly for me.

Mom waits until there are not too many persons at the buffet. Next I take her arm and we walk to the beginning end of the table. She hands me my plate and then proceeds to tell me what each dish is. I tell her what I want if I am familiar with the dish and if I do not know what it is, or she does not know what it is, she describes it to me as best as she can.

Mom carefully arranges my food on my plate and I pay attention to where she is placing it. She never overloads my plate so as not to cause too much clutter. By doing this, I am comfortable with what is on my plate and how to navigate it. This means however, that I would need to go to the buffet more than once. So here is how we do it.

First, we visit the cold stuff and choose our food. We may include soup in this trip if either of us wants it. When we are finished we tackle the hot food in two stages. She only describes what we are going to take. That is, she breaks it up into manageable portions for us both, only describing a few at a time until my plate is manageable.

Finally, the dessert. In the case of this, mom describes the entire dessert table to me and then I choose. We never go more than once to the dessert table.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to share my words with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.