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 Clause! 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 Clause 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!
Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

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 be just 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 aircraft, 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!
Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

Christmas is for me

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

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

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me. True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year. My sense of smell is still 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 Nočl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!
I'm Donna J. Jodhan. Will see you again in the New Year.

Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

Under the Christmas tree

It may not be Christmas yet 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 peek 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.

Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

The color of Christmas

As Andy Williams used to sing out each year, "It's the most wonderful time of the year," and this is certainly the case for me. It is that time of year when the child in me decides to show itself. I am never too embarrassed to express my joy whenever I hear Santa's rich laughter and whenever I smell the sweet fragrance of pine. All of those colorful presents, bows, lights, and other goodies dancing before my eyes!

Now that my vision is down to a bare minimum, I use my imagination to help me out. I imagine all those mysterious colored packages under a huge tree decorated with blinking lights. I can almost see those colorful lights dancing in my memory and I can practically reach out and grab one of those mysterious packages from under the tree. Lights intermingled with artificial snowflakes, all kinds of Christmas figures, and at the top of the tree? The shining star!

I must not forget my angel and my manger with the Baby Jesus lying in Mother Mary's arms. The animals, shepherds, Joseph, and the three wise men. All fixed in my mind's eye forever. The toys all come alive in my mind! Doll houses filled with little people. Furniture, tea sets, and strollers with baby dolls. Even the racing cars, train sets, and those ice skates dancing just out of my reach. The skis waiting for me to put them on and the colorful balls and game sets.

Ah yes! The color of Christmas, and I will forever be a child at this time of the year!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a happy, Holy, and safe Christmas! Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

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! Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

No readable medical forms for me

This is one of my greatest concerns: whenever I go to a hospital for any type of medical procedure, I am unable to read the medical forms for myself. I have to depend on sighted assistance to do so and it is a fact that no two persons will read something in the same way. No matter how hard one tries, they would never be able to read any form accurately and do it word for word. I have a hard time understanding why it is doctors' offices are unable to produce forms electronically. They create these forms using a word processor so why is it so difficult to simply convert these documents into an electronic file format and then make them available to everyone?

So many persons can benefit from this, not just blind persons, and so much time would be saved if this is done because those needing them could read them beforehand prior to arriving at the hospital. Yes, and they could be emailed to the person if that person has an email address.

Am I being unrealistic or am I dreaming of something that may be just around the corner? In the case of the latter, I hope not. There is absolutely no reason why I could not hope for something that could potentially benefit so many, save lots of time, and standardize so much.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help me spread the word about this. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

At the hospital with Mom

In the normal scheme of things, it is normally the sighted person that assists and supports the one who is blind, but for me it was a role reversal, not too long ago.

I accompanied my mom to the hospital for her eye surgery and it was quite a different experience for me. For whereas in previous times it was her playing the major role, I found myself playing the reverse. I did my best to be of good support to her. I knew that I had to concentrate very hard because of unfamiliar surroundings.

I sat with her as she waited and then made sure that I would be waiting for her after her surgery. I asked the nurses to let me wait right outside the surgery room for her and they willingly agreed. Then, after wheeling her out, they came and accompanied me to where she lay relaxing in her chair. I sat with her until she was ready to leave and the rest went very smoothly.

A new experience for me but one that I know that I could repeat.

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 experience. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Those noisy restaurants

They are not my favorite places. Those noisy restaurants are challenging places to be at the best of times. For anyone, whether or not they are blind. For me, they are confusing because when I am unable to hear those around me, when I am unable to hear as the waiter reads the menu to me, and when I am unable to engage in conversation because I am unable to hear, I become nervous, confused, and my first inclination is to simply leave my table and go towards the exit. For me, personally, it makes things that much more difficult whenever I am unable to hear what is going on around me. That is, to hear what is happening in my immediate vicinity. I find this to be so even more now that I am unable to see. I guess that is because I depend more heavily now on my sense of hearing due to my loss of vision.

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

Remembering the faces

It is only too sobering that faces change as we grow older. The entire process begins the day we are born and ends the day we leave this world. For me, I am in a kind of interesting pickle, so to speak.

When I had enough vision to see faces, I froze these images in time and carefully placed them in my memory bank knowing that these memories will probably never match what these faces look like today. I lost my vision at the beginning of 2004 and the faces of my nephews and nieces have all changed since then.

Marcus is a teen now and Martha is a young lady; their faces have changed. Faith is not the little girl anymore, she is approaching her teens. Christian and Jason have matured as young men and so has Thadd. My sisters-in-law have grown older and so too has my brother Jeffrey and my mom. In short, they have all changed but it does not really matter. I shall hold on to my memories of these faces of my cherished family forever.

Just think of it like this! Old images die hard and that's it for me. My imagination will preserve these memories forever but will always strive to include the new ones as described to me by others. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to see these faces once more.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Come by and visit me any time at www.donnajodhan.com.

Describing cards to me

There was a time when I could see the pictures on a card and even read the text as well. That was then and this is now and with precious little vision left to me since 2004, I now have to depend on others to read and describe cards to me.

There are the Christmas cards and the birthday cards. The special cards and the Easter cards. The thank you cards and all kinds of other types of cards. Mom is usually my chief card describer with other friends and family frequently pitching in.

I can still put my imagination to work whenever a picture is described to me but now I pay much more attention to the words. I am a bit pickier now whenever I go card shopping and I often get my mom or whoever is with me to go slowly whenever they are describing a card to me. I still enjoy going card shopping because it gives me an opportunity to use my imagination.

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.

Those airplane bathrooms

As a frequent air traveler, I am constantly having to get used to navigating a bathroom on board the aircraft. Yes, this is very true and although the general layout is almost the same, there is one thing that differs from bathroom to bathroom. You guessed it! It's the button to flush when finished.

Believe it or not, it is always a matter of me either trying to find it on my own or to ask the air hostess to show me. These precious buttons differ from aircraft to aircraft. If I am adventurous, I would spend the time to locate it by feeling along the wall behind the toilet bowl, but if I feel that either the hostess is busy or that there are others lined up behind me to use the bathroom, then I ask the air hostess to show me.

All in a day's work and just another challenge for me to deal with.

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. Stop by and visit me anytime at
www.sterlingcreations.ca.

When the weevils came

For those of you who do not know what these little things are: they are tiny, black in color, and they love to live in packages of rice, sugar, and other similar food stuffs. For a blind person, it is practically impossible to spot them because of their size and the only way to discover their presence is for us to feel when they start crawling all over us.

This is what happened to me a few months ago. I was sitting at my kitchen table, minding my own business, so to speak, just having lunch with my mom and then some thing or things started to crawl along my arms. At first I tried to ignore it but then I could not as the little things began to feel like many little things.

I drew my mom's attention to the scene happening along my arms and without hesitation she groaned. "The things that you feel are none else than those pesky little weevils!"

We both sprang into action. I headed for the washroom to get rid of the little pests and mom proceeded to mount an attack against the intruders. She entered my larder and removed the rice and sugar from the shelf. Then she carefully opened up the containers and went to work. She removed the weevils and threw away the rice and sugar. She had no choice but to do so.

It is so difficult for me as a blind person when I am unaware that pests and insects have intruded my larder. What to do?!

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 encounter with weevils. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Piling the plate too high

This is one challenge that I face as a blind person, though I suspect that it is probably a problem for everyone else. If a plate is piled too high then I have no way of knowing where anything is. No use in trying to guide me via the clock method. The clock method would not work because there is no order of navigation for me to follow. Everything from 12 o'clock onwards is now obliterated.

There is no room for my knife and fork to move. There is no chance for me to adequately feel the food with my utensils and everything is so tightly packed together that it is practically impossible for me to move around without having something fall off my plate. Maybe a sighted person could find a way to somehow navigate their over-piled plate, but this is not possible
for me as a blind person. So, how do I deal with a plate that is piled too high? If I realize that it is so, I politely ask for another plate and for sighted assistance to help me put some of the food onto that plate.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

Surfing the waves with Dad

Talk about cherished memories, this is definitely at the top of my list. He was my surfing buddy, so to speak. Dad and I would stand waist-high in the ocean and without a surfing board he taught me how to do this. Maybe I should call this riding the waves with Dad instead of surfing the waves with Dad.

So this is how we did it. We would stand side by side in the water. Dad would start his watch for a suitable wave and whenever he felt that there was a good one for me to surf or ride, he would yell, "Now!" Then I would jump as high as I could and that was it. Most of the time I would jump high enough to land on the rolling wave and it would carry me towards the shore. I so enjoyed it and dad would be chuckling away as he watched me having fun. Sometimes, however, I would misjudge the height of the wave and then I would end up being dragged under water and tossed against the shore.

This is how Dad and I surfed the waves. He made up a way for me to enjoy surfing or riding the waves. He knew that I could not see enough to see the waves coming so he devised a way for me to do it. Often times, I could hear them coming my way but by the time I got ready, the wave would be past me. Ah yes, and I can still hear Dad's voice shouting, "Now!" on
quiet nights as I lie in bed thinking of happy days at the seaside.

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

The challenges of moving

At the best of times, moving could be a challenge all on its own, but try looking at it through the eyes of a blind person. No pun intended. Things are everywhere, no matter how hard you try to keep them in order. Boxes are blocking the way and for me, I need to do two things. First label them in Braille so that I know what they contain. Secondly, ask a
sighted person to label them in print. I can easily do this for myself, if I am not lazy, by printing labels from my computer and then sticking them on. But for the lazy person that I am! I would get sighted assistance to write them on the box.

One of the biggest hurdles is to pack everything in logical order and then when I get to my new place, well here is where the fun really begins. I have to make doubly sure to place things where I really want them to be. A mountainous task but the trick of the trade is to
be meticulous, logical, and careful.

Unpacking the boxes is yet another chore as I have to remember where I want to put things and then to place them on counter tops in such a way as not to knock them over when I start packing away. I have not had to move too many times in my life and would not be looking forward to moving any time soon. However, I am ready if I had to do it.

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 blogs. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Remembering the orchids

For as long as I can remember, flowers have been near and dear to my heart, especially so when it comes to those stately and beautiful orchids. How well I still remember these flowers, so sweet, and their soft and lovely petals beneath my fingertips.

There was a time when I could even see them but now no more. No problem, however; I can still remember what they look like and I still cherish their fragrance.

Orchids were always one of my favorites. Not sure why they were but they just were. I even bought an artificial one to remind me of how they feel, and their shape. Ah, yes! Those orchids forever, along with the memories that they still and will forever bring back to me.

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 love those unforgettable orchids. Come by any day and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Those challenging digital boxes

Yet another challenge for me as a blind person to share with you. True it is that they have buttons at the front but I can never tell when the light goes out. When it does, my cable is gone. So here is the scoop! If my TV does not come on when I press the on button on my remote, I know that something is wrong. First I make sure that my TV is indeed on and I do this by listening to make sure that I hear a sound. Next, if the TV has a sound then I go to my digital box and search carefully for the power button. I then press it and if the
box is working the TV will start to work, but if there is no sound then guess what. It means that my digital box has died.

This does not happen too often but often enough for me to be always mindful of what is going on. A huge challenge for me if no sighted assistance is around.

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 about how blind persons live their daily lives.

I think with color

Yes, for as long as I can remember and I am not sure why! I have always thought in color and even now with precious little vision, it is the same for me.

So, this is how it goes: I think of numbers and letters in terms of color. The #1 is a very dark grey. #2 is black, #3 is a medium brown, #4 is a royal blue, #5 is white, #6 is a golden yellow, #7 is sky blue, #8 is a reddish pink, and #9 is a light yellow. Similarly, I think of letters through color. Countries also have their special color and so on.

I live in a world of color despite my blindness and I have lots of fun enjoying it. Color, color, and I am going to use my unique way to create music. Call me crazy or call me goofy! That's me!

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

What happens after workmen leave?

Normally, it is a mess at the best of times after workmen leave, but think about this additional challenge for a blind person. Workmen have just left your house. The place is a mess, things are out of place, and everything needs to be cleaned up.

Of course, they did not tell you where they put things, but you know that they need to be put back in place. They did not tell you that they left dust all over the place, on the floor, on the counters, and on your furniture. You know that you need to put back the furniture but you now have to go carefully fumbling around to find the furniture. You are careful enough but it does not stop you from crashing into an unexpected piece of furniture.

It simply cannot be helped. This is the scene for me each time workmen leave my place. I try my best to tell them to put things back, but no go. Ah, well! All in a day's life.

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

Those expiry dates

For me personally, keeping track of expiry dates on labels and on prescriptions, bottles, and tubes is one of the greatest challenges in my daily life. No use trying to remember it all. I have to find ways to remember and I am always asking for suggestions. For food stuffs, I do my best to arrange them in order of expiry dates if I can, but then again this does not always work and I end up having to put Braille labels on my boxes and tins. It is the same for those little tubes and bottles in my medicine cabinet. I am constantly updating and making sure that I have those expiry dates all correctly labeled.

For a sighted person, it is relatively easy for them to look at the box, tin, can, tube, or bottle. For me, it is more than this. In fact, it is a different process. I have to make sure that I label correctly, then place that all-important Braille label on whatever I need to place it on.

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.maxiaids.com to learn about some of the devices that blind persons use when labeling their various objects.

Learning to knit

A few months ago I decided to take up knitting because I wanted to find an outlet to learn a new craft. I contacted a store that sells knitting supplies and the instructor decided to give me some lessons. She was very kind and extremely patient but I knew that she was very apprehensive. She had never taught a blind person before so she kept looking to my friend for ways to explain things to me. For me this was something entirely new, so I had to be patient and find ways to be innovative in my thinking. I had two lessons with her and then I stopped because I wanted to think things through for myself.

I am still thinking today but I do plan to take it up again. A new venture for me: learning how to hold the needles, when to cast off, and pull through, getting into a routine for myself. Hopefully I will resume my knitting soon.

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 knitting experience. Visit
www.afb.org to learn more.

Waiting for Gabriella

In years gone by, I used to be able to see Gabriella's car as it approached my driveway while I stood outside waiting for her. If she came to pick me up at night, she would flash her lights three times so that I could see her approaching, and if she came during the day she would blow her horn three times so that I would have a warning of her approaching. I was also able to see her bright red car lumbering towards me.

Now we have a bit of a change in our signals. She still blows the horn three times if she comes to pick me up during the day, and if it is at night, she would either blow the horn or call to me after she has stopped her car. We often joke that we do this so that I don't end up going towards the wrong car.

Sometimes, if she gets there before I do, she stands outside and waits for me and calls to me as I step outside of my door. Just right for us both and it is how we do it.

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. Come by and visit me any time at
www.sterlingcreations.ca.

When the lights stayed on

I can probably laugh at it all now, but at the time that it happened I was probably not in a mood to laugh. In fact, I was just a wee bit scared. You see, as I am no longer able to see the lights in my condo; I take very great care to ensure that they are off before I go to bed. I still turn on the lights every day, despite not being able to really see them, and I turn them off before going to bed. I guess that you can say that old habits die hard.

On this particular night, I missed turning off the kitchen light and lo and behold! At 11:00 p.m. I heard my kitchen clock chiming. At first, I was a bit confused as I thought that I had overslept in a big way, but soon enough I realized what had happened. My kitchen clock chimes
whenever the kitchen light is on and accordingly, this is what happened. The kitchen light was on so the clock chimed.

I was out of bed in a flash and raced to my kitchen to turn off the light. Ah, yes! My exercise for that night.

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

Where did I put my cup?

I am constantly losing sight, or rather contact, with my cup and I have to be very careful whenever this happens. You see, whenever I am not sure where I have left my cup, then this is where I have to stop, think, and then carefully feel my way around my counter space and my table top. If the cup is empty it may not be so bad but whenever it is full or even has some liquid in it, then this is where the difficulty comes in.

In times gone by, I used to use my limited vision to find my missing cup but with precious little vision now, I have to start the process with first trying to remember where I have left it and then next go to the spot where I think I left it and then start feeling gingerly around.

Yes, it could be a challenge but once I get used to the fact that every now and then this is going to happen, then this is half the battle won. Ah, yes! My elusive cup!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my adventures with others.
Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

My vivid dreams

Please do not ask me to explain but this is what happens when I dream. They are vivid, colorful, and in as much detail as I was able to see when I had my vision. Truth be told, I enjoy those vivid dreams because they give me an opportunity to see things so well.

It is the best of both worlds for me in many ways. I can still dream in technicolor, so to speak, despite not having very much vision now. When I dream I can see, and boy do I ever enjoy these precious dreams. Colors come to light. Shapes dance in front of me and faces all come to life. They are simply all in color for me.

Skies are once more blue! Sun shines again, grass and flowers are so vivid in color, the beach is of a golden sandy color, and those gentle waves are as white as lace. I am ice skating around a rink that is decorated with Christmas lights and my beloved Montreal Canadiens are playing hockey right in front of my eyes.

I love dreaming every night; it gives me a chance to see once more in my dreams. The best of both worlds for me!

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 vivid dreams.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

My beloved Montreal forever

I knew my beloved Montreal when my vision was not very good. I got to know my beloved Montreal when I received lots of vision, and now that it is down to a minimum, I still and will always remember my beloved Montreal.

Those tree-lined streets with tall, graceful trees bowing down to me. The colorful flowers in the gardens in downtown Montreal during the summer months. The stores packed with lots of clothes, records, and all kinds of everything. The restaurants with their wafting smells, and so much more to remember forever.

You may be asking what is so special about all of this. These are all memories that I have carefully tucked away in my memory bank forever. You see, I can recall these memories through my imagination, visually, and using my other senses to enhance, refocus, and recall.

I have the best of both worlds. I can do it in so many ways. I don't need to look at photos to do it. In any case, I can no longer see pictures and photos. Ah, yes! A cool spring day with green grass, some flakes of snow drifting down towards me, and all of the fragrant smells of flowers, cut grass, and a fresh Montreal breeze. A sunny summer walking downtown and admiring all of the colors. A fresh fall season with lots of reds and oranges around me, those fallen leaves and trees all dressed up in yellows, reds, and oranges. Finally, winter! Snow, Christmas lights winking at me, and kids running around in the snow.

Then the icing on the cake! My beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey team playing in front of their fans.

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

Blind adults need to participate, too

Written in March 2012

There is a question that I am asking myself as I write this. I know! In so many cases, society tends to gravitate much more easily towards the needs of our kids, and rightfully so. They are our future and we need to do all in our power to ensure that theirs would be a bright one, nurtured and jealously safeguarded and protected at all cost.

So far so good but what about adults? Especially blind adults? Are we doing enough to ensure that they, too, are being given a fair chance to enjoy as much as they can? I am asking this question based on a recent experience that I had with an organization called Courage Canada. Last year I approached this particular organization to see if they would be interested to try and set up a program to teach blind adults how to ice skate. At that time the person that I spoke to expressed an interest and over the summer we exchanged ideas and emails. However, July was the last time that I heard from him until I bumped into him in Ottawa in early February at a conference.

After we were introduced, he proceeded to tell me that he did not have a budget to teach blind adults and that blind kids were the priority. Everyone has a budget and everyone has a priority but this really hurt me and as a blind adult who is extremely passionate about the joys and benefits of ice skating it was both sad and shocking to hear this person tell me this.

So, just imagine my surprise when I saw a news item on CTV a few days ago in which this same man was promoting his organization’s learn-to-skate program for kids. On the one hand I was extremely delighted to see that blind kids were being given a chance to experience the joys and excitement of ice skating. But on the other I felt very sad and disappointed for once again blind adults were being left out in the cold.

The kids would no doubt grow into adults and when they do become adults would Courage Canada be telling them that they can no longer take learn-to-skate classes because they are now adults? Would Courage Canada be telling them that they are now ineligible because they are adults and that they can no longer afford to teach them because they do not have a budget to teach blind adults how to skate?

As a blind adult who enjoys ice skating, I truly believe that other blind adults should be given every opportunity to experience the joys of ice skating. For after all, this is Canada, isn’t it? My parting words to Courage Canada are these: Please find a way to expand your program to include blind adults. Kids are not going to be kids forever and they are kids for a much shorter time than they would be adults. You need to find a way to include blind adults in your offerings.

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

Being careful with the clocks

There used to be a time when I could change the time on my clocks. Why? Because they were not digital and I could remove the cover to the face of the clock and presto! I could feel the dots that represented the hours and minutes, as well as the hour, minute, and second hands. I was also able to change the time on my Braille watches in the same manner.

That was then and this is now; digital clocks and other time pieces now rule the roost and the landscape of clocks and time pieces. I am unable to change the time on digital clocks and watches but thanks to talking clocks and watches, I am still able to have clocks and watches around. I have to be very careful with my digital clocks and ensure that I have someone sighted standing by to help out.

You may be asking, then why is it I choose to have digital clocks in my world? Well, for two reasons. I like having the digital clocks that chime the hour and the quarter hour and it is also good for sighted family and friends when they visit me.

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.aph.org to learn more about talking clocks.

It takes more time

Believe it or not, it takes more time for a blind person in almost everything. Yes, it does and for good reason. Because we are unable to see, we need to take time to hear, feel, touch, smell, and taste before we attack our tasks. The other senses each have their part to play.

In our daily chores around the home, it takes more time to vacuum, do the dishes or laundry, cook, and clean. In our daily work, to read using the electronic method, find desired texts in documents, and surf the Internet. To fix things, to travel to various places, and to find locations.

We take more time to walk and this is so because we need to make sure as to where we are going and not to slip and fall in case we run into unexpected objects. We take more time to shop because we have to depend on others to help us and we take more time to find our way if we are unfamiliar with the territory.

We take more time because we need to ask when we are unable to find things or places. We take more time because the sense of sight is not there to help us scan and browse. We take more time because we need to make sure of where we are going and what we are doing.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

What color do I think it is?

This is a little game that I developed as a child and still play by myself. It was lots of fun to play this game when I did not have much vision, and when I got much vision it was even more fun. Now, without very much to call my own vision, it is back to my game in earnest.

I should probably know the color of what many of the things in my life should be, but still! It is fun for me to guess. I love doing it with clothes, trying to guess the color before I use my color detector to tell me. I do it with flowers and more often than not, I end up guessing incorrectly. I also try to do it with the skies but sometimes I am a bit off whenever I ask a sighted person to tell me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and if you would like to learn more about color detectors then visit www.independentlivingaids.com.

Imagine the surprise

I always remember what it felt like when I saw what certain persons looked like after my first cornea transplant. Like many others, I had a picture in my mind as to what certain things and persons would look like before that great day. But then, what a surprise in so many ways!

Some persons were taller than I had imagined. Some were shorter, some were fatter or thinner, and some were even of a different skin color. I had to learn fast and put everything into perspective in a big hurry.

Birds looked differently than I had imagined. Objects were bigger, things were brighter, and the shapes and sizes were all things that I had to get used to. Nevertheless, they were all surprises in their own way but all in a day's learning for me.

The skies and clouds sure surprised me. The brightness of the sun, the beauty of the moon, and the grass, flowers, ocean, and beach were all different than I had imagined them to be.

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

Identification at the supermarket

Now that I no longer have nearly enough vision to identify products in the supermarket through color or by other visual cues, I have quickly learned to develop other ways to do what I need to do in order to identify my food stuffs.

I use the sense of smell to help me identify such things as various types of flowers, breads, pastries, and other types of baking goods. I use my sense of hearing to help me identify what is in certain packages, tins, cans, and boxes. I often shake these to help me identify.

For example: the sound of packages within a box is different to the sound of loose stuff within that box. The sound of packages of tea is different to the sound of loose tea leaves when shaken. The same goes for soup and so on. The sound of beans in a tin sounds a bit different to the sound of peas or peas and carrots in a tin. The sound of fruits in a tin sounds different to tomato sauce in a tin when these are shaken.

I also use the sense of touch to help me identify food stuffs. Some boxes are bigger than others and the same goes for packages. So once I know what to expect from sizes, I am halfway home free so to speak. As long as I know what I am buying then I can use my senses of smell and touch to help. One other thing, I use my sense of touch to help identify the shapes of things. Bottles, tins, cans, and even some packages. Spray bottles are shaped differently to those bottles with pull-up tops, dish soap versus Mr Clean spray bottles for example.

I think that by now you are getting the picture so I'll leave you to figure out other examples. 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.shop.aph.org to learn more.

Memories of a river

One of my favorite memories is that of a river. Oh yes! That beloved river with its clear and sparkling water, leafy boats floating silently down its center, the shadows of trees playing on the surface, and so much more for me to remember.

I saw all of this as a child and when my vision was enough to see it all. I used to swim in my beloved river. I used to go fishing with my dad and brothers in my beloved river, and I used to play in it. I would duck down and grab a smooth pebble and then toss it as far as I could. Then I would wait to hear it splash into the cool flowing water.

I used to love the sensation of the river’s waters as they flowed around me as I stood or swam around. I used to enjoy just standing there in the middle of practically nowhere and listening to the chirping birds flying above me and the gentle noises of the grazing animals on the river’s banks. I used to enjoy the smell of the river, fresh, gentle, and so comforting. Ah yes, memories of a river! My beloved river and memories 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 of a river. Visit
www.nfb.org to learn more.

No barriers to skating

It is my passion and it is my favorite sport. It is the activity that I almost always engage in to help me deal with my stresses, anxieties, and challenges. It is the sport that I love to dream about. Why, it is skating!

When it comes to skating, there are no barriers for me. I learned to skate like any other Canadian kid and I kept it close to my heart for so many years. When I had enough vision to skate on my own, it was my joy, my passion, and my everything. I used to adore those blinking Christmas lights practically smiling at me as I skated outdoors at Christmas time and I just loved to feel the cold fresh wind on my cheeks and blowing through my hair as I skated around. Oh how I loved to smell the freshness of a winter’s night, skating outdoors and feeling the crisp ice beneath my skates.

With precious little vision left these days, I still love to skate, no barriers for me. The smell of an indoor rink, the smooth glassy ice under my skates, and my friends skating alongside me, with me holding onto their arm. Ah yes, no barriers to skating!

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 any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

I know him by his footsteps

I often call my favorite cab driver, Gerry, to come and get me whenever I need a cab to take me on my errands. We often play a game. He approaches me and I am supposed to guess whether or not it is him. Nine out of ten times I can guess correctly and Gerry is almost always surprised that I can do so.

We talk about it as we drive along and I tell him that I know him by his footsteps. You see, I can often identify a person by their footsteps. Believe it or not, we all have identifiable footsteps. Some of us walk more quickly than others. Some of us walk more slowly and some of us drag our feet more than others. Some of us walk with staccato beats, some of us walk with clipped beats, and some of us walk with crisp beats.

Maybe I am confusing the issue a bit too much here but this is how I do it. In general, many sighted people may not think to pay attention to footsteps but for a blind person it is just part of the process of identifying. Listening for sound and footsteps are a part of this process.

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.rnib.org to learn more.

What is physical literacy?

I am not ashamed to say that I totally missed the boat on this one. At a conference in Ottawa in early February 2012, I learned all about physical literacy. Whereas I took for granted that all blind kids would have learned to do such things as: jump, run, jog, throw or roll a ball, swim, bike, climb, kick or bounce a ball, and similar activities, it was sadly not the case.

This conference focused on making sports a part of the daily lives of blind kids and blind adults. It talked about the need for sports to be more a part of the lives of the blind community and it focused on developing ways to do so.

After having returned home from this conference, I realized how lucky I was. As a blind kid I was totally physically literate and as an adult I have continued to stay physically literate. Ice skating is my passion and blind tennis is a close second. I swim, ski, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor sports.

My belief is that physical literacy is very important to us all and especially so to the blind community. We, more than others, may need to make sports a very important part of our lives and how can we do this? By insisting that we be included in sporting activities, from the nursery right up until we are seniors. So, what is physical literacy? It is the ability to interact with and be a part of all kinds of sporting activities.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and encourage parents of blind kids to foster more physical literacy to their youngsters. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more.

Those troublesome stains

This is almost always my fear! Are there any stains on my clothes for me to be concerned about after I have put them on? Or are there any of them on my counter tops or visible places in my home?

Almost all of us worry about this but for a sighted person, they can spot these so-called hazards or pesky problems before they are seen by others. For a blind person, it is not as easy. Sometimes we can feel a stain if it is sticky or rough and then we have a chance to wipe or clean it away. However, they sometimes decide to linger and become invisible to our wondering fingers and as a result we are unable to feel them. This is when the real problem occurs.

If we are unable to feel them then we would probably never know that they are there. If we are able to feel them then we have more than a fifty-fifty chance of being able to get rid of them, but even at that, it all depends on whether or not the stain is a serious one or not.

Sometimes, when things fall and make a stain, we miss it because we did not know in the first place that there was indeed a stain. Only until we literally stumble upon it or when someone tells us that there is a stain. Ah yes! Those troublesome stains!

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.afb.org to learn more.

Memories of a computer screen

As I sit writing this, my memories of a computer screen still stand out in my mind. Now that I am left with precious little sight, not nearly enough to see any type or size of screen, I use my memory to help me cope and navigate my computer screen.

I can still remember how icons are laid out, the different colors of the various menus and panels, and layouts of such things as folders in Outlook Express, lists of files on the hard drive, a Word document screen, plus so much more.

Gosh! I even still remember what the infamous blue screen looks like. Then there are the layouts of various web pages for me to remember. The colors used to depict links visited, edit boxes, and so on.

Yes, memories of a computer screen! I use my memories to help me navigate a bit more efficiently and my friends tell me that not too much has changed for layouts of a computer screen since I lost my vision. This happened in January 2004.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

The poor right eye

Once upon a time my right eye could see so well and oh how much fun, excitement and delight it brought to me. It could see so much, tell me so much, and relay so much to others.

The right eye was king then: seeing, teaching, learning, helping, assisting, and supporting. That was then and this is now. Since 2004 my poor right eye has been working very hard to stay healthy. It no longer sees and no longer shares what it sees with me. It is more or less dormant now and is continuing its fight to stay healthy.

It has done its work for me and done it very well. It has given me so many countless hours of pleasure and joy. It has helped me to experience a bit of the mainstream world. It has enabled me to learn so much, experience so much, and gather memories forever.

Thank you my beloved right eye for all that you have done. Rest well now and who knows! There may be some hope for you in the not too distant future.

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 me. Visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Learning the IPad

Thanks to Larry Lewis I am now well on the way to learning how to use the famous and infamous IPad. What an experience and a very exciting one at that.

It is quite a new experience for me but I have chosen not to use the touch screen route, choosing instead to do it with the aid of a Braille pen. This nifty little device emulates and simulates hand gestures and it enables me to navigate quickly through the various options on the IPad. I also bought a wireless keyboard and plan to start using it very soon.

The IPad is quite a new experience for me and I am truly loving it. Thanks to Steve Jobs I can now take advantage of a great mobile device. The experience is very different from that of learning to use and navigate through a computer screen. However, once I got the hang of it my life is now much richer. I don’t plan to stop there.

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

From Braille to print and back

That’s me in a nutshell and what am I talking about today? Well, here goes.

In my childhood I learned to read and write Braille because I did not have enough vision to read and write print. I loved learning Braille and those dots will forever be brailled in my mind. Then, in my teens, I got new vision through a cornea transplant and I learned how to read and write print.

These were very exciting times for me but through it all I never forgot my Braille and those faithful little dots. It was so mesmerizing for me to learn how to form those letters on paper. I used pens and pencils and crayons and markers. I learned how to read with the aid of a magnifying glass and a close circuit TV. I learned how to draw and I discovered shapes and colors. The world was fascinating and fast moving. I wore glasses to read and write and to see distance.

It was all good then but as they say, nothing good lasts forever. Then, in 2004, everything returned to its original state. I had a retinal detachment and print disappeared to be replaced by Braille once more. The little dots returned and saved me from total disaster.

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.

When the sock got lost

I only realized that the sock was lost when I went to put my laundry away. Of course, a sock never makes noise when it falls and such is its disposition that it is always difficult to find it at the best of times, whenever you are dealing with it falling on carpeted floors.

First, you do not hear it fall. Second, it can fall anywhere so here was my adventure. I looked first in the washer to ensure that it had fallen. Next I tried the dryer and no luck in both places.

A search of the immediate floor space turned up nothing. So where did I finally find it? On my chair. It probably fell out of the bundle of dried clothes and onto my chair. Of course, I did not hear it fall so had no idea as to its whereabouts.

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 adventures. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

When did I learn body language?

I am not sure when I really did so I can only surmise. Maybe my parents and Granny helped me as a child and I developed it when I first got my improved vision.

As a child, I do remember my folks telling me about how to use my head to nod yes and no. I do remember them showing me how to shrug my shoulders and use my hands in conversation, and when my vision came, then I saw it all.

I was a quick learner and I watched conversations between and among people. I used to marvel at all of the different gestures and body language and then I would do my best to emulate it all. I learned how to express myself through body language and I discovered how to do so without having to speak. It was a great novel to me and oh how I used it.

Now that I have little to no vision, I still use my body language to help me cope. I am glad that I learned how to use it.

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

When the grape fell

This laughable circumstance would probably apply to us all, but when you do not know where your grape fell and rolled to, or even if it did fall, then the situation becomes even more comical at best.

This is what happened to me a few months ago. I had carefully placed my grapes in a small bowl and was about to dig into them when I thought that I had dropped one of them on my counter’s top. No proof of this but off I went in search of the precious missing grape.

I searched carefully, using my fingers to do the searching. I moved very gingerly so as to ensure that if indeed the grape was on the counter, I would find it before it rolled off onto the floor. My luck was not with me that day.

I did not find the precious grape and as I was stepping away to start my search on the floor, my right foot found it! Unfortunately not carefully enough and I squished it. Needless to say, the juice poured forth and made a tiny puddle.

In the normal scheme of things, this could have happened to anyone; for a blind person it meant that I had some extra work to do, ensuring that my floor did not sustain a grape stain.

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

Your slice of the pie

When it comes down to it, we could easily compare it to a slice of pie. Now what am I going on about today? Well, here goes!

In my humble opinion, we are each assigned a slice of pie when we come into this world. Each slice is of the same exact size but we can increase or decrease the slice of our pie depending on our actions throughout our life. If we take our slice and make things happen, if we take it and use it as a means to help expand our horizons, and if we take it and use it to help others, then the size of our pie will definitely grow.

If, on the other hand, we do not take advantage of it, then someone else will definitely come along and claim it and in turn, they will use it to broaden their own horizons, their own influences, and their own experiences. There is no limit as to how big the size of our slice could be and this is important to know. In other words, the sky is the limit as long as we want it to be.

If I were to clarify this picture, it would look something like this: If we, as blind persons, do not claim our rights (our slice of the pie), then they would be either given to someone else or thrown away. Or worse, someone else is going to come along and take them away from us. Neither government nor anyone else is going to hand us our rights on a platter. True it is that we each have rights as a person and as a Human Being, but that is the limit. If we do not take steps to increase our slice of the pie, that is claim our rights and make sure that they are recognized and protected, then they will go unclaimed, unrecognized, and unprotected.

Blind persons have to work extra hard to keep their slice of the pie. That is, they have to work overtime to claim, protect, and have their rights recognized. This is not going to change anytime soon and if we want to leave any sort of legacy to tomorrow’s generation of blind kids, then it is time for us to claim our slice of the pie.

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. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Unequal access to education

I am often asked this very searching question and my response is as follows:
Yes, we are still struggling to gain equal access to education, and why is this? My thoughts are as follows.

We are constantly fighting to gain access to textbooks, both in printed format and in accessible electronic formats.
We are continually fighting to gain equal access to websites that offer distance learning courses.
We seem to be constantly fighting to gain access to access technology that is current and able to help us navigate websites plus more.
We are also constantly striving to break down attitude barriers so that we can communicate more effectively with professors and university officials.

That precious day when all of these things could become a reality for blind persons is still a few steps away but I will not give up hope.

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.afb.org to learn more.

Too many things in my way

This is exactly how I feel whenever I am in a crowded mall. Lots of kiosks, benches, and plants in my way as I try to pick my way through chaos. Add the numerous pedestrians also trying to find their way and you have a recipe for perfect confusion. I am often hard put to decide where to put my cane in order to find my way.

Then here is another example of too many things in my way. If I am reorganizing my room or any other part of my home, I need to ensure that things are not put in my way. For if they are, then look out! Mass confusion, mass frustration, and mass irritation.

It is also the same if I have too many things on the counters in my kitchen. I get totally confused and soon enough I am lost. Then I have to go looking for sighted help. It is the same if there are too many objects around me in my bathroom.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

Memories of a sunny day

As clear as crystal, I can still sit and picture a sunny day in my mind. In early 2004, I lost almost all of my vision due to a very unfortunate retinal detachment. Unfortunate it was but it did not erase my memories in any way and as a matter of fact, it helped to strengthen my resolve to retain all of my memories forever.

Ah yes! Memories of a sunny day! I am walking along and can see my shadow as I look downwards. I see soft green grass as I walk and then without any warning, I am drawn to the grass and proceed to walk gingerly through the thick carpet of greenery. I stop for a bit to admire the surrounding shrubbery and the sweet smelling flowers. They are all there, swaying gently in the breeze. Yellow ones, red ones, pink ones, and orange ones. I stop for a moment to bend and gently touch their petals and smell their fragrances.

As I continue on, my path is invaded by birds chasing each other above my head. They cast fleeting shadows in front of me and I stop to hear them at play. Then I look around me and stand for a moment to admire the trees with thick foliage and long branches.

There are other memories of a sunny day for me to share with you. A sandy beach with golden sand and white-capped waves rolling gently towards the shore. A bluish greenish sea at my disposal with boats sailing quietly not too far away. Deep blue skies are above me and fluffy white clouds are drifting by. On the beach, there are lots of persons; kids are building castles and making pools. There are adults sunning themselves and others walking along in all kinds of various clothes.

There are so many other memories for me to share with you, but I’ll stop here and invite you now to share these with others.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Swimming with the current

This is how I choose to do it most of the time: swim with the current. In other words, if you can’t beat them then join them. Sometimes, however, I do take a different path and choose to stand up for what I believe to be right, appropriate, and potentially beneficial to other blind persons.

An example is my court case against the government of Canada over their inaccessible websites. I believe that we are all entitled to equal access to information and this is why I have launched this case.

Swimming with the current is not necessarily a bad thing. It enables you to get a better understanding of facts, figures, and issues. It enables you to better understand someone else’s point of view and to put yourself in their shoes. However, after you have mastered the art of how to swim with the current, then you can move ahead and gain a better footing.

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. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Somewhere over the rainbow

When I had enough vision, I used to sit and admire the rainbow whenever I was lucky enough to see one in the sky. Oh how much I enjoyed seeing my beautiful rainbow, those gorgeous colors of pink, purple, red, blue, yellow, grey, and more. Some were huge and others were smaller but it did not really matter. I loved them all.

I used to sit there and wish for so much. That my sight would improve to near perfection. That I could see more of what was around me. That I could see enough to run freely with nothing to stop me but the wind at my back. That I could swim around like a dolphin and look up at the blue skies with those puffy white clouds. That I could once again see the face of my beloved Dad and Granny.

I used to wish that somehow I could rise above the rainbow and take a seat in the sky and then look down on the beauties of nature. That I could see those brightly colored flowers. That I could fly with my beloved birds and watch the fish jumping up and down in the sea. That most of all, I could see the face of my Lord and master!

Ah, yes! Somewhere over the rainbow!
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my reflections with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

At church

I have come to know when to stand, when to kneel, and when to sit, but I am always still very much afraid that I will stand when I am supposed to sit or kneel. So, what do I do?

I listen very carefully to what is going on around me. I sit very close to the one next to me, usually a family member, and I can tell when they stand, sit, or kneel. At Communion time I usually get assistance to receive my Communion.

When it comes to the sign of Peace, I usually turn to those beside me and to those behind and in front of me and put out my hand. Most times it works but there is the odd occasion when someone chooses not to shake hands and this is okay. The great thing for me is that I get a chance to be me.

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.rnib.org to learn more.

Obstacles on a sidewalk

At the best of times, we all have to put up with those annoying and irritating obstacles on the sidewalk. In the normal scheme of things, sighted persons can normally avoid most of these but for a blind person it is often markedly different. I am going to give you some of the more common ones that I believe to be annoying to me.

Garbage cans: my cane may not often detect these before it is too late and then I end up crashing into them.
Kids' toys: they can trip me if I do not know that they are on the sidewalk, and again my cane may not always find them in time.
Signs: if left in the middle of the sidewalk, they can often cause me potential injury.
Tree branches: if I am walking a bit too quickly I could potentially stumble into them before being able to retrieve my balance.
When dogs leave their calling cards on the sidewalk: a huge annoyance for me.
Pot holes: I often find these just before I end up falling into them.
Construction: I do my best to avoid these areas if I know ahead of time.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

Auntie, I don’t believe

A few months ago I was driving back from Church with my family, after having attended Christmas Mass, when my 11-year-old niece told me that she did not believe that I could not see. To say the least I was mildly surprised, but I soon got a very honest explanation.

Through the eyes of Faith Marie, her perception of a blind persons is someone who needs assistance to find their way, to pray at Church, to know what is around them, to do so much more. She is correct to a certain point but so many blind persons can do all of this plus much more. I often wonder what goes on in the minds of our kids and Faith Marie and I certainly had a very heart to heart conversation that day.

She asked me such questions as: How do I know where I am going? How do I go about geretting dressed? How do I know what is on my plate? How do I know what is going on in the news? Her questions were very constructive, honest, and she wanted to learn. In turn, I did my utmost to be as frank with her as I could.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and find out what our kids are thinking. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What if

For the dreamer that I am, I often like to sneak away to a quiet place and dream a bit. So here goes.

What if I were to regain my vision?! Then what would be the first thing that I would like to lay eyes on? Maybe a church with Jesus in the manger, and Mary and Joseph close by! A church at Christmas time with flickering candles all decorated with the Nativity scene as the focus.

What would I like to see next? Maybe blue skies, puffy white clouds, a golden sun, and white-capped waves rolling gently towards a sandy beach. A blue-green ocean with boats sailing noiselessly against the horizon, butterflies gliding gently on thin air, and birds flitting from branch to branch. Brilliant colored flowers, green grass, and ice skaters skating gracefully on an ice rink. My Montreal Canadiens hockey team skating up the ice and fresh clean snow on the ground.

What if I were to awake one morning to discover that I could once again see faces, objects, and everything around me? I would be simply thrilled to death. Then what if I were to suddenly discover that I could once again see my beloved ones? Simply fantastic!

I will probably never give up hope of this. It is what keeps me going and there is absolutely nothing wrong in thinking, "What if?"!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to keep on thinking what if! Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

In the kitchen with Granny

These are probably some of the happiest memories for me, in the kitchen with my beloved Granny. Granny never complained when I was around and was always so very happy to teach me anything and everything.

I did not have very much vision when Granny was alive, but nevertheless she never made me feel as if my lack of sight was a problem. I would help her to chop vegetables, mix ingredients in the large bowls, and the best of all, I helped her in my own way at Christmas to make the Christmas cake and other types of holiday goodies. I was probably one of her favorite tasters.

I would turn on the radio while we were in the kitchen and she and I would listen to the soap operas together. She would read the papers to me while she worked, half of her attention focused on me and the other half on her task at hand. She and I would chat for hours at a time about anything and everything and she never stopped describing things to me.

Granny was my eyes in those days. She even taught me how to write and, boy, what a great and patient teacher she was. She even taught me how to tie my laces and all of this was done in the kitchen. Granny never seemed to tire of my questions and concerns and I never tired of her advice, suggestions, and questions.

Whenever I smell the baking of cookies, I think of Granny, and whenever I smell those wafting stews and curry dishes, Granny comes walking into my memory. Ah yes! My beloved Granny in the kitchen.

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.nfb.org to learn more.

My first impression of a snowfall

I can still remember the very first time I saw snow. It was beautiful then to me and at that time I had just enough vision to see things close up. In later years, I would embellish this memory to include so much more after my vision had improved significantly.

At first, I did not know what those white flakes were; I simply stood there and looked hard at them. Then, alas! I was looking at snowflakes coming down. I tried catching them in my hands and gently putting my hands up to my eyes to have a further examination. It was hard at first but then I caught on and managed to have a very close look. They were of all shapes and sizes and I had to move very fast in order to catch a glimpse of them in my hands.

Then I moved on to looking at them on windows. Then I came to enjoy the fluffy white stuff on the ground and when I went skiing. I loved seeing snow on the trees and skating on an open rink during a light snowfall. The most memorable memory for me is that of skating around with snow falling lightly and those bright Christmas lights winking back at me.

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

Nancy, you are remembered

It was just like yesterday when Nancy and I were growing up and she used to guide me around. She and I would walk arm in arm on the beach. We would go swimming in the ocean and she was always there to guide me. We would build sand castles and sand pools on the beach and she was always there right beside me. We played ball games together, we played hide and seek, and we pitched marbles.

Nancy read all Mom’s magazines to me and cut out all of those wondrous pictures of famous folks for me. She patiently pasted them in scrap books for me and she and I would talk about it all at night as we played cards.

Ah yes! Those days gone by when Nancy was my constant companion and all of these memories came flooding back to me when she effortlessly put her arm through mine and gently guided me to the bathroom at Nicholas’s wedding. Nancy and Brenda were my two constant playmates while we were growing up. We ran together, chased the dogs on the beach together, and so much more. We laughed together, dreamed together, and hoped together.

Now we are grown and how I wish that I could see Nancy more often. She lives in Venezuela and I live in Canada. We shall be forever linked by those happy memories.

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

Cleaning the living room for Mom

There used to be a time when I could clean the living room for Mom, and as I went about my task I would be able to see the objects in front of me. At that time I had enough vision to see the furniture, the carpet, and the bare floor. I used to marvel at how I could vacuum so well and how I could avoid scraping Mom’s precious furniture with the vacuum cleaner.

With precious little vision left to me these days, I still clean Mom’s living room whenever I go to visit her, but now I am much slower at it. I use my memory to help me move around and the picture of where everything is still remains with me. I am very careful and if she has moved anything around I have to find it and make sure that I do not bump into anything.

I go very slowly. I use my outstretched arms and prodding feet to help me and when I am done Mom comes in to make sure that all is well. I still enjoy cleaning Mom’s living room.

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 how I clean my mom’s living room. Come by and visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What would I want to experience?

This is the question that my sister-in-law recently asked me as we sat chatting about what I would want to see and do if I were to go on a trip or tour. A good question for me and now that my vision no longer enables me to see very much, if at all, I did not have to think too hard.

When I had enough vision, it was different for me. I could see things close up and enjoy some of the sites through a monocular. Things were so much more fun then and I could enjoy more of the sighted person’s pleasures. With precious little sight now I have managed to find new things to want to enjoy on a trip or tour. The cuisine of the country, the special goods and products that the country in question is renowned for, and churches, of course!

I would also want to visit places that the country is known for: Lourdes and historical sites in France, the Vatican in Rome, the various famous museums in England, and so on. Another passion of mine would be to ice skate on any skating rinks in that particular country. Then there are the beaches, of course. So there you have it, these are the things that I would want to see, do, and experience if I were to go on a trip or tour.

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

Daddy, I still remember our games

We played ball games and we played card games. We played quiz games and we played hide and seek. We played all kinds of games and I remember them all. My dad never got tired of playing them with me.

Whenever we played ball games, we did it with a big bright ball so that I could see it. We played cricket and football and we invented a type of tennis game, as well. Most of the time, the ball was either red or orange. Our card games were played with Braille cards, cards that were marked with Braille dots.

Our quiz games consisted mainly of Dad testing my knowledge of any and every thing and sometimes I got to test his, as well. We had such fun doing it and Dad never got tired of testing, teaching, and gently guiding me along the way.

I loved those times when we played hide and seek and when he would have me chase him in the sea. I would have to try and catch him beyond the breakers or in the surf. Sometimes, he would have me chase him along the beach as well. Oh, how I loved and cherished those special times.

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

The problem with simulation

This is the process that many organizations use when training volunteers to better understand the world of a disabled person. A very good strategy if I may say so but there are some drawbacks to this and for what it is worth, here is the biggest one.

In the world of a sighted person there is the reality that the sighted person can return to their world of normalcy after simulation, but for the disabled person this is not the case. I will focus on the world of a blind person. We learn to cope without vision. We navigate without sight and we do all of this knowing that there is not going to be a return to normal vision. We have developed our own coping methods and we have found ways to do all of this.

Simulation can definitely help a sighted person to better understand to some extent. A sighted person would have gotten a snapshot of our world after they have gone through a simulated environment of our world, but at the end of the day, it is only a snapshot and nothing more. The big difference, as stated above, is that the sighted person is assured that they can return to their sighted environment and we can’t.

For a person who was born with either no vision or partial sight, the coping mechanisms are developed out of the crib so to speak. For the one who has lost it during childhood or adulthood, the mechanisms are developed with reference points to a sighted world that they have been forced to leave behind. There is no return for this latter group and there was never a return for the former. So, there could never be a true meaning through simulation for those trying to understand. Just a simulation that lasts for a wee moment in the lives of those who have been brave enough to try it.

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. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

The accommodation syndrome

I used to be more accepting whenever a company or organization told me that one of their policies included accommodation or the accommodation of the needs of disabled persons. All well and good, but for blind persons this word is fast becoming a very unpleasant one. You may be asking why and here are my reasons for what they are worth.

I do not believe that any company or organization should be using this word because it gives the impression that they are going out of their way to accommodate our needs and demands. No company or organization should have to feel or be put upon to accommodate any consumer or user. It should be an automatic reflex or normal process and it should be taken in the same light as providing the same types of services and products to the mainstream world.

I am often embarrassed whenever I hear this word used in the above context or whenever I am told that this is what companies and organizations are saying. It sure singles us out and in a normal world it is one of the last things that blind persons need: to be singled out. Yes, we do indeed have special needs but I don’t really hear this word being used whenever companies and organizations decide to provide their product information and services in multiple languages.

Come to think of it: Is it not the same thing or concept? If a company in an English-speaking country needs to attract the attention or provide multi-language service, is it not the same thing? Are they not accommodating the consumer whose first language is not English?

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. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Both sides of technology

Call me fussy or call me picky! Call me whatever, but as a Blind person, I often look at technology from both sides of the fence.

On the one hand, technology has helped greatly to improve my quality of life. I can use a computer to help me do my work, send and receive emails, and surf the Internet. I can use technology to help me in my daily life: talking clocks, microwave, digital recorder, thermometer, light and color detectors, bank note readers, mobile devices, and other types of talking gadgets. I thank all of those manufacturers and developers who have taken the time and commitment to make it all happen.

So what now, you may be asking, would the other side of technology be? Well, it is whenever I run into problems with any of my access technology (software and hardware) and I am unable to find ready help to assist me to get them back up and running. Over the years, I have managed to find very dependent and hardworking individuals who are willing to help troubleshoot and problem solve but in some cases I have had to discard some of my talking gadgets when they have stopped working in favor of going out and buying replacements.

You may be thinking that it is no different for a sighted person and this is very true but for a blind person it is much more difficult, and why? Because there are fewer people around who possess the knowledge to troubleshoot and problem solve in the access technology arena as well as to fix talking devices whenever they fail to work.

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.

Please describe to me, Mom

This is often my request each time Mom and I go on our adventures, and how well she does it. She describes as much to me as she is able to. Everything that is within her visual field is described to me.

If we go to a mall, then you can be sure that she would describe to me whatever she sees in a supermarket if we go in there. If we visit a clothing store or a boutique, then all that sits on a rack is described to me and she even describes the sales persons to me. Whenever we dine out, she describes the food to me, the physical layout of the restaurant, and diners around us.

This is my world and this is my mom, describing everything to me. Most times, without having to ask, she does it like clockwork. It is an automatic part of our lives.

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

Daddy, I still remember the roses

My dearest Dad:

How much I still remember those early days of my childhood when you used to pick a rose and put it in the palm of my tiny hand. I will cherish these memories forever.

These days were always sunny ones to me. We would walk in front of those sweet smelling rose beds and my little hand would be firmly but gently enfolded in your larger one. You would be describing everything to me as we walked along those fresh and sun-filled mornings, and as we walked you would be looking for the perfect rose for me. How well you knew how much I loved my roses, but more importantly, how well you knew my love for those sweet smelling roses.

You knew so well that I could barely see their color but you also knew how much I enjoyed smelling them and touching their delicate petals. I shall forever remember those fragrant roses placed gently in the palm of my tiny hand on many a sunny morning.

Thank you, Dad, for these precious memories!

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

Helping mom to find

Mom and I almost always have lots of fun whenever we go shopping at the supermarket. My way of helping her is to use my sense of touch to help find such things as tins, cans, bottles, boxes, and the various meats and similar things. I use such methods as shapes, sizes, widths, and lengths. I also shake tins, cans, and boxes to help the cause.

In the case of meats, my sense of touch is called upon to help identify shapes of such things as drumsticks, thighs, breasts, sausages, bacon, and so on. It helps that I have an idea as to what to look for on which shelves.

How do I know which shelves have which things? Ah, my memory from when I used to see things. Lots of things for Mom and me to have fun over. I am sure that other blind persons either have similar methods or some new ones for me to learn about.

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 Mom and me. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

How I was able to identify

These are the methods that I still use to help me identify objects and persons. I'll do my best to make my list as concise as possible. In short, I use the senses of smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Four of my five senses.

In previous days, I used all five senses but with precious little sight now, I have to depend on the other four senses to help me out.

My sense of hearing - to help me identify the various sounds, voices, and footsteps of others.
My sense of taste - to help me identify various foods, fruits, veggies, and so on. I also use my sense of taste to help me determine when food is no longer good.
My sense of smell - to identify certain perfumes, powders, and cosmetics. To identify flowers, and also to help me determine when food is no longer good. To help me identify my surroundings: green grass, a nearby stream, lake, or ocean, and even persons.
My sense of touch - to help me confirm certain objects through shape, size, and texture.

There you have it and I encourage you to go out there and share my methods with others.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Remembering seasons through color

There used to be a time when I could enjoy the colors of the various seasons and it is what I use now to help me remember each of our four seasons. So here goes.

I remember springtime by recalling the colors of yellow, red, green, purple, and blue. I remember summer through the colors of blue, green, red, purple, and white. I remember fall through the colors of red, orange, and brown. I remember winter through the colors of white.

So you may be asking what these colors represent to me. Blue is for sky. White is either for puffy white clouds or white snow. Red is for flowers or falling leaves. Orange is also for falling leaves. Green is for grass and yellow is for sun. Brown is for those dried leaves that cover the ground. Purple is for an early dawn.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how blind persons interact with the world of color.

Are blind persons easier victims?

This is a topic that often arises among my clients and friends and there are several ways to look at this question. On the one hand, some would argue that some suspects may think twice before making a blind person their victim, but on the other hand, there are some suspects who would not think twice about doing so.

One can only guess as to why anyone would want to make another person their victim of something such as fraud, dishonesty, or anything else that is dubious or underhanded. As to the question at hand, here are my thoughts on this subject.

Blind persons may be easier victims because suspects may feel that it is easier to take advantage of them because of their lack of sight. For after all, blind persons cannot read printed matter without the aid of adaptive technology such as scanners with voice output capabilities, and large print magnification. If there is a trusted sighted person on hand, then you can add this to the resources that a blind person would have at their disposal.

A blind person is unable to decipher facial expressions, gestures, and other visual cues, and accordingly, they are going to be at a disadvantage when dealing with a cunning sales person. So picture this example. A sales person comes to the door of a blind person to sell them a vacuum cleaner. They quickly realize that their potential client is blind and bingo! They decide to attempt a scam!

They show their blind victim the vacuum but then proceed to sell them something else. It has happened in cases that I personally know of. What I want to say is this! A blind person is a more vulnerable person when it comes to potential scams and schemes. Without eyesight, blind persons are more at the mercy of potential scammers and schemers.

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. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.