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.

Is there technological discrimination?

This could be a very interesting discussion for an evening at home, but I often wonder this. While mainstream technology is meant for supposedly everyone, in many cases, until Apple came along, blind persons are almost always shut out. The Kindle is developed but we cannot use it! The Kobo tablet makes its way onto the market but we are unable to take advantage of this new breakthrough because there are no features to make it possible for us to know what is on the screen or for us to hear what keys we press.

If Apple has been able to do it, we can use their mobile devices because of voice over, then why can’t others follow in their footsteps? If a device or gadget is produced but a blind person is unable to use it because they cannot use the screen or keyboard, could this be construed as technological discrimination? For surely, developers should know that blind persons would want to be able to participate in technology as much as anyone else!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day. Please go out there and share my concerns with others and take a minute to visit www.afb.org.

Learning how to interact

I guess that so many of us take this part of our lives for granted, but when you are blind it is my belief that we do need to learn how to interact. Having had some vision before, I learned that gestures and expressions sure play an important part in how and when we interact. Then add the eye contact to this mix and you have a huge learning curve.

When I had vision I sure learned how to do it in an acceptable manner. I copied gestures from others and learned how and when to use them. I had a bit more difficulty with expressions because I was never able to see them clearly so I had to get others to help me.

I learned fast and I asked many questions. In addition, I had great family and friends to help me out. Now that I do not have enough vision to see gestures and expressions, I have to rely on my previous experience, visualizing as I go along and I use my powers of listening to seal the deal.

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.

Why do people walk into us?

My friends are constantly asking me this question and for the most part I really do not have an answer. As they would tell it, we would be walking along in a mall or through a store or supermarket and my cane would be clearly visible for everyone to see. Yet, someone is coming along in the opposite direction and would simply walk right into me.

Some would argue that on any given day, sighted persons walk into each other anyway so what's the fuss all about? Maybe so, but I am just a bit confused as to why someone would do it when it is clear that I am blind and am unable to see. My cane is a bold indicator of my being blind. What is even more confusing is that too many people simply go on their way after bumping into me and never apologize.

Are we living in a world where we are just simply too busy to realize each others' challenges? Is it that we are just too busy to pay sufficient attention to each other? Or are we too busy to say sorry?

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.nfb.org to learn more.

Please ask before touching me

I know! Many people touch each other for various reasons. They do it for affection, they do it to make a point, and they also do it in so many cases to blind persons whenever they wish for them to move out of their way. I have no problem with all of this but whenever someone touches me because they wish me to move and they do not ask first, if they wish me to do so, then here is where my concerns lie.

Why am I concerned? Because if I am unexpectedly touched, it makes me nervous and I don’t believe that anyone should touch me without first asking. That is, if they are touching me in order for me to move out of their way. I would even venture to say that I find it rude and disrespectful if a person first touches me without asking because they would like me to move out of their way.

I know that many people do it without even thinking but I would like you to go out there and tell others about my concerns.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Please do not forget Braille

This is my call to anyone who is thinking of either pushing Braille into the background or getting rid of it all together. I know that technology has made it much easier now for blind persons to access information through their computers and mobile devices, but there is still room for Braille.

I learned Braille as a child and when I gained a lot of vision as a teen I learned to read and write using large print. However, I kept Braille as a backup and am I ever lucky that I did. Why? Because when I lost my vision some years ago, I had Braille to fall back on. I was able to keep on labeling my stuff using Braille and I could take notes in Braille whenever a computer was not around.

There are huge advantages to using Braille. Whenever current goes, Braille is there to pick up the slack. Whenever I need to give a presentation, my Braille notes are there at my fingertips and I could deliver my presentation much more smoothly than I could using a computer or other device to hear the points that I want to make.

Braille makes a wonderful addition or backup to a blind person’s life. It is hopefully not going to go away anytime soon and I hope that you can go out there and share my thoughts on this with others.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and hoping that you would take a moment to visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Toys and me

It is probably one of my biggest weaknesses, I love to play with toys and games despite my ripe old age. My friends often refer to me as their big kid and this is just fine with me. In short, I am constantly promoting the fact that blind kids can enjoy toys and games in much the same way as their sighted counterparts.

Blind kids dream of the same types of toys as sighted kids. They dream of dolls and tea sets, cars and soldiers! No different so far but here comes technology to throw a bit of a challenge into things. Blind kids are more exposed today to mainstream toys than they were in my day. What toy developers need to think of is this! For every toy or game that has visual components, a corresponding audio component needs to be developed as well.

Blind kids have more opportunity today to listen to story books online. They have a greater opportunity to participate in mainstream games and play with mainstream toys. It is definitely getting better but there is certainly room for improvement. Would the day ever come when equal access to toys could be a reality? I certainly dream of that glorious day but only time will tell.

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

Don’t give up on a blind baby

I know, it is always very daunting for many parents who find themselves having to bring up a blind baby in this confused and cluttered world. I am here to tell you that my parents did not give up on me, and for better or for worse, I have managed to weather the storm.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of speaking to many parents who have had to bring up blind babies. Yes, at first, it could be a real scare or challenge. Especially so if you have never had the experience of dealing with a blind person. But you know what? It is not nearly as difficult as you may imagine.

True it is that a blind baby can not have the pleasure of playing visual games with you and they can not respond to visual cues. But there is something very powerful that they can enjoy: listening to sounds and responding to audio cues. They can definitely hear noises and sounds around them and they can learn to play with you in a different way, without vision but with sound.

All babies are a joy and blind babies are no different. So don’t be afraid and simply enjoy what you have been given. Give a blind baby every chance to grow into a budding child, and a great human being.

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 the joys of a blind baby. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Going fishing with Dad

How well I remember those very precious fishing trips that I went on with Dad. Call them fishing trips but they were really all about my dad introducing me to the fishing rod and the fish bait. I can still hear his gentle voice now, patiently teaching me how to put the bait on the hook.

I enjoyed every moment of our time together. He sat me down on the grassy bank of a river and then he showed me how to cast off. All the while he described everything around me. He described the color of the water flowing softly in the river. He described the trees that lined both sides of the river, and he even described the fish that I eventually caught. It was a little fish and when I told Dad to put him back into the river, he readily agreed.

We always had so much fun on these little trips. Dad always wanted me to be as still as a mouse so as not to scare the fish away. He was a patient teacher and father. He always had time for me and never allowed me to feel that I could not catch a fish despite not being able to see. Thanks, Dad!

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