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.