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.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 21, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 14, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 7, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
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.
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.
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