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.