Remembering the boat ride

This memory is still so very fresh in my mind despite its age. It's just like yesterday when my parents allowed a friend of the family to take me for a short boat ride. I was probably no more than six years old then but, boy, do I remember.

My dad placed me carefully on the passenger seat of the boat. He strapped me in and then he and my mom stood by as Ronald got in beside me and then pushed off. I remember looking back once at my parents and then it was away with Ronald.

In those days, I had a bit of vision, enough to enjoy what was immediately around me. The sun was shining on the water and all around me. The waters of the ocean rushed past our little boat and slapped gently against the sides of the boat. I sat upright in my seat and looked around. Of course, I could only see a bit but that was enough for me.

Ronald rowed strong and talked to me all of the time. He described the boat to me, not too big and not too small. A blue boat that was very pretty. He sang songs with me and treated me very much like a grown-up. Oh, how I loved it all and still remember it all.

The air smelled so fresh and fragrant. The sea was so calm, and I could hear birds around me. Forever in my memory.

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 listen to some of my audios at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Negotiating the snow banks

I have always enjoyed walking along and on snow banks. It is one of my favorite pastimes during the winter and I still continue to enjoy it. As a blind person, I find snow banks quite an enjoyment and no, I am not trying to be funny. You may be asking why or how could a blind person enjoy walking along or on snow banks.

When I had enough sight to see them, I used to literally stand and take in their innocent beauty, snow banks of all shapes and sizes. I used to take great pleasure in admiring their pure white beauty and the different shapes and sizes of them.

Nowadays, I still do despite the fact that my vision is down to a bare minimum. I can barely see them now, but heck! I can use my cane to explore, discover, and enjoy. Ah yes! Those lovely snowbanks!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to visit www.acb.org to learn more about the world of blind persons.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

When I realized

I am often asked this question: When did I realize that my vision was gone? When did I realize that my sight was almost all gone and that I could no longer see?

These are still very painful questions for me to respond to but here goes. I realized the terrible truth the day I stood near my bedroom window and looked out to see if I could see the sun. I could feel the warmth of it on my cheeks but alas! I could not see the golden rays. This is when I realized that my precious vision was now going to be a memory forever and this was the day in late January 2004, days after the doctors attempted to save my right eye after a huge retinal detachment.

I did not say anything to anyone, choosing instead to take stock of my life. I was slow to come to grips with this drastic change but I knew that I had to come to terms with it and deal with it in my own way. It was not easy but it had to be done.

Slowly but surely I realized that my world would be a very different one. With no functional vision to help me get around and no more vision to help me enjoy colors and shapes, I had to revert to using and depending on my ears and hands to help me communicate.

My vision was now even much less than what I was born with. Yes, that was the day that I realized, no warning, no preparation. All up to me now.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and spread the word about how blind persons cope. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

In a new kitchen

At the best of times, it is almost always a challenge whenever anyone has to get used to a new kitchen. For a blind person like me, it is even more difficult.

I need to learn my way around my new kitchen. I need to ensure that I can find my appliances: stove, microwave, fridge, and toaster oven. I need to be able to find the various cupboards and to be able to locate what I seek: plates, bowls, cups and saucers. I need to be able to find my cutlery and kitchen towels, and of course! My tins and cans, boxes and packages, and let me not forget my pots and pans, dishes and more. I also need to find my way around my counter tops.

I tackle my new kitchen in a methodical way. First I identify what I need in order to be functional then I make sure that my cupboards and drawers are all organized in an orderly manner so that I can find what I need. All in a day's work.

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. Come and listen to my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

When I discovered the star fish

I was just a kid then and on a very sunny day with the breeze blowing through my hair and rolling down my cheeks, and the sun so warm and the sea water so fragrant, my dad placed a little star fish into the palm of my hand and then he told me all about star fishes.

He patiently described the little sea creature to me and allowed me to play with it. I was so curious about the little star fish. I touched him very gingerly and then I accidentally broke one of its little legs. I remembered feeling so bad. I could not really make out what he looked like but both my parents described him to me in great detail.

Then I wanted to take him home but my mom said that I could not because we had to send him home to his own mom. I was heart broken but somehow understood. I kept that memory with me for as long as I could and today, it is still very fresh in my mind. Just the memory of him lying in my little hand and me touching him and listening to my parents tell me all about star fishes is enough for me to smile and remember.

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.acb.org to learn more about the world of blind kids.

Those candy bowls

How well I remember those very colorful candy bowls. I simply used to love to stand and watch the multiple colors of candy in my bowl when I had enough sight to do so. I would cram my candy bowls full of multicolored candies of all shapes and sizes and then place the bowl carefully on my credenza.

Whenever I remembered and had a moment, I would walk over to where my candy bowl was sitting and then I would proceed to stand there and simply get lost in time. You may think that this was a bit strange for me but there you have it. As I may have mentioned in previous blogs, color was my world when I had enough sight to appreciate it.

I still enjoy color but now in a different way. By remembering and imagining. By bringing back old and dusty memories of the world of color for me, and why not? My candy bowl was just one important part of it all.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to share my world of color with others. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog.

Remembering the balloons

How well I remember the days when I used to have a sort of fear versus love feeling about balloons. On the one hand, I would be terrified that they would suddenly pop in my face, but on the other hand, I used to love to just play with them.

I was told that when I was a baby, my granny used to hang a balloon in my crib and that I used to love to lie there and just look up at it. This was her way of helping me to use my limited vision as I was born blind.

I used to love to play with balloons as a kid and I especially remember loving all of the various colors of them all. I would toss the balloons in the air, two and three at a time, and then stand there and watch fascinated as they glided back towards me.

I remember, too, that balloons were mainly present at Christmas time and I used to look forward to when my mom and dad would bring them home to my brothers and me. I would wait patiently as they were hung and then I would sit and just look up at them.

They really fascinated me in those days. The way they moved around on the dangling strings, all bunched together. The various sizes and shapes all combined to capture my attention. Such wonderful memories for me.

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 memories. Visit me any time at www.donnajodhan.com if you would like to listen to my audio mysteries.