The hardest thing to find

For me, it is probably a pair of socks. They do not make any sound when they fall and if you disturb the floor around where they have fallen too much, then they are likely to simply move away from your grasp. If they fall out of your hands while removing them from the drier, then you may be out of luck to find them if you are unable to see where they have gone.

Fallen socks have always been a problem for me and even when I had my functional vision they were a problem then. Should I be pinning bells on them you may be asking? Not a very bright idea. How can I solve this problem? Maybe someone out there may have a solution for me.

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

No need for help in the bathroom

Whenever anyone offers to help me to navigate a public bathroom, I almost always turn down their offer and I do it very nicely and respectfully. Yes, I know that people mean well in wanting to help me as a blind person, but that's okay. I can navigate it and I thank the good Lord for this.

This does not mean that every blind person is the same. No, not at all and I encourage society to keep on offering help to other blind persons when it comes to assistance at navigating a public bathroom. The layout of a public bathroom is never the same and there is really no commonality. In short, there is always going to be a tiny difference in each layout.

I believe that over the years, architects of public bathrooms have made a concerted effort to generalize the layout but there is always going to be tiny differences. The one common denominator will always be the elements that are found in a bathroom. We need to think of it like this: layouts of a bathroom differ from home to home.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Discovering the gym

My curiosity got the better of me some time ago and I decided to bite the bullet and ask my friend to give me a tour of the gym. I am really not sure why I was always a bit hesitant but I was sure glad after I had my tour.

My friend was a very good tour guide. She placed my hand on each piece of equipment and explained each knob, lever, and button to me. She then allowed me to explore for myself and described all aspects of each piece of equipment to me.

I tried out the exercise bicycle, the treadmill, the stepper, and the rowing machine. I felt these pieces of equipment from front to back and at the end of it all I had a much better idea of how things felt and looked. My introduction to the gym.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Come by and listen to some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Identifying my dogs by their voices

Yes indeed! They each had a very unique voice according to the sound in my ears. Their growls and barks were unique and this is how I identified them whenever they were out of my range.

Just like their personalities, each dog's voice was different. Yella had a soft but confident voice and bark. Tiger was much louder and braver. Lion was loud but tinged with timidity. Boyo's bark was medium to loud but tinged with some assuredness and Brownie's bark was simply loud and proud.

Each dog used their voice in a uniquely different way and each barked at various times for various reasons. It almost always used to amaze my family how I could identify our dogs whenever they were out and about. I knew each voice like the back of my hand and I even knew their growls and could easily distinguish them.

I did not have enough vision as a child to distinguish my dogs by sight so I had to depend on their voices. Of course whenever they were within my reach I had no difficulty distinguishing them.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to explore the world of blind persons by visiting www.acb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Counting the lights

How well I remember this very simple childhood game! I used to engage in counting the street lights as Dad drove down the street in our family's car. I used to love doing this and sometimes my elder brother, Robert, and my granny would join in. There were the sodium lights which were round and orange in color and the florescent lights which were long and of a more yellowish color.

Sometimes I would get it wrong and Robert and Granny would correct me but most times I was spot on. These little games usually took place at night as we drove down the city's streets or on main roads. I never tired of doing this and sometimes Robert and Granny would simply drop out of my little game if they became bored or tired.

That was just fine with me and I just went on counting. Ah yes, those little childhood games that still remain with me. My vision no longer allows me to count the lights but that's very okay with me. I have the memories!

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. To learn more about me, visit www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

What happened when the boxes got mixed up

At the best of times, I am normally super careful whenever I return home from my grocery shopping. I am ever so careful to ensure that I can identify the differences among tins, cans, and boxes but on this particular day something did not go right for me and I had to spend some extra time identifying some of the boxes.

It is usually easy to distinguish the various boxes of stuff. This is done based on weight, size, shape, and by shaking to ensure that it is, indeed, what I think it is. For example, boxes of jello are easily distinguished from boxes of cornflakes and boxes of shake and bake are easily distinguished from boxes of crackers. However, here is where the problem came for me.

I could not easily distinguish the difference between the box of shake and bake and the box of mazza balls. To make matters worse, I could not distinguish the difference between the boxes of stuffed chicken breasts and hamburger patties.

First I shook then I measured the boxes to see which was larger. The weight seemed to be equal and the sizes were an exact match. Smelling them would not have helped me on that day. So what did I have to do at the end? Open up each box and then examine the contents carefully by touch. Bingo!

Success! The shake and bake had a familiar smell and contained plastic bags for shaking. The mazza balls did not. The burgers were round and the stuffed chicken breasts were long. At last, I resolved my problems that day.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my blogs with others. Come by and listen to my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Learning math

I learned math as a blind student, with a slate and something called type. The slate was made up of a frame of holes and the type could be used to achieve 16 different positions. When the type was on its right side up, one could create numbers from 1 to 8 and when the type was placed on its wrong side, then the following could be had: 9, 0, plus, minus, multiplication sign, division sign, decimal point, and equals sign.

You could see then that the type had eight distinct sides and in actuality it was a very small entity made of lead. You had to place it in the hole of the frame and this is how figures were generated. The frame consisted of 16 columns and eight rows. A marvelous invention, in my opinion, for a blind person to have learned math to start with.

Much later on came talking calculators for us blind folks and this is the picture as it stands today. Many students do indeed use Braille to do their math as well. Others use the good old abacus.

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 how blind persons learn Math. To learn more about the world of blind persons, visit www.nfb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

When websites change

It is difficult enough at times for a blind person to be able to easily access a website, and it is a victory of sorts each time we are able to access and navigate any one website. However, when changes are made, and this cannot be helped, I for one have to re-familiarize myself with the landscape of the website in question. It is the same for any mainstream person but for a blind person it can be described as doubly difficult.

I, for one, have to learn where the new links are, how to find new information and where to go when I wish to complete forms. Sometimes the changes are not too difficult to manage but sometimes, when developers decide to insert new images and new software into the body of their website, then there is where the fun starts.

No, I do not expect that each time a developer changes their website that they announce it to the world but I am wondering if they could maybe put an announcement or some sort of notation at the top of their website? In the same way that companies do when you phone in and you hear that some of the menu options have changed? Just a thought from little old me!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Those crossword puzzle books

How well I remember having been able to work with these. They were large print crossword puzzle books and when I had enough vision to read and fill in the boxes, they brought so much joy to me. At that time they were the best things that I could lay my hands on to help keep my mind ticking.

I used to spend hours at a time working with them. With pen in hand, I would adjust my lamp over the crossword book and then proceed to get to work. Most of the time I would be able to fill in most of the boxes but there were times when my frustration was certainly there.

Large print crossword puzzle books can certainly benefit not just those who are partially sighted but seniors who have difficulty negotiating the fine print. More large print crossword puzzle books are coming onto the market and now that I can no longer see to work with them I would encourage anyone with family members or friends who have difficulty reading fine print to purchase these.

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 those large print crossword puzzle books. Come by and visit me at www.donnajodhan.com to listen to some really exciting audio mysteries.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Granny was my reader

This she was when I was a child. She read any and everything to me. From the newspapers to letters from aunts and cousins and from books to scraps of paper that contained notes which she felt I should know about.

I used to enjoy when she read to me from her Prayer Book, too. She read all of the daily prayers, the Psalms, and then she would read the Bible stories to me. She read the crossword puzzles and we did them together. She read the comics to me and then the headlines. Each Sunday, just before I would drift off for my afternoon nap, she would proceed to read from the newspapers to me. Oh, how much I loved and treasured those very precious memories with my beloved granny. Yes indeed, Granny was my reader!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and explore the world of blind persons by visiting www.nfb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Interacting in high school

Believe it or not, I was probably one of the shyest students in high school and I can comfortably say that it was because of being blind. Being one of the first blind students to attend my high school made things very interesting and challenging for me. I will say, however, that both teachers and students were extremely good to me. They were very attentive to me and made sure that I was never wanting for anything.

I had a few great friends but for the most part I believe that the students were more curious than anything else to see how a fellow student who was blind functioned. Nevertheless, I was always careful never to take advantage of their good nature. I never asked for anything unless I needed it and I always made sure to remain securely in the background so that I did not stand out in front of my peers.

I took all of my exams alongside my classmates and did not receive any extra time for the writing of my exams. I used a Brailler to write my notes in class and not once did my classmates ever complain about the noise made by my Brailler. My texts for French and Spanish were provided to me in Braille but my history and literature books were put onto tape for me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to learn more about my world at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Bicycling with Dad

These precious memories shall forever remain in my memory bank. As early as I can remember, Dad and I used to bicycle whenever we could. In those days, my vision was very limited but it never stopped me from wanting to bicycle with him.

My first bike was a four wheel one and then I graduated to the three wheel and finally to the two wheeler. Dad was always there to be with me. At first, he walked alongside me as I rode and then when I got good enough he bicycled next to me.

My favorite memories were those of riding on the beach with him. He cruised along with me and allowed me to cycle as fast as I could. Then, when he felt that I was ready, he challenged me to races. I am almost sure to this day that he almost always allowed me to win. That was my dad: always encouraging, motivating, and challenging.

We rode mainly in the morning or late in the afternoon. As I rode I would look towards the waves breaking gently against the shore and then down at the golden sand. Dad never failed to give me a running commentary of everything that was around me as we rode. From a description of the blue skies and white clouds, to the rolling waves and blue green sea and fishes jumping in the ocean close to shore to children playing on the beach and parents strolling close by. So many wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

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. Come by and visit me at www.donnajodhan.com and there you will find some really interesting and exciting audio mysteries written by me.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

After a cornea surgery

I still have vivid memories of what went on after each of my cornea surgeries. Each transplant was a bit different from the next but the one thing that they all had in common were the feelings of hope and expectation.

The first cornea transplant will always be extra special in my mind and of course I will use the comparison of the old saying that tells us that the birth of a firstborn is always that bit more special. The first cornea transplant was the beginning of a new world for me. A brand new path to discovering and exploring. My whole world changed! My life changed and the big blue horizon became my limit. The sky was mine and I certainly reached for it.

I will say, however, that my expectations were based on a guarded hope for more vision and I was not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised and accepted everything that was presented to me. I was on top of the world! I expected very little and gained plenty! After each cornea surgery I remembered to pray, hope, and accept whatever was to come my way. Ah, yes! Memories of after a cornea surgery.

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.acb.org to learn more about the world of blind folks.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Using the water wings

They were a deep blue and yellow and how I loved them. They were what my dad would make me wear each and every time we went swimming in the sea. That was, until I learned how to swim. They were my constant companion each time we went swimming and they are what I used to learn how to swim.

I really do not remember when I graduated from not having to use them but that's really okay. Dad would take me swimming and allow me to paddle around. I would lie on my back and look up at the blue skies and gorgeous sun. Then I would flip onto my tummy and look down on the sun playing on the surface of the sea. Dad was always within reach if I needed him. Some times he would hold on to my wings and then at other times he would allow me to swim on my own but I knew that he was always right there with me.

I do not quite remember this part but I believe that my twin brother Jeffrey also had wings. My elder brother, Robert, did not have any as he was four years older than Jeffrey and me and was a good swimmer. After the water wings came the pink water pal and then after that I was allowed to swim as free as a fish.

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. Visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.