My favorite sand box

As I sit here writing this blog I can still remember my favorite sand box as clear as day. It was just right, the one at primary school. Not too big and not too small. Not too deep and not too shallow. Filled with soft white sand that simply slipped through my fingers each time I went to play with it.

This particular sand box was filled with all kinds of wonderful little toys. Little cars and trucks. Boats, buses, scooters, and mini buckets and spades. Hoes and rakes, and my favorites! Ducks, chickens, fishes, lobsters, and crabs. Everything was so colorful! Things in so many different colors and how I loved to play with them.

Sometimes I would sneak away at break time to play with them on my own. There I would kneel in front of my favorite sand box and there I would play with its contents. I would arrange the ducks and chickens in a line. Then do the same with the fishes, crabs, and lobsters. I would place the boats in a circle, and place the spades hoes and rakes in the little buckets. Then I'd drive the little cars and scooters around in the sand and do the same with the buses and trucks. I would compose stories on my own as my hands moved everything around.

The cars, boats, scooters, trucks and buses were of various colors ranging from blue and red to yellow and green. The ducks were blue, the chickens were yellow, the fishes were red and green, the lobsters were red, and the crabs were green. Buckets were blue and yellow and there were matching spades, hoes, and rakes and oh yes! The wheel barrow was a bright yellow.

I remember it all now and this is what keeps me alive and thinking. The ability to remember color as I can no longer see it now.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to learn more about the world of blind persons by visiting www.afb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

Those scary wasps

For as long as I can remember, wasps have always been scary little things to me and I believe that as a general rule of thumb they are the same for many others. In a real world, the mainstream person can normally see them coming and approaching but for me as a bind person I cannot see their approach and by the time I hear them buzzing around me it is just that bit too late for me to either get out of their way or to defend myself.

As a kid, I was stung by them a few times. Sometimes I inadvertently strayed into their path and sometimes I tumbled upon their nest and I can tell you that they do not appreciate me invading their privacy. Their sting is hard and they are not about to let you invade their space. I respect these little insects and am constantly on alert for their presence no matter where I am. Thank the Lord that they only come out in the summer.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

When the jack hammers invade my space

At the best of times, these very necessary pieces of equipment are indeed necessary! They are needed by workmen to help in the breaking down and rebuilding of all kinds and sizes of constructions but to almost everyone they are a huge inconvenience.

For me as a blind person, they bring me almost to a standstill as they invade my space and impede my hearing. This is what happened a few months ago when workmen started work on our condo complex to repair our balconies.

Unfortunately at that time for me, I was in the midst of studying for my first year law exams and what a time it was! The best way to describe this is to say that it was pure hell!

I could not hear anything coming from my computer. That is, I could not hear the voice output as this is what I use to interact with my computer. For those who are unfamiliar with this type of technology, I use access technology, as a blind person, to work with computers. I read screens by listening to output and input by using a regular keyboard to type and I can hear what I type as I go along.

I tried jamming ear buds into my ears and pressing down headphones over my ears and although it did help, the jack hammers still managed to disturb me with their noise. The throbbing sounds just seemed to overwhelm me.

In addition to this, I sometimes lost orientation in my condo and I had to be careful whenever I went to do stuff in my kitchen. This was not my favorite 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 experiences with others. Come by any time and listen to my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

When the cousins were babies

I still have very vivid memories of when these little ones were babies. Oh how I used to love to play with them. Listening to them laugh, listening to them try to talk, and being so touched whenever they were able to say my name. I used to play all kinds of games with them. Mainly the ones where they would point at things and then I would ask them to tell me what they were.

I was never really sure if they knew that I was blind but that was okay. We played ball and I crawled around on the floor with them. They never tired of my company and I never tired of theirs. We played with boats in the bath tub. We swam in the sea under the very watchful eye of my dad, and then we played in the warm golden sand of the beach.

Their toys were my toys and my toys were their toys. I rocked them to sleep and as I did so I imagined them smiling up at me as I could not see their tiny expressions. I even got to dress them sometimes and give them their bottles. Then I would sing to them at bedtime, and tried teaching them how to count. They were lovable little ones and I shall forever cherish these memories.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Just go out there and learn more about the world of blind persons by visiting www.acb.org.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

Paying attention to the voices

This is what I have always done for as long as I can remember. When I had very little vision, when I received substantial vision, and even now with precious little sight, I have always paid attention to the voices. That is, to someone's tone, inflection, and even accent.

These are the three facets that I use in order to judge someone's reaction, mood, and I also often use them to try and anticipate someone's next move. I need to do this in order to stay in the game and as a blind person who cannot depend on body language, expressions, and gestures to help me figure things out, I practically have no alternative. You would be amazed to know how much the tone, inflection, and accent in one's voice can yield. You may want to try it some time.

Just close your eyes and listen to the conversations around you. Try and figure out what others are trying to impart to you through their voice. It could be a very telling experience for you. I did it with my parents and siblings growing up. I did it with my friends and professors, and I still do it now.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging to try out my suggestion. Come by and visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

The hotel that got it just right

As a regular traveler I am always happy whenever I can stay at a hotel that has gone out of its way to be accommodating to me as a blind customer and I am always more than delighted to put in a plug for said hotel.

In late April, 2013, I had the pleasure of staying at the Cambridge Suites Hotel on Richmond Street in downtown Toronto. I was there to attend the 2013 AGM of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians and I stayed from April 25 to April 28.

This hotel went out of its way to accommodate our group and their facilities and amenities were extremely accessible. They went out of their way to ensure that blind persons were made comfortable. Their elevator buttons were well labeled in Braille. The doors of our luxurious suites were also labeled in Braille, and guess what! All of the bottles containing the various liquids in our bathrooms were also labeled in Braille. The shampoo, body wash, body lotion, and conditioner bottles were all labeled.

This hotel really got it when it came to accommodating us as a group of blind persons. Their conference rooms were also very accessible and their waiters and waitresses were absolutely top class when it came to serving the meal.
Kudos to the Cambridge Suites on Richmond Street in downtown Toronto.

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 experience at the Cambridge Suites. Come by and listen to my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

Memories of a savanna

When I was growing up, the wide lush green savanna was often my playground. My parents would often take us kids to the savanna to play on a Sunday morning or afternoon and sometimes we would even be taken there during the week after supper.

The air was fresh and cool. The birds were always out there singing their little hearts out, and the fragrance of flowers was almost always present. Oh how I used to love to play in the grass. Run, jump, and skip along with my brothers and cousins. We played hide and seek. We ran foot races, flew kites, and chased each other around and among the trees.

Sometimes we would take our golden Lab, Yella, along for the fun and she, too, enjoyed it all and rewarded us with her resounding barks. Once or twice we took along our scooter and I would ride up and down the paved track and then onto the grass.

We also used to play cricket and football and Dad never forgot to spend time reading to me as we sat on benches under the large trees. I loved those times and as he read, Mom and I would listen and I would be looking up into the trees to admire the smiling face of the sun.

Those were the days when my lack of vision was never a barrier to me. No barriers existed whenever I set out to play with the others. The other kids were always careful to make sure that I was safe from obstacles and at that time it never seemed as if they cared about my being blind. Could I possibly venture to say that as a kid barriers to blindness seemed so far away then? Ah yes! Memories of my precious savanna.

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

Flying kites

Yet another memory for me to share with you. I used to love to fly those colorful kites and it was my granny who used to make them and my dad would help me to fly them.

They came in all sizes and colors. From the little ones called Chicky Chongs to the large ones called Mad Bulls. Some of them came in plain colors while others were so gaily decorated in various styles and were so colorful. Granny loved to make them and my dad was always so eager to help me fly them.

As a child it was one of my favorite things to do with my dad. Granny was a terrific kite maker and Dad knew how to fly them. I always loved to feel the very long tails on them and the eyes that Granny would fasten to them. Lovely, just lovely and with my very limited vision it was yet another colorful pastime for me to enjoy.

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

Remembering the Easter eggs

Easter has always been one of my favorite times of the year and as someone who has always enjoyed looking at colorful objects, Easter eggs have been part of my admiration. Now that I can no longer see these wondrous little things, I use my memory to help me keep it in focus.

I used to love to look at the colorful Easter eggs at Easter time. From gold to red, yellow to blue, orange to purple, and green to pink. I loved to place the chocolate Easter eggs in a line and then spend minutes at a time just admiring my handiwork. Then I graduated to doing the same with the plastic ones. Oh how much I used to love just standing there and looking at all the different colors.

Now that I can no longer see these gorgeous colors, I use my imagination to help me remember. I can make them dance in front of my eyes. They light up my dreams with lots of color! They make me smile! Ah yes! Those wonderful and colorful Easter eggs.

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