Identification of the birds

Believe it or not, every species of birds has its own unique sound and as a child I learned this from my parents and Granny. I have always been fascinated by the various sounds of birds and so as a child I took a particular interest in their sounds.

Most kids would probably not take the time to pay attention to the sounds of birds but I did and as a child who had very limited vision, I derived so much joy in simply listening to them. I could conjure up their voices in my mind whenever I wanted and when I had enough vision to see what they looked like, then I was just like a kid in a candy store matching each bird to their sound.

Some birds have soft voices. Others have loud and boisterous voices. Some sing short and sweet while others pour forth long and lilting songs. I think that each bird is simply unique when it comes to how they sing. I simply love them all.

When next you are out in your garden, just sit for a few minutes and listen to those wondrous birds. They never ask for much except that you give them some scraps as often as you remember.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and learn more about the world of blind persons. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

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

How I can tell when rain is coming

Now, you may be thinking that I must be a farmer in my own right but this is not the case. It is a very simple trick that I learned in grade school. Our teachers taught it to us and almost all of the time it works.

It goes like this. You need to pay attention to the smells around you, especially so to an earth-like smell. It is somewhat difficult for me to describe but the best that I can do is to say that it is an earth-like smell.

When this smell is detected you can bet the barn that rain is not very far behind. For many blind persons, and including me, our sense of smell is probably more acute than the mainstream person so it is often easier for us to detect this smell before others around us.

For whereas a sighted person can look out at the skies and see dark clouds approaching, blind persons would have to depend on other cues and one of my favorite and most reliable ones is that well-known earth-like smell. Or, to be more precise, an earthy smell.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan 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 any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

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

Paths in the sky

This was one of my favorite games when I was growing up. You may find it a bit strange but it is how I was able to use my very limited vision to entertain myself. My goal was almost always to be able to find as many paths as I could among the clouds and anything else that I could see.

On so many occasions and on so many quiet evenings, I would sit on my patio at home and look up at the sky. I would crane my neck to locate the clouds, the patches of blue skies, and the sun and then I would go to work. I would pretend that I could walk among the clouds and then stand on the blue patches.

How well I remember those pink and orange sunsets with dark clouds drifting by. How well I remember the puffy white clouds gliding noiselessly by and they all seemed to be following a bright ball of sunshine. Sometimes the dark clouds and the white clouds would interact and I would try to carve paths in my mind among them.

I have such wonderful memories of my path-finding games. Memories that are cherished forever and memories that I often dust off and allow my mind to take in. Memories that help me to keep on going now that I am no longer able to play them because of my lack of vision.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by and enjoy 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.

My preference for apps

Call me lazy but at the end of the day I do not think that I would be the only one choosing to go down this path. In short, I prefer to use apps to keep in touch with my favorite websites. I find it easier to use my iPhone to surf whenever I want to do this quickly. I can do it easily and most of the apps that I have on my iPhone can do the job quite nicely for me.

I read my newspapers, check on my favorite hockey team (the Montreal Canadiens), and communicate with others on Skype through my iPhone. Sometimes I even use my iPhone to communicate on Twitter and soon I'll be using it for Facebook.

Apps are getting easier to use with each passing day. So many people are developing apps for all kinds of things and I am even using apps for other functions such as scanning and reading, for checking out bar codes, plus much more. Ah yes! My preference for apps. No, I will not be deserting Internet surfing through my computer any time soon but I am sure having fun with my apps.

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.nfb.org.

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

Ruthie's Gym Show

A few months ago I had the pleasure and privilege of attending Ruthie's Gym Show. Ruthie is my eldest niece and what a delight she is. I have watched Ruthie grow from a baby to becoming and blossoming into a bright and delightful young lady who is now married to a wonderful man and she has a great daughter. I am extremely fortunate that I have had this opportunity to watch someone grow from birth to the present.

Back to the gym show. It was a different way for me to enjoy this type of event given that I can no longer see what's going on around me or on stage. So what did I do? I started by enjoying the music and then Mom described as much as she could to me as the various dances and gym displays moved along.

I allowed the images to dance in my mind and I used Mom's descriptions to create my own pictures of what was going on. Maybe my pictures were not always accurate but that's okay. In my mind's eye I saw kids of all ages dancing, jumping, and doing their various gymnastics. I imagined their costumes and everything else. At the end of it all I had a wonderful time!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to share my blogs with others. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

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

Remembering Mom's home

I still remember Mom's old home, every nook and every cranny. Every kitchen cupboard, and every spot in our beloved living room. I remember our bathrooms and the dining area but most of all the beloved balcony.

Whenever I want to relax and remember, I bring up memories of Mom's home and allow them to linger in my mind. I can still see everything so clearly; the colors of the walls and curtains, where things were placed, and you know what? With precious little vision now to be able to appreciate her present home, I use my memories to help me move on.

I can still picture the spot where the piano stood. I can still picture where our dogs used to lie and sleep. I can still picture the kitchen so warm and inviting with the lovely colors of the cupboards and floor but most of all I can picture my old bedroom. My beloved bed with the tasteful sheets, the desk and the books, and my closet with my clothes.

Call me crazy for paying attention to all of this but it is just part of my using my memory to help me remember.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my memories with others. 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.

Learning the way to the rec center

Yes, I got serious about my exercises programs a while back and decided to take matters into my own hands. So I asked a friend to come by and show me the way to the rec center. I live in a condo complex so I chose to use my rec center that is located in the complex. I have to tell you that I got a lot more than I bargained for.

First, we decided upon the outdoor route because I felt that it would be safer for me despite having to do it in winter time. Next my friend carefully mapped out the route for me and then put it into a document for me. Then it was time for me to learn it. So many details for me to learn and remember.

Driveways to cross, walls to find, landmarks such as benches, garbage cans, and poles to remember to look for. Yes, quite a learning experience for me and you know what? I was doing this under new physical conditions for whereas in the past I had enough sight to locate landmarks, I now had to do it with the aid of my cane and to use touch techniques with my trusty cane.

I now had to depend more on my senses of touch and hearing and to forget about my sense of sight. All a new way of navigating for me. More listening and touching and much less use of the sense of sight.

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

Tom the teacher

I think that most would agree with me that good teachers are often very hard to come by and when you find one just hold on to them with all of your might and never let go. Praise them, appreciate them, and let them know how much you need them.

Tom Dekker is one such teacher. He is blind, has a lovely guide dog named Abe, and he has simply opened up the world of mobile devices and apps to me. Tom is patient, humorous, but above all, he never gives up and his lessons are just a mind blower. They are never boring!

I think that any student would be happy to have Tom the teacher as their mentor. He does not let his blindness hold him back. He is just not a teacher but also an accomplished music player. Sighted or blind, it does not matter to Tom.

If he does not know the answer to a question he goes out there and finds it for me! He has an uncanny ability to think outside of the box! He can teach blind and sighted students alike and you know what? He knows just when to jump in and help and just when to back off and let me do things for myself.

Ah yes! That’s my Tom the terrific teacher! A breeze in a bottle! As humble as pie, speaks his mind, and always positive! What more can I honestly ask for?

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 Tom my teacher. Come by and visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

Those wonderful apps

This is probably one of my most delightful and biggest introductions to mobile devices! Ah yes, some of those most wonderful apps. I am like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to exploring and discovering some of those great apps. Especially so when I find them to be most accessible for a blind person such as me.

There are so many to mention but here are just a few: Skype, Twitter, BBC news, CBC news, CNN, Canadiens hockey, Westminster chimes, and the list goes on.

I am presently in the hunt for camera apps for blind persons, great scanning and bar code apps, and apps for reading my favorite books. I told you, I am like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to the world of apps and I am very sure that with time it will only get better.

I have an iPhone and an iPad and I have gotten much better at using my fingers to get around on the screen. I use tactile screen protectors which are comprised of dots to help me navigate and for insurance I use devices such as a Braille Pen and Braille Sense to navigate faster. These are 2 very powerful Braille displays in their own right.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to stop by and listen to some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com. Feel free to share my blogs with others.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

My introduction to cats

Ask me and I would readily tell you that dogs are my favorite pets but this does not mean that I do not have some fondness for the felines. As a kid we had many cats, ones that came in and out of our home freely.

My first memories of one of our cats is that of Margie, a pretty little black cat who used to jump onto the counter in our kitchen to have a look at me. At that time the counter and I were of the same height so it was quite easy for Margie and me to be at eye level.

There she was on the counter, standing quietly and looking into my eyes, and there I was looking back at her. In those days I could not really see very well as I had a bit of vision but not enough to really see all of Margie. However, I do remember her as seen through the haze of my poor vision.

Margie still stands out in my memory and will probably do so for as long as I live. Just a curious little lady cat who loved to stare at me whenever she could.

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 kids by visiting www.acb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

My early memories of the radio

I do remember that as a child the radio was my constant companion. I listened to it as often as I could and this is how I learned all about the big wonderful world. I listened to the news, followed all of the children's programs and bedtime stories, followed the sporting events, but most of all there was my music. Heck, I often heard the news before my siblings could read it in the newspapers.

As a blind kid, it was one of the fastest ways to learn, get my info, and keep up with things. I knew and could recite by heart most of the commercials. I used the radio to learn so much and the radio was a part of my daily life.

My radio was almost always with me and oh how I loved it. There were many times when my mom would scold me to put it down so that I could go to sleep and there were so many times when she and granny would join me to listen to those infamous soap operas after supper. Ah, such wonderful 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. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

My introduction to music

For as long as I can remember, my introduction to music was one of happy times when I was but a tiny one and my parents had hoped for me to love music. I am not sure if their hopes were driven by the fact that I was blind but that does not really matter.

My mom tells me that at a very early age, I would sit near the family's large radio and engross myself in the music on the radio. She often recollects how I used to just sit there and become lost in the melodies and how I would do my best to listen intently and then try to replicate it on my baby piano. My foot would be tapping away and my face would have an expression of wonderment.

My first memory of my baby piano was a little blue one with black and white notes. Then came the red clarinette, the silver trumpet, and then the xylophone with the colored keys: pink, green, and yellow keys. I loved them all and cherished each one for everything that they afforded me. There was also the flute with the green and yellow bars.

In those days, I played extensively by ear and then one day shortly after my 8th birthday, I received a very precious gift: my very own big piano with all 88 notes. For this I shall always thank my parents. I picked many of my melodies by ear and oh how I loved to do it.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit my website at www.donnajodhan.com where you can be a part of my audio mysteries.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.