The battle with my printer

Seems as if a week does not go by these days without me having a battle with my printer. Sometimes, my printer chooses to be good but at other times it simply decides to test my patience.

The most common battle is when it decides not to print everything on a page and I only find out when a sighted person tells me. Even when I scan the page after printing it, there may be places on the page where the print is faded.

So how do I win this battle? Well, allowing the printer to run for a few minutes ensuring that it is all warm and heated up before I print. This normally does the trick for me.

Ah, yes! The continuing battle with my printer and I might as well accept it! My printer is not going to change its ways anytime soon, (smile)!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

The new memory of skating

I guess that it would be accurate for me to say that I am constantly reformatting or adding to my memories and memories of skating are no different.

Now that I can no longer see, I have had to develop new memories and my skating memoirs are uppermost for me. My skating memories as they stand today are of me skating around a rink hanging on to the arm of either a friend or support staff member working for the City of Toronto.

I can still remember what the rink looks like: the blue lines and the red lines, the center ice line, the boards, and the ice itself. Then there is the glass, the doors, and the colors of these.

The smell of the rink remains the same for me, a unique smell when I had enough vision to see and now that I am unable to see. So, now what is different these days?

I depend more on sound now to help me stay upright on my skates. I listen for the sound of the skaters as they approach and pass by. I can tell how close they are to me as they go by. I listen for the sound of my own skates as my blades scrape along the ice and I also listen for the sound of my friend's or support staff's skates.

I need to place more trust in the one skating with me. I have to trust that they are not going to lead me into the boards or into other skaters. That they can help me to avoid rough ice patches and let me know when a wet patch is coming up.

These are the memories as they stand today, memories forever.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Testing the cup of tea

I do not think that my way of testing a cup of tea to ensure that it is either warm enough or not too hot is any different from that of a sighted person.

Here is what I do. I simply stick my finger into my cup, making sure that when I do so I aim for the top of my cup. I go very gently and gingerly and the tip of my finger is my thermometer.

Sometimes I burn my finger tip but with practice I have learned how to stick it in the right way so that I feel the least pain.

I also have another technique which is not as effective as the one above. I wrap my hands around my tea cup and this tells me, or rather gives me a fair indication of, how hot the contents of my cup are.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com.

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Remembering the ball games with Dad

Whenever I need to recharge, remember, and recall, I almost always go back to memories of those wonderful ball games with my beloved dad. Sometimes I feel that those days were oh too short. Too few and too long ago but then this is how they were supposed to have been. Childhood days that were only meant to last but just for a few short years.

Dad and I almost always played with big colorful balls. We played football, cricket, and then our own version of a sort of tennis game using our hands as rackets. We also played catch the ball on our patio or in the sea.

Dad never gave up on me. He was eternally patient. He often challenged me to do better at my games and he taught me so much. He did the dad things with me and oh how I enjoyed every moment of it. Dad never made me feel inferior and he was always there for support whenever I needed it.

I can still see those big, colorful balls in my mind's eye and hear his voice urging me on. I can sometimes feel his presence near me as I allow myself to drift back to those wonderful days as I sit quietly in my favorite armchair. Ah, yes! Those wonderful days of ball games with Dad.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

My new I. D. Mate

This nifty little device has been around for some years now but I finally decided to get one in late 2013 and I do not regret it. It is small, portable, and its voice is clear and very easy to understand.

I use it to help me read labels on tins, cans, boxes, and packages from the supermarket. The I. D. Mate is a bar code reader and this is how it does its job. Using a powerful but tiny camera, it reads the bar code from the tin, can, box, or package. It then does a look-up for a match within its vast database and if it finds a match it tells you what the bar code is along with the product name, and a description. If it does not find a match it tells you so and then you then have the option to record in your own voice what you want the tin, can, box, or package to represent.

The next time you focus the I. D. Mate's camera on the object in question, it will then identify the object based on your recording. Of course, you can always change the recording whenever you want if you have someone sighted around to tell you what the object is and then you can make a proper recording at that time.

I can also use my I. D. Mate to record memos, play MP3 files, and more. This little gadget has helped me greatly to be more versatile in my kitchen.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Setting up my new iPhone

In late 2014 my iPhone 4 quit on me and I was forced to get a new iPhone. I knew, however, that setting up the new iPhone was not going to be an easy task for me as a blind person, due to my limited technical expertise along with having to deal with some visual cues on my screen. But I will say that after having had my friend, Imran, help me, it was not as bad as I had first thought.

The experience left me with a new appreciation for technology, and in addition I will say that setting it up was much less painful than if I were setting up a new computer system. The big problem came from finding someone at my cell phone company to help out. Especially so when Imran and I had to keep explaining things to the customer service rep with regard to certain contract conditions that they had imposed upon me.

Imran spent a lot of time making sure that the apps on my original phone were re-initialized and that the new iPhone remained in sync with my iPad. At the end of the day, a very long and tedious experience. Thank goodness for Imran.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com.

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

When I lost my wallet

I don't think that I am any different than most people when it comes to reacting after I discover that my wallet has been lost! No, not at all!

Yes, I lost it in a cab going to the airport but thanks to my friend, Diane, I am alive to tell the story today. In putting the pieces together, I dropped it on the seat while I was sorting through my things in my carry-on. I discovered it missing when I got to the airport and then, thanks to some quick thinking Air Canada agents, my friend Diane found it.

She felt around on the seat and there it was! Diane is also blind so she had to use the technique of feeling around to find my wallet. I just hope that it never happens again.

For a blind person it is even more frightening when you have to depend on others to help you and when you can't see what is going on then all heck breaks loose. Thank goodness there was a happy ending.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

When the iPhone lost its wireless

Another memory for me to smile over as on that day it was quite interesting. I am not sure if there was any sort of visual indicator to tell me that something was wrong with my iPhone but as a blind person I had to find out the hard way.

The iPhone simply quit on me that day. This being that, I was unable to access my favorite apps to read my newspaper. So off I went to check things out with my other devices, and presto! They all worked except for my poor iPhone.

So after figuring out what the problem was, and after my friend informed me that it would cost more than the price of a new iPhone to fix things, I had to bite the dust and purchase a new iPhone.

As I said above, I have no idea if there was any sort of visual indicator to tell me that the wireless had died but there you have it. An experience for me to remember.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

When the iPad went dark

Looking back on this particular memory, I can smile to myself now because if my mom did not tell me so I would never have known it.

On this particular day I wanted to share something with Mom, an article that I had come across while surfing with my iPad. So here I was, so very proud of myself walking towards her with iPad in hand. Then bingo!

She calmly said that she could not read the iPad but thanks to my quick thinking I fixed that quite easily. I just had to go into the settings and increase the brightness and then after that all was well. Not sure why it happened in the first place.

Mom went about her business and read my article while I stood waiting for her to finish. It is so funny, I had no idea that the screen was dark in the first place and then I had to simply go into the settings and fix things.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com.

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"