That's my girl! My best friend's perspective on the deaf/blind world

Whenever my best friend, Char, has something to say I listen very closely because I know that she almost always says what she wishes to say after really thinking about it.

Char is visually impaired and hard of hearing.  She is classified as a high partial vision person and she uses hearing aids to help her with her hearing problem.

I have the utmost respect for this almost perfect person.  We have known each other for most of our lives and ours is a friendship that is very special, rare, and unique. 

Char has never complained about her double challenge instead choosing to take it all in with a smile and find ways not to complain.  She has developed ways to cope with her loss of hearing.

Char has a phone that enables her to turn up the volume on the headset so that she can hear more clearly when she receives calls.  She uses her vision to compensate for loss of hearing and in turn she finds ways to compensate for her loss of vision.

I have never heard Char complain about anything. She takes it all in stride and with a grin.  She is innovative, creative, and patient. She uses her limited vision to its utmost and utilizes her hearing aids to the maximum.

This is my best friend, Char.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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My reason: Why I do not put my socks in the dryer

I hope that my explanation makes sense.  It works for me and it helps me to avoid headaches.

As a visually impaired person, I depend heavily on all of my available senses to help me with my daily life.  They all help me to compensate for my loss of vision and in this case the sense of hearing is what I depend on. 

So picture this:  I have just finished doing my washing and am about ready to put my clothes into the dryer.  Socks are very small and if they fall out of my hands I would never hear them falling. 

I would not miss them until I check things out as I either start to place my clothes in the dryer or afterwards when I remove them from the dryer.

If the socks have fallen, I now have to go searching.  I would have to feel around on the floor, close to the washer, and if I am unable to find them there then I need to search my washer.

Until I decided not to put them into the dryer, this was a very trying time for me.  So here is what I do.  After the laundry is done, I go to great pains to check every piece of clothing as I remove them from the washer.  I look for my socks and upon finding them I then hang them up on my clothes line to dry.

This is what works for me.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Pushing myself: Asking for help at the service desk

This is the way that I manage each and every time I travel.  I make it a must for me to make friends, so to speak, at the service desk of the hotel at which I am staying.

I explain my needs and requirements to the staff and nine out of ten times it works like a charm.  I ask questions; I very politely state my needs, and presto!  Staff are always more than ready to help.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Nerve racking: When my iPhone went dead

I thought that I had done everything right before going to bed that evening. I dutifully plugged in my iPhone, made sure that it was well plugged in, and then I went off to bed.

When I awoke the next morning I reached for my trusted iPhone and pressed the button to turn it on.  Nothing, no sound, no response!

Of course, I began to panic.  What had happened?  Was my poor little iPhone dead for good?  I rebooted it twice and still no response.  I took it to another outlet and plugged it in and still no response.

I had to hurry to get my things together because I had to be at a meeting in the next half hour.  I gingerly placed my dead iPhone in its little case, showered quickly, dressed and packed my stuff hurriedly, and then I rushed out of my room and ran towards the elevator.

I made it to my meeting and had a few minutes to ask one of my colleagues to take a look at my iPhone.  Bingo!  The battery had run down and it was all because of the fact that although I had plugged in my iPhone all right, the outlet had not been emitting any electricity because the control switch in my room had been turned off.

This switch was located somewhere on a wall and I never knew this and with not enough vision to see lights or anything else, that was the problem.

All in a day's journey.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A frightening experience: Changing gates at the airport

In February 2016 I had a very interesting but frightening experience awaiting a flight from Toronto to Ottawa.  You see, the weather was very bad as a winter storm approached and four times within a half hour time span, the airline in question was forced to change gates.

All well and good, but guess what?  The airline neglected to tell me. As God was with me that day, an angel of mercy in the form of a really terrific fellow passenger came to my rescue.

She told me that she had noticed me when the airline's agent had escorted me to a seat and decided to ask me if I was on her flight after the first gate change was announced.  I was in luck!

This wonderful passenger stayed all the way with me as we shuffled from gate to gate.  I heard the first announcement and when I stood up she was right beside me.  Just picture this:  You are seated, waiting for your flight to be called.  You hear people around you and you are almost sure that when your flight is called the airline's agent will come to assist you to the plane because this has been the custom for all of your traveling life.

Then the announcement is made that there is a gate change and, alas!  You wait for five minutes and no one comes.  So you stand up and in a low, desperate voice you say, "Where do I go!"

You are not sure where to go: left, right, forward?  You hear people around you but you are not sure who to approach.  You can hear some folks speaking English.  Some are speaking French and others are chatting in some other language.

The sweat begins to run down your back and you start praying, and then! There is someone beside you asking if they can help!

This was my predicament on that fateful day and when you are blind it makes things even more pronounced.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Making it work! Using pins to help me

This is one of the strategies that I have developed to help me decipher my clothes.  It works best as follows:
When I have tops that have similar patterns and I have difficulty deciphering the colors, I attach pins to the necklines.  So, for example, if I have red, white, and yellow sweaters that have very similar patterns I would attach one pin to the red, two to the white, and none to the yellow. I would do the same for my pants to help me tell the difference.

My pin strategy works really well when I go to visit my mom.  If we have clothes that have similar patterns, I add pins to my clothes so that we can both tell the difference. You see, there is always a way around everything.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Enjoying! At the dinner table with Sandra

She is my neighbor, my friend, and someone that I truly enjoy dining with. I have known her for many years now and it is always lots of fun each time we have dinner together.

Sandra knows exactly how to give assistance to me as someone who is visually impaired.  Not too much help but just enough.  I do not even have to ask her; she is always just close enough to help me.

She reads the menu to me.  She is watchful when the waiter comes to take our orders.  She helps me when it comes to sharing dishes that we have ordered together.  She tells me where everything is on the table.  She even describes what's around me in the dining room.

That's my Sandra!  The perfect dining companion!

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Remembering - Protecting my food from kitty

This is almost always the case each time I go to visit my best friend, Char, in Montreal.  Me doing my level best to ensure that her cat does not sneak by to sample my food.

I know that it is only natural for cats to be inquisitive anytime they smell food but even more so when visitors invade their home.  So I come prepared to protect my food.

The thing is that when you are visually impaired and do not have enough vision to see when kitty is approaching, you run into a challenge.  Add to this the fact that kitty walks very softly, too softly for you to hear him coming and by the time you realize it, his head is practically in your plate or bowl.

I have grown used to kitty now so it is not a problem for me, just something to be aware of each time I visit Char.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

My perspective: Cleaning up the spills

This is probably one of the most difficult tasks for me but I have managed to develop a very simple strategy and it is used by many others who are unable to see spills.

So this is how I do it.
1. I identify that there is a spill to clean up.
2. I locate the spill.
3. I bring either cleaning cloths or paper towels  to the area.
4. I also bring along some cleaning detergent.
5. I pour some cleaning detergent onto the cloth or paper towel.
6. Then this is the trickiest part: I gingerly wipe inside of the spill, over the spill, and around the spill.  I take great pains to clean a wide enough area around the spill to ensure that I have gotten as much of it as I can.

This works for me.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Frustration! Without a color detector

With so many apps now available to help a blind person detect colors, you would think that I would not be too upset if I did not have my cherished color detector at my fingertips.  However, alas!  This is not quite so for me.

My cherished color detector stopped working about a month ago and I am still deciding whether or not to replace it.  Truth be told, I quite like it because I don't have to turn on my i device to use a color detector app.

The stand alone color detector app works by batteries and is very easy to use.  It is portable and announces colors in a very clear voice.  It is accurate enough for me to be able to make full use of it.

Call me old fashioned but this is my preference.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A funny experience: At the wrong salon

I am always happy to share funny experiences with my readers and this is just one of them.

A few weeks ago my friend Sue and I went out to a hairdressing appointment which was supposed to have been in a nearby mall.  We got there in tons of time for the appointment and then we decided to take our time getting there.

I guess that on this day we were not paying attention so the first salon we came to we just walked in and announced that we were there to see Sophie, my hairdresser.

This is where things got very interesting.  The man at the front had no idea what we were saying and at the same time I simply did not recognize his voice.  Then in quick succession I also recognized that this was the wrong salon, and why?

Because it did not smell like my normal salon and something did not feel right to me.  So as quickly as we entered we beat a very hasty retreat and proceeded on to the right salon.

Just another day with a funny beginning.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan