Mission accomplished:My Apple certified support professional certificate

Finally and just a huge relief! I have to say that my hard work over the last year has paid off for me. I am just so humbled to admit that I have obtained my ACSP.

Now it is off to the races for me. To put my knowledge to work. To help others learn how to use Apple devices. To help them discover a whole new world with so much to experience, discover, create, and so much more!

I can't wait to get started and this is what it is all about for me! To keep opening doors for others and to help enrich their opportunities and futures.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

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 @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Continued frustrations: My Apple exam

There are exams and then there are exams. If I were to categorize my Apple certification exam, which I wrote on August 4, 2020, I would say that it was probably one of the most stressful but at the same time interesting of all!

From the start, this exam was never meant to be a smooth one but Shane was absolutely superb in ensuring that I had the best chance to succeed and succeed I did!

This exam was not accessible for a vision-impaired person. The developers of Apple's exams are still very much behind when it comes to accessibility and they do not seem to fully understand.

My first interaction with Apple exams was two years ago in 2018 and nothing much has changed since then. Several questions are difficult to understand for someone who is vision-impaired and requires sighted assistance to navigate and describe.

Additional time for a person with a disability to write is offered, but alas! At the end of regular time one is kicked out of the exam and is unable to re-enter to complete the exam.

Hopefully these glitches will be rectified in the near future and I look forward to working with Apple and the administrators of their exams to make things more accessible.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

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 @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Not for the faint of heart: Studying for my Apple certification

This exam is definitely not for the faint of heart and as a person with a vision impairment, it is even more of a challenge.

For me, I had to not just read and study the 1,000 page guide, I also had to learn voiceover as well as learn the Mac.

It was a huge job for me but one that I accepted and wanted to do. I was committed because I hope that I can use my hoped for success to start down a new type of career.

My coach, John Panarese, has been so supportive and patient, giving up 2 evenings per week to work with me. We are almost there and hopefully I'll have good news soon.

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 http://www.donnajodhan.com

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

Refreshing times: At the Apple store

This is a store that never seems to sleep but I have grown accustomed to this and each time I walk in I never stop marveling at how helpful and attentive the staff is.

I do not even need to tell them that I am vision impaired; they always seem to know it.  They are alert and very quick to understand my needs.  They give me my appointment and then I am back to get my stuff updated and whatever else I need to do.

On my most recent trip I met a wonderful young man whose name is Leandro and he is in a wheelchair.  Leandro was so very attentive, accommodating, and so very helpful.  He got me going and then handed me over to his colleague to finish off my requests.

This store is located in the Fairview Mall in Scarborough and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking Apple services.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts! www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter!
'Let's Talk Tips' is my monthly resource for the most current and reliable informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy.  http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A great resource: Using the Apple phone number

This is one phone number that is always close at hand for me.  It is the phone number for the Apple support line and I have to say that the call takers on this line really know their stuff.

They are very thorough, polite, respectful, and are always willing to go beyond the call of duty.  They do not seem to be inhibited or uncomfortable in the least when dealing with me as a vision-impaired person.  There is so much that other companies can learn from these fine folks.

They know their products.  They are superbly trained.  Their phone manners are beyond the call of duty.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit 
www.donnajodhan.com.

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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Refreshing experiences: At the Apple Store

I can definitely tell you that any time I have visited the Apple Store for assistance with any of my iDevices, I have come away feeling so excited and delighted. These visits have been nothing but a treat for me as the store's technicians really know their products and when it comes to working with a vision impaired person, they are second to none.

They are on top of their game, so to speak.  They know their stuff and I have been able to learn so much from them.  They teach me about apps that I never even heard of and they increase my knowledge of my own iDevices.

Now, if only other companies could follow suit!  This would surely make life so much simpler!  It's all about top notch customer service and technical support, and oh yes!  Making the customer their priority!

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
http://www.donnajodhan.com

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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.takeanother5.com
And available for download from iTunes and Google music play

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

God bless Steve Jobs

I am probably one of those who will continue to sing the praises of the late Steve Jobs for the rest of my life and as a blind person I can tell you that I am very proud to do so.

Thanks to Steve Jobs I can be a part of the worldwide group of i device users. He did something which has turned out to practically revolutionize the world of mobile devices for blind and low vision folks like me. And as they often say, better late than never. I just hope that other developers can find it possible to follow in his footsteps and since he has been gone, Apple has continued to fulfill his promises.

I, as a blind i device user, will continue to encourage Apple to keep on motoring. To keep on developing and marketing software and hardware for blind persons. The world is a better place for me, thanks to Steve Jobs.

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!"

Reading with my i device

I never thought that it would be so much fun to be able to read with my i device. I know: I had truly resisted doing this for quite some time, but then! The bug simply overwhelmed me and I bit the dust and bought the famous iPad and then came the iPhone shortly after this. No regrets and lots of kudos for Steve Jobs and his team!

Apple has put so much effort into this technology and to ensuring that blind and partially-sighted folks can be a part of its evolution and I, for one, am not going to see his work go down in vain, as they would say.

Today, I read my national and international newspapers with my i device. I check out the BBC and CNN news on a daily basis. I interact with Facebook and Twitter and go on Skype, and yes! I read and keep up with my beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey team! As a matter of fact, I often beat my mom to the headlines and show her photos of her favorite celebrities on my iPhone and she always marvels at how fast I read.

I have even set up Dropbox on my i devices and this enables me to read books that are on my computer and even take notes.

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 heros 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!"

Challenges of navigating on an i device

I am truly grateful to Steve Jobs for having had the foresight to develop and market those wonderful i devices. My whole world has opened up so much more but, like anything else, there are challenges to be faced when navigating my i device.

I am much better at it now but it has taken tremendous effort and practice to become comfortable. Flicking left to right and vice versa, flicking up and down, and tapping with various fingers are still somewhat of a challenge to me but getting better with time. I have installed screen protectors on my i devices and there are dots that are placed in strategic positions on the screen to help me navigate my way around.

I sometimes use a Braille Pen device to help me navigate my iPhone and it is quite workable for me but I can also tell you that other Braille devices are not as efficient as the Braille Pen. Some of the Apple keyboards are also a challenge to use with an i device due to the smallness of the keys.

Navigating through various apps can also be a challenge at times, especially so when the apps are not very accessible to a person who is either blind or partially sighted to start with. Things are improving, though, and you can always count on Apple support to help you.

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
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 heros 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 Apple experience

Whenever I encounter a company who really gets it, and I mean gets it, I am always happy to share my experience. This time it is Apple, and call me biased but Apple is really out there and ahead of the game when it comes to awareness of what a blind person's needs are.

Not too long ago, my friend and I had to visit a busy Apple store to get some help with my IPhone. Lo and behold! As soon as the customer rep saw my IPhone the first thing that she asked was: "Where can we find an overlay like what you have on your IPhone to help other blind customers?" I was told that several blind customers frequently visit this particular store and that they would probably be quite interested in the overlay that I have on my IPhone.

The overlay in question consists of Braille dots that have been strategically placed on the screen of my IPhone. I told them where they could find such overlays at www.atguys.com. They are another company that is totally customer service oriented.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Access technology versus mainstream technology

Well, what more can I say to add to this topic that is very near and dear to my heart. To put it into perspective:
Access technology is much more expensive than its counterpart and much less available on the market.
It is extremely challenging to have access technology repaired as opposed to its counterpart.
There are fewer manufacturers of access technology hardware and many less developers of the software.
The profit to be made for those who develop and sell access technology is much less than for those who do the same for mainstream technology.
Access technology has to be developed in such a way as to adapt to the mainstream world.
So there is the picture. Now, where do we go from here?

About 18 months ago, I bought a PDA that was developed for blind persons. It was a real find for me and one that I found to be really forward-thinking because of its features. A few weeks ago I was told that this PDA will no longer be manufactured and as of June 2012, no more hardware maintenance agreements would be available. Accessories will still be available as long as supplies last. Quite a shock and now we are all left holding the bag, so to speak.

I am not going to identify the manufacturers of this wonderful product but suffice it to say that it has made me rethink how I go about choosing my mobile devices. Do I continue to buy access technology that is extremely expensive and one that I am not sure will be around for too long? Or do I move towards the Apple world of mobile devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and so on?

Do I expose myself to heartbreak if I continue to buy these pieces of access technology only to learn that in a short space of time they are off the market and supplies of accessories or support are no longer available?

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

Steve Jobs, a man forever!

No one can dispute the fact that this man was so many things to so many people. Not just the co-founder and former CEO of Apple INC, but a visionary, a leader, a technological giant, someone who understood the needs of the market, and above all, someone who dared to go where so many are still afraid to go.

Steve Jobs did for the disabled world what so many are either still not willing or able to do or do not understand how to do it. Under his leadership, Apple designed and incorporated accessibility into their product lines. He opened a world for the blind community so that today, access to Apple's mobile devices is no longer a dream but a mere reality. We as blind consumers can now use IPods, IPhones, and IPads just like anyone else; we have now become a part of the mainstream world. No more having to wait for another manufacturer to decide when they would be ready to include us as consumers. No more having to buy additional access technology software to incorporate it into mainstream technology so that we can use the mainstream technology like anyone else.

In other words: When blind persons buy Apple products, they can buy it straight off the shelf and use it like anyone else. They do not have to purchase access technology at exorbitant prices and then install or incorporate it into mainstream technology. Now we can download our own music without sighted assistance and we can communicate with the rest of the world whenever we want and wherever we choose.

For years now, several blind musicians have been telling me how much they enjoy using Apple products to work with music. Much easier, less problems with software, and above all, much less costly. Steve Jobs has opened up an entire new landscape for blind consumers and we can only hope that his successors continue on in his footsteps.

Thank you, Steve Jobs. I personally am eternally grateful to you for your vision, your innovation, and your insight. The world has lost a giant and history may not be able to duplicate your great works but your memory will live on for generations to come.

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