A work in progress: Still persisting with my knitting

Despite my best efforts to stay connected with my knitting, I am finding that I need to put in that extra effort to do so. I am determined to stay with my knitting and to make something of it.

Heck, I put a lot of work into this initiative and I am not about to give it up very easily. So, here we go; on to finishing my hat and then moving on to something else.  I will not give up for a lack of motivation.

Knitting is relaxing and helps me to concentrate more on what I need to be doing. It is what I call my quiet time activity.

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

Enjoying my time: Megan's description of onstage action

I am always so delighted whenever I can sit next to someone who is only too willing to explain what is happening on stage to me.  And this was the case at a conference in late September 2017.

My table companion, Megan, did a superb job of describing everything to me. The scene was one of teens depicting several different scenes of their peers in various situations.

These situations included peers rejecting each other, turning their backs on each other, asking their fellow peers to include them in social activities, and so on.  I truly enjoyed Megan's descriptions and at the end of it all this particular session was much more valuable to me.

Now that I can no longer see what's happening on stage it is always a luxury for me to be able to know. 

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

Happy times: Remembering Lake Jo

This was probably one of the last great experiences that I had before I lost my vision in 2004.  My friend, Rozi, and I had gone to the Lake Jo Camp for a week and it was such a marvelous time.

Rozi and I shared a room and each day we spent time together just enjoying the lake and all of the activities around us.  We made lots of new friends and I got to do so many new things.

I canoed and rode in a kayak, sailed, swam in the lake, played basketball and croquet, and oh yes!  I played a game called Show Down, a type of air hockey.

It was a week never to be forgotten.  Where all of the facilities were accessible and usable.  Where the staff were so well trained and the volunteers so eager to please and assist.

The most memorable thing for me was that I was able to see the lake.  So beautiful, so tranquil, and so calm.  Those wondrous sunsets and the birds gliding effortlessly over the lake!  Ah, yes!  That was Lake Jo!

Now I can only remember and keep it close to my heart.  Maybe one day I’ll return to enjoy it, but without vision!

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

All in a day's work: Reminders for the Management Office

This is a constant process for me but one that is very necessary.

I live in a condo building and I naturally depend on the Management Office to let me know whenever such activities as fire alarm testing, water shut offs, heating and air conditioning maintenance, and other types of safety and security activities are going to take place.  In addition, to provide me with schedules for our superintendents.

Sometimes they remember to email me the notices that they also stick in our doors but a lot of the time they do not and it is at these times that I need to phone them and remind them.

I have a great neighbor and friend who keeps me up to date whenever notices are stuck in our doors so if she tells me something and I have not received a notice via email, this is when I need to remind the Management Office.

This is a work in progress and I am not sure if it is going to change.  It is one of the challenges of living in a condo complex and there is nothing to be done about it.

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

What is physical literacy?

I am not ashamed to say that I totally missed the boat on this one. At a conference in Ottawa in early February 2012, I learned all about physical literacy. Whereas I took for granted that all blind kids would have learned to do such things as: jump, run, jog, throw or roll a ball, swim, bike, climb, kick or bounce a ball, and similar activities, it was sadly not the case.

This conference focused on making sports a part of the daily lives of blind kids and blind adults. It talked about the need for sports to be more a part of the lives of the blind community and it focused on developing ways to do so.

After having returned home from this conference, I realized how lucky I was. As a blind kid I was totally physically literate and as an adult I have continued to stay physically literate. Ice skating is my passion and blind tennis is a close second. I swim, ski, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor sports.

My belief is that physical literacy is very important to us all and especially so to the blind community. We, more than others, may need to make sports a very important part of our lives and how can we do this? By insisting that we be included in sporting activities, from the nursery right up until we are seniors. So, what is physical literacy? It is the ability to interact with and be a part of all kinds of sporting activities.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and encourage parents of blind kids to foster more physical literacy to their youngsters. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more.

How do I convince them?

What am I asking today? Well, I am wondering out loud: how do I, along with so many other blind persons, convince the sighted world that, "Yes! We are persons who can take our places in society and be contributing members to the economy."

Just like the sighted world, we too have the ability to think for ourselves, speak for ourselves, and we have the power of reason and logic. We can understand and listen when spoken to and we can also hear very well; we do not need to be shouted at. We can learn just like anyone else and we can enjoy everything that the sighted world enjoys. That is, those things that we choose to enjoy.

We can enjoy shopping, cooking, reading, outdoor activities, and going to movies and watching TV like anyone else. We may do it all a bit differently because of our lack of sight, but never the less, we enjoy it anyway. We can enjoy traveling, surfing the Internet, and making friends through social networks. We can play lots of computer games and so much more.

I hope that I have convinced you in some way that, yes! Blind persons can also enjoy!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Out of sight out of mind

Someone recently put forth the following argument to me.  Out of sight, out of mind; could this be the reason why society often forgets about blind and sight impaired persons when it comes to ensuring that they receive such things as:  equal access to job opportunities, education, health services, equal access to sporting and recreational facilities, and everything else that the mainstream person has access to?

 

I listened with bated interest to this person's opinions and arguments and after our encounter I decided to take a bit of time to contemplate.  It did not take me too long to formulate my own opinion.  There definitely seems to be a common thread when it comes to blind and sight impaired persons being either forgotten or left out of many every day matters. 

 

When it comes to sporting activities, I have found that in my home city of Toronto Canada, there is a definite lack of accommodation when it comes to sporting activities.  Over the last decade, I have tried so many times to catch the interest of the Parks and Recreation folks in Toronto to raise the issue of blind persons being left out of sporting events and they have sheepishly admitted that more needs to be done but to date not much has been done.

 

A few months ago I had a meeting with some officials of a financial institute to discuss making more financial planning services available to blind and sight impaired persons and at that time I raised the issue of making information available in alternate formats such as Braille, large print, and electronic text.  To my chagrin but not to my surprise, the officials admitted that they had never thought of doing so.  I also had a similar meeting with a major supermarket chain in Toronto to discuss making their weekly specials more available to their blind and sight impaired customers either online or through a phone service and again, I was told that this had not been thought of up until now.  

 

So the question of the day would be this one:  Why is  it that so many companies, cities, and even governments seem to often forget about the blind and sight impaired?  Out of sight out of mind?  Because the blind and sight impaired community is just too small to be considered or could it be something else?  This is not just a Toronto Canada problem; it is Canada wide, North American wide, and even global wide. 

 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. 

Visit www.acb.org to learn how blind persons interact with the mainstream world.

Can blind persons enjoy the outdoors?

This is a question that I am often asked and absolutely why not?  My inability to enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature visually in no way prevents me from enjoying through smell, touch, and feel.  Unlike many other blind persons, I am extremely lucky and fortunate that I can use visualization to help me enjoy the outdoors.  Having previously had enough vision whereby I was able to see color, I can now use my visualization to enjoy nature and the outdoors in a very unique way.

 

Most blind persons have never had the good fortune to be able to see the outdoors but that does not prevent them from doing so.  They, like me, can smell the sweet fragrances of flowers, feel the cool wet grass beneath their feet, enjoy the shade of tall trees, play with the sand on beaches, swim in the pleasant water of lakes, rivers, and oceans, and enjoy the cool fresh air in any season of the year.

 

Blind persons can definitely enjoy walks in the woods and along the beach.  They can ride bicycles built for two.  They can swim, and even enjoy such water sports as sailing, canoeing, plus more.  They can even enjoy such winter sports as skiing, ice skating, snow shoeing, plus more.  In short, despite their lack of vision, they can still enjoy the outdoors.  Ask me how do I most enjoy the outdoors and my response would be:  By ice skating on outdoor rinks, swimming in the ocean, walking in the woods, and lying on the cool sand of warm sunny beaches.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to contact me if you would like to learn more about how I and my fellow blind persons enjoy the outdoors.  Please contact me at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.