Challenges of a cable box

Well, with no more vision to be able to see the lights on my cable box, it is awfully difficult at times for me to know what is going on when my TV goes silent on me. So much so that whenever the TV goes silent, I have to do a few things before calling for sighted assistance.

First off, I put my hand on my cable box to see if it is warm. If it is not then I go to phase two of my checklist.

I check the status of my electricity and if it is gone then I wait. I usually check the status of my electricity by going to my fridge and listening for the fan. Or I try turning on an appliance in my kitchen and if I do not hear either a sound or feel heat rising then I know for sure that current is gone.

Now then, if the cable box is hot and current is present then I start to worry. Or even if the cable box is cold and current is present I still worry.

It would not do me any good to call the cable company as they would definitely ask me to tell them whether or not the lights are on and with practically no vision this is impossible for me. So I have to call for sighted assistance.

This does not happen very often for me, but when it does I am like a fish out of water, so to speak. Just another challenge for me to face.

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

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This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day. Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

When the computer became disconnected

Ah yes! One of the more routine challenges for me to keep in mind. In the normal scheme of things, my computers are all in one place in my own home and are always connected. But when you go to spend vacation at someone's home and take your computer along, here is where the challenge comes in.

At Christmastime last year, I took my netbook along as I spent Christmas vacation at my mom's home. I had set up my computer but on this particular day, Mom and I had decided to do some decorating and we had to move things around. We moved the computer temporarily and after I had put it back in its place I forgot to check to make sure that it was well connected to the outlet in the wall.

So how did I discover this? Well, here goes. Each time I turned it on it booted up fine. But then each time I left it for just a very brief moment, it went into sleep mode and when I returned to it the screen was blank and my screen reader's voice had gone silent.

At first, I thought that my poor little computer was dying on me. But luckily for me something clicked in my mind and I decided to check the connections. Sure enough! Yes, the plug was securely connected to the outlet in the wall but the connector from the computer to the second piece that was connected to the wall was not connected. I found both ends lying lazily on the floor and very much unconnected.

As soon as I had connected both pieces I could tell that all was well as the computer beeped and this told me that current was now flowing happily into my computer.

This, of course, can happen to anyone but for a blind person it is even more important to make sure that connections are properly in place. Now, please go out there and share my experience with others.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by and check out my heart warming audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com. I write and record my very own mysteries and I can tell you that my audio mysteries are completely void of explicit descriptions of sex and violence. It's all about drama, suspense, and intrigue. It's my way of helping to create listening for leisure and leaving imagining crime behind.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

Is the TV On?

One of the daily challenges that I face is this one:  How can I tell whether or not the TV is on when I first turn it on?  Well, it's totally by trial and error and several of my friends use different techniques but here's mine for what it is worth.  My first job is to find the correct on/off button to press and after I have done so, the next thing is to ensure that I press it in the right way.  One task done and one more to go.

 

If I hear sound immediately then I know that I have pressed the right button to turn it on and now it's time for me to find my channel of choice.  I have to ensure that I know the locations of the following buttons before I can do anything else; the numeric keypad to select the channels, the up and down selector key, and the volume up and down keys.  If I do not make sure to familiarize myself with these keys then I am in huge trouble if I have any hope or expectation of being able to use my TV effectively. 

 

If I do not hear any sound when I press the on/off button, then there are three things for me to consider:  First I have to make sure that I have pressed the right button.  Second, if I am sure that I have pressed the correct button I then have to move to step two and that is to determine whether or not the cable is working or whether or not electricity is on. I will stress that it is important for me to know this because if after I am sure that I have turned on the TV I do not hear any sound, then there are two things for me to investigate. 

 

First I need to make sure that cable is working and I can do this by flicking from channel to channel.  If I hear a static sound as I travel from channel to channel this will tell me that there is nothing on the screen on the various channels and I will know that cable is not working and I have to wait for it to return.  If I do not hear that tell tale static sound then I have to check to see if electricity is on or off and I can do this by checking other appliances to see if they are receiving electricity.  My radio, stove, fridge, microwave, and so on. 

 

If electricity is there, and I am very sure that I have turned on my TV, then I can assure you that trouble awaits me.  Yes, you probably guessed it!  My TV is not working. 

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 how blind persons function on a daily basis by visiting www.independentliving.com.

When The Power Goes Out

Now that my lack of vision does not allow me to see light very well, I am often left to deploy some very interesting tactics when power goes. First of all though, I need to know when it has indeed gone out, and that could be very tricky if I am not watching TV, listening to the radio, or at my computer.

If power goes while the TV or radio is on, or if I am at my computer; TV and radio will automatically shut off and the computer will beep loudly and switch to battery mode. If the microwave is on, it will automatically stop. However, if I am cooking, here is where the problem lies.

I need to pay extra attention while cooking because if the power goes, there is no audio indicator to alert me. So, I have to keep checking the heat of the stove and other cooking appliances except for the microwave. There is one kitchen appliance that definitely tells me when power goes and when it returns and that is my old faithful fridge. As soon as power goes, Madam Fridge makes a very loud shaking sound, and when power returns, she does the same alerting me that she is back online so to speak. The TV and radio do not automatically come back on but my microwave speaks to me emitting an audio message that says "Chimo is ready." My computer automatically switches back to power mode.

As a result of not being able to manage electric clocks independently, all of my clocks are now battery operated but this poses another set of problems for me in that I have to be on the alert for when the batteries go. But, that is another story for another blog.

If my light bulbs blow on me, but the power is still on, then I need to use some other strategies. I have a routine of checking all light bulbs at different times to ensure that they are lighting. Why do I do this if I am unable to see them? Very simple! To keep up with the normal world. So that whenever I have visitors, they do not operate in the dark.

If you would like to learn more about the various gadgets that blind persons can use in order to help them deal with power outages plus more, then visit http://www.independentliving.com

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and motivating you to go out there and help educate others about how blind persons deal with power outages.