My beloved ice skating rink

 

Ah, yes!  Just to remember those wonderful times when my friends and I went whistling around the rink with cold fresh air blowing through our hair and across our faces.  I can still hear my ice skates rubbing against the ice and see those Christmas lights winking back at me as I skated around!

We laughed, fell and quickly got up, and simply enjoyed skating around at a very leisurely pace.  We chatted as we skated and just enjoyed the ambiance.

We were there for almost an hour and then it was time to take off our skates and to go to a nice restaurant for a delicious meal.  I cannot tell you how many times we did this during the holidays and even now, as I don’t do this any longer, these cherished memories shall be forever in my memory bank!

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays! But most of all, a 2023 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noèl!
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Happy Hanukkah!
Please take a moment to give the gift of accessibility to families with children with a disability!
Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

Ice Skating

One of my favourite holiday season and Christmas activities is being on the ice to enjoy moments of refreshing and wonderful ice skating activities.  However, due to the Covid restrictions this will not be possible for me this year.  

Yes!  I am surely going to miss my ice skating; just to think of being able to skate so freely around the rink with friends and to feel the ice cold wind blowing across my frozen cheeks and through my hair.  

However, enter my trusty imagination and memory bank to fill the gap for me!  Memories of skating on outdoor rinks and enjoying the many colours of Christmas lights winking back at me as I skated around!  
Drinking cups of hot chocolate after my skating adventures!
Enjoying the sounds of kids and parents laughing, singing, and skaters whizzing by!
The sounds of blades of skates rubbing against the ice and so much more!

Oh, how I long to be there once more and to remember those years when my functional vision enabled me to see the festive lights in the background.  Well!  Here comes my memory to help me out for this year!

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas!  Happy holidays!  But most of all!  A 2022 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noèl!
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Happy Hanukkah!Please take a moment to gift the accessibility to families with children with a disability!
Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

Ice Skating

One of my favourite holiday season and Christmas activities is being on the ice to enjoy moments of refreshing and wonderful ice skating activities. However, due to the Covid restrictions, this will not be possible for me this year.  

Yes, I am surely going to miss my ice skating! Just to think of being able to skate so freely around the rink with friends and to feel the ice cold wind blowing across my frozen cheeks and through my hair.  

However, enter my trusty imagination and memory bank to fill the gap for me! Memories of skating on outdoor rinks and enjoying the many colours of Christmas lights winking back at me as I skated around! Drinking cups of hot chocolate after my skating adventures! Enjoying the sounds of kids and parents laughing, singing, and skaters whizzing by! The sounds of skate blades rubbing against the ice, and so much more!

Oh, how I long to be there once more and to remember those years when my functional vision enabled me to see the festive lights in the background. Well! Here comes my memory to help me out for this year!

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays! But most of all! A 2021 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Joyeux Noèl!

Feliz Navidad!

Buon Natale!

Happy Hanukkah!

Please take a moment to gift the accessibility to families with children with a disability!

Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision and it does not matter!  Christmas is for me.  The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.  

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop.  To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages.  I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks.  I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground. But most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.  

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me.  True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year.  My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along.  I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now.  I am blessed!  I am lucky!  With or without sight, Christmas is for me!  I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.  

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all! 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan.  Will see you again in the New Year.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my 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 my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Another challenge: Choosing some new exercise devices

For me, as someone with a vision impairment, it is crucial that I choose exercise devices and programs that I am comfortable with using.

It is obvious that I would never be able to run fast enough in order to make it count and the same could be said for walking fast enough or even using a bicycle in the same manner.

So, I need to turn to the stationary devices: a stationary bicycle, weights, strands, plus more.

I still love to swim whenever I can and this, too, has been added to my arsenal of exercise activities. I still ice skate whenever I can and I am always seeking other ways to exercise as long as I am comfortable. And let us not forget the good old treadmill.

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

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision and it does not matter!  Christmas is for me.  The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop.  To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the Church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages.  I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks.  I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground but most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me.  True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year.  My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along.  I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now.  I am blessed!  I am lucky!  With or without sight, Christmas is for me!  I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan.  Will see you again in the New Year.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
Visit my 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 my free downloads!
Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Forever in my heart: Memories of the Bell Center

Oh, my beloved Bell Center!  Memories forever in my favourite city of Montreal and on a beautiful Sunday so many years ago. I, along with my best friend Char, and  Joan and Heather went ice skating at the famous indoor rink.

We skated for so many hours it seemed.  We laughed, chatted, fell a few times, and got up again. 

We once reminisced on those happy days, when the spirit was free and time was ours to do as we pleased. The sun rose and we were still chatting and drinking wine, and there was not a care in the world. 

I still remember that wonderful and super Sunday.  And after we had finished ice skating we treated ourselves to ice cream and some Montreal favourites. 

A Sunday that shall forever remain in my heart and one that I often wish would return.  The Bell Center forever in my heart and memory.

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

Always in my heart: The Harbour Front skating rink

Oh, yes!  Another treasured memory from my bulging memory bank.  One that I shall always cherish and one that I often recall whenever I have a yearning to go out there and do some ice skating.

This rink was big and spacious.  A rink that sat on the edge of a lake and one where so many people still go to enjoy a wonderful winter skate.

I can still remember the wind blowing lustily through my hair and across my frozen cheeks as I skated around. The ice was always in almost perfect shape and I can still hear the blades of my skates brushing gently against the ice.

I can still hear the Christmas music and see the Christmas lights winking back at me as I skated around and I can still hear the laughter of kids and adults as they whizzed past me on their own skates.

Those were such happy times for me with my dear friends, Jason and Christine. We would often go skating at the Harbour Front rink and then we would eat dinner at a restaurant that served up sumptuous Chinese cuisine.

I have not been back there in so many years but maybe some day I'll return just for that one last ice skate.

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

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

One of my favorite passions: Is ice skating still for me?

This is a question that I am constantly asking myself and one that has a very ready answer for me.  The final answer is a definite yes!

Ice skating is one of my passions.  It is one that I chose to follow from childhood and, as any true Canadian, one that has filled my heart and mind with so much fun, pleasure, and so much more.

Ice skating has helped to build my confidence.  It has helped me to become more certain of myself and it has sure helped me to conquer and overcome a bit of the unknown.  Ice skating has taught me how to pick myself up after a fall and how to deal with uncertainty: not knowing when I am going to encounter such things as cracks in the ice, water on the ice, and crazy ice skaters darting in and out of my path.

I wish that I could devote a bit more time to my ice skating but I also hope to rectify this in the coming months.  Ice skating has done so much for me and it is a passion that I continue to foster.

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

My beloved ice skating rink

I shall never forget my beloved ice skating rink for as long as I live. Huge, outdoors, and simply refreshing moments to remember.

It is located on the Toronto waterfront. It is always a pleasure to skate there, with the wind blowing vigorously across my cheeks and playing roughly in my hair. So many others skating along with me and whooping for joy as they race around the rink.

Kids learning to skate and their parents watching over them. Teens racing each other around the rink. Adults skating leisurely and chatting amiably to each other as their blades scrape along the ice. And me? Skating with friends and just enjoying the outdoors on a winter's evening.

I shall always remember this. I went mainly at Christmas time and as I look back now I can visualize the lights of all colors and sizes blinking as I skated around the rink with my friends. Ah, yes! My favorite ice skating rink 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!"

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!"

The Christmas feeling

Christmas for me is simply a plethora of feelings, emotions, and so much more. Christmas for me is a season where so many memories race across my mind. I can tell you that Christmas for me can be viewed in two different ways: as someone who has precious little vision and as one who once upon a time had enough vision to see so much.

When I had enough vision to see many things, I could appreciate the flickering candles in church, the flashing colored lights as I skated around an outdoor rink, crowded streets with scurrying shoppers, Christmas trees loaded with decorations and presents piled high beneath, tables loaded with dishes of food, and of course, Santa Claus! I used to spend so much time in the toy departments admiring the dolls and doll houses. Drawing sets and coloring books. I used to help decorate the house and always enjoyed putting up the angels, the lights, and most of all the manger with all of the figures.

Now that my vision has dwindled to almost nothing, I have all of these memories to bolster my enjoyment of Christmas, and in addition I use my senses of sound and smell to help me continue enjoying. Fragrances of burning firewood, pine, baking cookies, and turkey and pork all help me to conjure up pictures and images of years gone by. Sounds of bells, kids laughing, Santa Claus ho ho hoing, and the scraping of blades on ice add to my happy memories. You see, I have so many ways to recreate, reproduce, and make new memories.

Christmas as a blind person could be really interesting, so much to enjoy and so much to share with others. Christmas through the eyes of a blind person could be a very different perspective for many. You can learn more by visiting www.acb.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day. Merry Christmas everyone!
Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision and it does not matter! Christmas is for me. The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop. To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages. I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks. I loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground, but most of all I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me. True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year. My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along. I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now.

I am blessed! I am lucky! With or without sight, Christmas is for me! I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate. Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision and it does not matter! Christmas is for me. The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop. To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages. I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks. I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground, but most of all I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me. True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year. My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along. I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now. I am blessed! I am lucky! With or without sight, Christmas is for me! I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Nočl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!
I'm Donna J. Jodhan. Will see you again in the New Year.

Come by and enjoy some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

Blind adults need to participate, too

Written in March 2012

There is a question that I am asking myself as I write this. I know! In so many cases, society tends to gravitate much more easily towards the needs of our kids, and rightfully so. They are our future and we need to do all in our power to ensure that theirs would be a bright one, nurtured and jealously safeguarded and protected at all cost.

So far so good but what about adults? Especially blind adults? Are we doing enough to ensure that they, too, are being given a fair chance to enjoy as much as they can? I am asking this question based on a recent experience that I had with an organization called Courage Canada. Last year I approached this particular organization to see if they would be interested to try and set up a program to teach blind adults how to ice skate. At that time the person that I spoke to expressed an interest and over the summer we exchanged ideas and emails. However, July was the last time that I heard from him until I bumped into him in Ottawa in early February at a conference.

After we were introduced, he proceeded to tell me that he did not have a budget to teach blind adults and that blind kids were the priority. Everyone has a budget and everyone has a priority but this really hurt me and as a blind adult who is extremely passionate about the joys and benefits of ice skating it was both sad and shocking to hear this person tell me this.

So, just imagine my surprise when I saw a news item on CTV a few days ago in which this same man was promoting his organization’s learn-to-skate program for kids. On the one hand I was extremely delighted to see that blind kids were being given a chance to experience the joys and excitement of ice skating. But on the other I felt very sad and disappointed for once again blind adults were being left out in the cold.

The kids would no doubt grow into adults and when they do become adults would Courage Canada be telling them that they can no longer take learn-to-skate classes because they are now adults? Would Courage Canada be telling them that they are now ineligible because they are adults and that they can no longer afford to teach them because they do not have a budget to teach blind adults how to skate?

As a blind adult who enjoys ice skating, I truly believe that other blind adults should be given every opportunity to experience the joys of ice skating. For after all, this is Canada, isn’t it? My parting words to Courage Canada are these: Please find a way to expand your program to include blind adults. Kids are not going to be kids forever and they are kids for a much shorter time than they would be adults. You need to find a way to include blind adults in your offerings.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

No barriers to skating

It is my passion and it is my favorite sport. It is the activity that I almost always engage in to help me deal with my stresses, anxieties, and challenges. It is the sport that I love to dream about. Why, it is skating!

When it comes to skating, there are no barriers for me. I learned to skate like any other Canadian kid and I kept it close to my heart for so many years. When I had enough vision to skate on my own, it was my joy, my passion, and my everything. I used to adore those blinking Christmas lights practically smiling at me as I skated outdoors at Christmas time and I just loved to feel the cold fresh wind on my cheeks and blowing through my hair as I skated around. Oh how I loved to smell the freshness of a winter’s night, skating outdoors and feeling the crisp ice beneath my skates.

With precious little vision left these days, I still love to skate, no barriers for me. The smell of an indoor rink, the smooth glassy ice under my skates, and my friends skating alongside me, with me holding onto their arm. Ah yes, no barriers to skating!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my thoughts with others. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

My first impression of a snowfall

I can still remember the very first time I saw snow. It was beautiful then to me and at that time I had just enough vision to see things close up. In later years, I would embellish this memory to include so much more after my vision had improved significantly.

At first, I did not know what those white flakes were; I simply stood there and looked hard at them. Then, alas! I was looking at snowflakes coming down. I tried catching them in my hands and gently putting my hands up to my eyes to have a further examination. It was hard at first but then I caught on and managed to have a very close look. They were of all shapes and sizes and I had to move very fast in order to catch a glimpse of them in my hands.

Then I moved on to looking at them on windows. Then I came to enjoy the fluffy white stuff on the ground and when I went skiing. I loved seeing snow on the trees and skating on an open rink during a light snowfall. The most memorable memory for me is that of skating around with snow falling lightly and those bright Christmas lights winking back at me.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility consultant, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my blogs with others. Come by and visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What would I want to experience?

This is the question that my sister-in-law recently asked me as we sat chatting about what I would want to see and do if I were to go on a trip or tour. A good question for me and now that my vision no longer enables me to see very much, if at all, I did not have to think too hard.

When I had enough vision, it was different for me. I could see things close up and enjoy some of the sites through a monocular. Things were so much more fun then and I could enjoy more of the sighted person’s pleasures. With precious little sight now I have managed to find new things to want to enjoy on a trip or tour. The cuisine of the country, the special goods and products that the country in question is renowned for, and churches, of course!

I would also want to visit places that the country is known for: Lourdes and historical sites in France, the Vatican in Rome, the various famous museums in England, and so on. Another passion of mine would be to ice skate on any skating rinks in that particular country. Then there are the beaches, of course. So there you have it, these are the things that I would want to see, do, and experience if I were to go on a trip or tour.

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

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision, and it does not matter! Christmas is for me. The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop. I loved to see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the Church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages. I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks. I loved walking in the snow and watching those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground. But most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.

That was then and this is now, but not much has changed for me. True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year. My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along. I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now. I am blessed! I am lucky! With or without sight, Christmas is for me! I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!
I'm Donna J. Jodhan. I will see you again in the New Year.

Skating without vision

Over the Christmas holidays I decided to resume my ice skating, and boy o boy! What an experience for me. When I first learned to ice skate, I had enough functional vision to see where I was going. I could see in front of me and beside me. I could see most of the rink, make out the blue and red lines, and I could see when people were coming at me. Especially the little kids hurtling towards me.

This has all changed! Now I have to depend on sound. I have to listen more carefully for the scraping of approaching blades and the air stirring around me as skaters rush by. It’s a different way for me as I skate around now and in addition, I have to take the arm of the one who is skating with me. Still, I do love my ice skating and nothing can ever change the feeling of exhilaration whenever I step onto the ice.

The smell of the ice, the coolness of the rink, the sounds of kids laughing, and music blasting out of speakers. I can no longer see the flashing lights or can I see what others are wearing but that’s okay! I have my memories to help me enjoy! Ah yes! Ice skating! My passion, my joy!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with others.