Great people and great food! Portugal forever

 

Despite having lost my luggage upon arriving at Lisbon’s Airport, and having had the stomach flu, I shall always remember my trip to Portugal.

From beginning to end, I found the Portuguese to be extremely friendly, welcoming, and ever so helpful.  The restaurants were very accessible and service was with a smile!  The people that I encountered were very pleasant and the food was tasty and delicious.

It took a bit of getting used to the weather, as one minute it was cold and the next it was warm.  Nevertheless, I managed to cope.  

Assistance at the airport was great with staff going out of their way to be of assistance. Services were also top notch!  All in all, a terrific experience and Portugal forever!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly sight-loss coach and advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and 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

A great experience: Flea markets

I don't think that I have ever spent too much time at a flea market until I did so at one in the Hawaiian town of Hilo.

It was a fresh, sunny morning when Sue and I stepped into this market. As I listened to the buyers and sellers around me I thanked God that I was able to come here so far away from my home to enjoy this.

I did manage to buy a Hawaiian skirt for Mom and sampled some of the nuts and other goodies, but the highlight was that I got to meet so many wonderful Hawaiian folks.

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

A new strategy: The ‘who is here’ technique

It has taken me a while to perfect this technique, or strategy, and I have had to put some extra thinking into it due to the fact that I can no longer see enough to know who is close by.

I use my senses of hearing and smell to help me out. In determining who is here, who is close by, I first need to determine if, indeed, someone is here. After ascertaining that there is someone close by, and I do this either by

smelling or sensing the presence of someone, I take the next step.

I would probably speak a greeting and most times this works as the one who is close by would often respond. If they do not and I still believe that there is someone close by then I would proceed to use my cane to check around me to see if there is someone or not.

If there is no one then that’s okay. But if there is someone and they do not respond then my mind goes into concern mode and my next step would be to again utter a greeting. In almost all of the cases, the person standing there would say something and if they do not then I know that something is not right and I would next proceed to take defensive tactics.

I will stop here for now.

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

My favourite street

Almost everyone has a favourite street and I am no different. My favourite street, however, is probably based on some different reasons and please allow me to tell you.

My favourite street is favourite to me because of its fragrant smells emanating from bakeries, restaurants, and perfume boutiques. It is favourite to me because of the friendly folks that I often meet as I walk along. It is favourite to me because I know it so well, having traveled its length and breadth for so many years. It is favourite to me because I always feel welcomed there and no one really is afraid to approach me as I tap with my cane as I walk along the sidewalk.

People know me and are always somehow there in the nick of time to lend a helping hand. I know each building on my street. The supermarket with its friendly customer service reps. The cleaners, the jewelry boutique, the hairdresser, and the bank at the corner. The restaurants, the post office, and so many pedestrians traveling along each day as I do.

This is my most favourite street and one that I shall always cherish.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about your favourite street. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca to learn more.

It's all about perception

How we perceive things is almost often the major factor in what we do, what we say, and how we act. This is what a blind person has to accept; this is how the rest of the world does it when it comes to their perception of us.

We are perceived on how we act, what we say, and what we do and for a blind person the rest of the world may be perceived by us to be more inclined to judge us on the above. Unfortunately, much of society tends to paint us based on very narrow experiences. In other words, if they have had an experience with just one or maybe two blind persons, they tend to perceive that all blind persons are just like those they have had an experience with.

Believe it or not, and I am really not trying to be condescending, each blind person is an individual on to his/herself. We are each unique with a unique set of characteristics; just like each person of the rest of the world. We each think differently, behave differently, and do things differently.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my blogs.
Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

At the Beach with Mom

This is one of my most enjoyable times; going on a beach vacation with my mom.  We have so much fun and she is literally my eyes.  She helps me to negotiate buffets, crowded areas, hotel lobbies, and so on.

 

She describes so much to me; the scenery around us, people passing and walking, and the activity on the beach.  We have so much fun together and she is never tired of describing, explaining, and helping.  Some may say that this is all in a day's work for her because she is mom; but I never take anything for granted.  Mom is my eyes!  My guide!  My best friend!

 

When we walk on the beach I kick my memory into high gear and imagine that I can see the rolling waves, the soft golden sand, the cloudless skies, plus more.  I bring swaying trees into my mind's eye.  Then I expand the picture with boats, surfers, and swimmers.  Then I finish off the picture with sand castles, shells lying lazily on the beach, and sun tanners.  O boy!  What a joy!

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come and explore the world through the eyes of a blind person.

Visit www.traveleyes-international.org to learn more.