Gratifying moments: Mom and her newspapers

 

Every morning Mom looks forward to receiving her newspapers.
They are delivered early almost every morning.  
They are shoved through the open window and when I am visiting she tells me when they have arrived.
I scurry to the window, remove the newspapers, and then take them triumphantly to her.

Mom then proceeds to read them very meticulously.
She comments and tells me what is going on.
We discuss and then it is over for another day.
Mom and her newspapers.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning, sight-loss coach and accessibility 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

Practical and logical: Dealing with notices

If I receive my notice electronically then there is no problem, but whenever I receive a notice that has either been stuck in my door or it comes in the mail then here is where the challenge arises and my frustration only grows.

I am blind/vision-impaired and cannot read printed notices.  How many times have I begged those utility companies that I deal with, others who I work with, and those who should know better to please change the way they send me notes?

One of these days, I may just send them a Braille note and see how they feel.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning, sight-loss coach and accessibility 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

 

Happy times: Fetching the newspapers

I have designated this to be one of my daily chores while I visit Mom.  I truly enjoy doing this for her because I know how much she enjoys reading her daily newspapers.  

There are three different daily editions and Mom takes her time to read them while she has her breakfast.  When I wake up, I first check the window sill to see if the newspapers have been slipped through her kitchen window and I do this between 6 and 7 AM.  If they have arrived then I grab them and place them on her foot stool and there they sit waiting for her to pick them up and to start her daily reading.

If they have not come at around 6 AM, I keep checking until they have arrived.  Sometimes, the person delivering Mom’s newspapers will call out a good morning in greeting as he puts the newspapers through her kitchen window and I always return the greeting.

I always enjoy this greeting and most times I would engage this person in pleasantries.  Such joy for me!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning sight-loss coach and accessibility 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 at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Important notice from Donna J. Jodhan
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share news and or info about yourself or about others, then please read on!
Donna J. Jodhan can help you reach a rapidly growing list of over 12,000 readers and listeners and counting!
All you need to do is to give a listen to her monthly shows and if you like what you hear then here's how it works!
For the very affordable price of $25, Donna will feature your info and news on 2 of her monthly shows.
Once on the Ask Donna show and once on the Dining with Donna show.
Both of these monthly shows run weekly.
This means that your info will be featured twice for the month.
No more having to worry about posting to Facebook!  
You'll be able to engage with ready made readers and listeners!
Your payment of $25 will be prorated as a monthly payment.
So you can either pay monthly, or you can pay as you go.
Just send your info or news to Donna at askdonnaonblindlife@gmail.com
No more than 150 words.
Donna will then post your info or news as soon as you remit payment to her at paypal@donnajodhan.com
To give a listen visit https://www.donnajodhan.com/askdonna and https://www.donnajodhan.com/dwd
Take advantage of this very quick and easy way to reach a ready made audience!
 

Time to think: At 3 a.m. in the morning

I do not think that too many folks would consider the hour of 3 a.m. to be a good one for them. For it is probably the hour when most of the world is either still asleep or getting ready to do so.

For me, it is the perfect hour! The time when I wake up, hear myself think, and then start my day by reading and digesting the latest news. Then I read my emails that have come in overnight and finally it is time to get down to work.

As most of my clients live in Britain, this is probably the best time for me to catch them. Their work morning has just begun and my emails will probably arrive in their inboxes at just the right moment.

As mentioned above, I can hear myself think. I can hear myself breathe. Most of all, my brain is awake and ready to work. This probably no different for anyone, vision-impaired or sighted.

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 refreshing memory: Mom and her magazines

This is probably one thing that must occur each week and that is for Mom to purchase her favorite magazines.  When I had functional vision I was the one who bought these for her and mailed them to her.  I always enjoyed doing this as I was able to pick out her magazines and read the headlines before buying them and then taking them home where I stuffed them in large envelopes and then took them to the post office for mailing.

Now it is Mom who reads the headlines to me and then she proceeds to do her crossword puzzles and browse through the various sections.  I know better than to interrupt her when she is with her magazines.

I sit and wait patiently for her to read and then she is ready to talk to me.  These are the moments that I really treasure: Mom reading her magazines, me waiting and working at my computer until she is ready.

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

Fighting with my scanner

Oh well, as they would say, that's life! If I am not fighting with my printer then it is my scanner but I'll hasten to tell you that these fights do not occur as often as you may think. However, whenever they do occur, it is almost always I who ends up losing the battle.

Fighting with my scanner usually happens whenever I place either unopened mail or a sheet on the surface of the scanner. I stand patiently and wait for it to tell me what the text is and then guess what?

Sometimes it may choose to read the text accurately but at other times it would either tell me that there is no text or it would simply have a mind of its own and read the text in an incomplete manner.

So, what do I do? There are a few courses of action that I can take. First, I can repeat the process hoping for my beloved scanner to get things right. Next, I could seek sighted assistance, and finally I could simply walk away from the insufferable scanner and return later to try once more.

In defense of my scanner, however, it may be I who is simply not placing my mail or documents on the surface of the scanner in the right way. For example, placing the wrong side of the text on the surface so that the scanner's camera is being presented with a blank page or envelope.

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!"

Describing the birthday cards

This is what happens now that I no longer have enough sight to see for myself. Since 2004 this is what happens each year as either my friend Gabriella or my mom do it for me. I still have lots of fun listening to them describe my birthday cards to me but just remember now, each person describes things differently and this is often the case with my birthday cards.

Some of the birthday cards come with raised images but truth be told, if I am not told what these images are then I am at a loss to know what they are. However, there are times when it is a bit easy to guess what they are.

So, how do I appreciate my birthday cards these days? I pay much more attention to the written words and whenever my birthday cards are described to me I can easily recall images from my memory bank and use these to help me remember.

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
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!"

Those crossword puzzle books

How well I remember having been able to work with these. They were large print crossword puzzle books and when I had enough vision to read and fill in the boxes, they brought so much joy to me. At that time they were the best things that I could lay my hands on to help keep my mind ticking.

I used to spend hours at a time working with them. With pen in hand, I would adjust my lamp over the crossword book and then proceed to get to work. Most of the time I would be able to fill in most of the boxes but there were times when my frustration was certainly there.

Large print crossword puzzle books can certainly benefit not just those who are partially sighted but seniors who have difficulty negotiating the fine print. More large print crossword puzzle books are coming onto the market and now that I can no longer see to work with them I would encourage anyone with family members or friends who have difficulty reading fine print to purchase these.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about those large print crossword puzzle books. Come by and visit me at www.donnajodhan.com to listen to some really exciting audio mysteries.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Granny was my reader

This she was when I was a child. She read any and everything to me. From the newspapers to letters from aunts and cousins and from books to scraps of paper that contained notes which she felt I should know about.

I used to enjoy when she read to me from her Prayer Book, too. She read all of the daily prayers, the Psalms, and then she would read the Bible stories to me. She read the crossword puzzles and we did them together. She read the comics to me and then the headlines. Each Sunday, just before I would drift off for my afternoon nap, she would proceed to read from the newspapers to me. Oh, how much I loved and treasured those very precious memories with my beloved granny. Yes indeed, Granny was my reader!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and explore the world of blind persons by visiting www.nfb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

Braille or print

I thank God every day that I had the opportunity to learn how to and use such things as pencils, crayons, and paper and I am also truly grateful that I learned how to read and write Braille.

Braille was the first thing that I learned. At an early age I learned how to read and write it and this is because my sight was not good enough to enable me to learn how to read and write print. However, this all changed when I became a teenager and thanks to Dr. Rosen of Montreal, I had my first cornea transplant and then learned how to read and write print. I had many years of using both Braille and print but then, alas! My vision failed me in early 2004 and it was back to Braille.

Braille or print? For me, it was both for many years and I am a very lucky person.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by and listen to some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

The problem with skimming

In the normal scheme of things, I am unable to skim over materials as most sighted persons do. As someone who is blind, I have to develop my own methods of skimming, skipping, and searching. At first glance this could be viewed as a very daunting task, but once I understand what I need to do then the rest falls into place relatively easily.

So how do I do this? Well, I have to focus very hard on what I am looking for. Headings, titles, sections, and so on. I use and depend on the use of key words to help me find what I am looking for. Once I recognize that I could never be able to skim and skip as quickly as someone with sight then this is more than half the battle won.

It would be almost impossible for a blind person to be able to skip over things or even skim. The eye travels so much more quickly over screens of material than does someone who is doing this via screen readers and those using large print magnification. I have always been able somehow to survive these tasks and now with attending Law School, it is even more important for me to choose carefully what I need to look and/or search for.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by my website at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Different methods of reading

I am often asked by sighted persons to describe how blind persons read. Do they do this only in Braille? By having someone read to them? Or how?

In response, this is what I say:

There are a number of ways that a blind person can read.
First, if they have enough vision to read large print, they can do this either with a magnifier or by using a close circuit TV device.
They can do it through Braille.
They can do it by using access technology on their computers. In this way, they can hear what they read.
They can do it through their IPads, IPhones, IPods, and other mobile devices.
They can do it by scanning their documents and downloading them to their computers and then using their access technology to hear what has been downloaded.
They can also download books and documents from the Internet to their computer and read it as described above.
They can use CD players that are equipped to read documents on CD.

So you see, there are several ways for us to read books and documents. In short, we can hear what you see on a page or screen.

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

Remembering My Dad

Dad left me a little over 21 years ago and to this day I miss him as if it were only yesterday when he left.  At his funeral, I eulogized him as someone who was not just my dad, he was my friend.  He left me an invaluable legacy, knowledge.  He understood my needs and never failed to come through for me.

 

I was the unexpected baby; born eight hours after my twin brother.  Mom never knew that she was having twins and when she and dad were told that I was on the way, just imagine their surprise and then they discovered that I was blind!  They never faltered as parents and my dad remained a constant source of knowledge for me.

 

As early as I can remember, he would read to me; story books, newspapers, and selected articles of interest.  He taught me all about Religion, politics, economics, plus much more.  He helped me to become a passionate and compassionate Human Being.  He taught me respect, how to treat others, but most of all, he instilled courage and motivation into me.

 

Dad taught me my alphabet, taught me how to count, and he was constantly challenging my mental strength and capacity.  He taught me how to ride a bike and we often raced along the beach either on foot or on our bikes.  He taught me how to swim, to fly a kite, and he often played cards, football, and cricket with me.  He even took me fishing and placed those delicate little butterflies in the palm of my hand.  Dad probably wished that I would remain his little girl for ever but that was okay.  I grew up and he was still my dad.

 

Dad was my hero; a gentleman to the end, and someone who was never afraid to help others.  He was loyal to his friends and family, a leader in his own right.  He was gentle, firm, and loving.  Most of all, he never stopped encouraging me to reach for the stars and had faith in my abilities as a blind person.  Rest in peace dad!  Till we meet again.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how sighted parents interact with their blind kids.

Those Treasured Story Books

Ah!  To be a kid once more or I should say it like this!  To dream of when I was a kid!  Those happy times when my ad and my older brother Robert used to read to me.  What fun I used to have; imagining as they read to me.  Dad and Robert have since passed away but their voices reading to me when I was a kid will always live on in my mind.

 

When I was a kid, I was unable to read print because of being blind and true to form my family came through for me.  Dad and Robert would read to me; from those treasured story books and fairy tales.  As they read, fairies came to life in my mind.  I was the little princess going off with the handsome prince.  I was the little girl getting into all kinds of trouble.  I was the little fairy waving my wand and carrying out acts of magic and good deeds.  When they were finished reading and long after the lights were out, I would lie in bed and imagine the stories all over again.

 

Some times I would day dream in class and even imagine that I could read these treasured story books for myself but when I grew tired of imagining I would conjure up dad and Robert reading to me.  I could practically zone everything else out as their voices came clearly into my mind and o how I treasured these special times.  I could hear them reading about the fairies flying around, the witch getting up to her nasty tricks, and the handsome prince saving the princess in distress.

 

Then I would go home and run to my room where I would look for my treasured story books.  I always put them in the same place after dad and Robert had finished reading to me the previous night.  Blind kids of today continue to enjoy reading books but now they can do it all by themselves; listening to them on MP3 or Daisy books.  If you would like to learn more about how blind kids read story books then visit www.aph.org.

 

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 the rest of the world.

 

 

 

How Blind Persons Read Books

When it comes to blind persons being able to read books, we do it in several different ways.  We can read it in Braille,

We can listen to it on CD or cassette, or we can use our computers to download books and listen to them using special

access technology called screen readers.   

 

We can use cassette recorders to play our cassettes.  We can use CD players to listen to our CDs and we can also

use specially developed book readers to read books that have been formatted into DAISY formats.  We can also use

scanners to scan books and listen to them from our computers.

 

A lot has been done and continues to be done when it comes to making books more accessible to blind persons but

there is still much more to be done and this should be seen as a continuing job.  In the meantime, I have some

websites for you to visit to learn more about how blind persons read books and what they use in order to read books.

Visit www.aph.org, www.rfbd.org and www.humanware.com.

 

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