My perspective: Getting ready for the new windows

When our management office announced to us that we would be getting new windows and balcony doors, I knew that some challenges would definitely be ahead for us. As someone who places a lot of emphasis on organizing I immediately told myself that I had to get things in order as quickly as possible, given that I would be away at the time of this project.

I do not believe that being visually impaired has anything to do with my high propensity for organization.  I believe that in my case it would be the same no matter what.  I love things to be in order and I love to know at all times where things are so that at a moment's notice I could find what I am seeking.

This particular project means that all of my curtains will need to be taken down before the new windows and doors are installed.  Furniture will need to be moved away from the windows and placed as close as possible to each other.  Furniture will also need to be securely covered up so as to be protected from flying dust.

Thank God for my mom and my good friend, Sue, and with their assistance I have drawn up a plan of action and Sue will take charge of things while I am away.  She will cover up all of the furniture and move whatever needs to be moved away from the windows.  She will also arrange to have the curtains taken down and cleaned and to have the new tracks put up.

This is going to be a very large job and not having vision is definitely a challenge for me but with sighted help I hope and pray that things will go as smoothly as possible.

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  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
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.

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When the curtains got rearranged

This happened to me in late 2013 after our renovation. The curtains had to be taken down during the renovation and then hung again after work had been completed. Of course, it was not put back in the same way so that when I went to inspect things I discovered that they had closed it in the wrong spot.

For whereas before, the opening was much wider, now it was much narrower and this meant that less light was now coming into my bedroom. Believe it or not, this new change had thrown me off and I had to ask for sighted assistance to try and recreate the former format.

I am not sure if those with vision are in tune with this or maybe I am in the minority but this is what happened. Rearranging my curtains did indeed throw me off. Enough that it took me a bit of time to readjust and re-orientate myself. Once this was done then things were just fine.

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

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
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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!"

Reformatting my memories

It is not as bad as it sounds. Reformatting my memories is often needed whenever something has changed since I have lost my vision and then I have to familiarize myself with it all over again. This often happens whenever renovations to a building takes place or whenever someone has been perceived to change in looks.

This is especially so when kids who I was able to see when I had vision have grown up and now look quite different and I have to depend on sighted help to tell me what they look like.

Just think of it like this. They were babies and little ones when I was able to see and now that I am no longer able to see, they have simply grown up.

This is a daily chore for me but that's okay. There is no getting away from this.

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
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!"

Reformatting after a renovation

This should not come as a surprise to most of us. There is always going to be something for us to deal with, making sure that everything has been returned to its former spot or place. We cannot expect to have everything as it was before the renovation and here is where my memory has to come into play.

For whereas a sighted person can bring back mental images of how it was before the renovation, I have to do this as well and a bit more. I lost my functional vision before my renovation but after all was said and done, I had to use my memory to help me reformat.

I have had to reformat everything in my mind and re-image how things look around my condo. Many things are back in their previous place but for those things that have been either moved or shifted around, here is where the reformatting has to take place. In addition, my mom has redecorated and reorganized a few things and now my condo looks a bit different. All in a day's work!

Pictures have been rearranged on the walls. Dolls in my doll cabinet have been rearranged and my family room has been changed a wee bit. The ceiling in my kitchen looks quite different now but all is okay at the end of the day.

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
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!"

Walking on new carpets

Yes, it sure feels great to walk on new carpets, but there is a challenge for me as a blind person. It throws off my ability to know where the landmarks in my condo are. Walking on new carpets often throws off my navigation so much that I end up in a spot that I did not want to be.

It's funny how the feel of a carpet enables me to find things. Call it familiarity, it is like having sure ground underfoot and using it to find where you want to go. Change this by bringing in new carpets and then everything is a bit confused for a while until I reacquaint myself with everything.

When I did my renovations a few months ago we put down new carpets and this is what happened to me and sometimes it still does after all of this time. I just need to get used to it and I am sure that soon enough the feel underfoot will once again become familiar.

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
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 challenges of renovation

A few months ago, I decided to do a bit of renovating to my condo. I decided to repaint, re-carpet, and fix some stuff to half of my condo. Yes, I had a great contractor and yes, I went to great pains to ensure that I moved everything out of his way, but the fun came when I had to put everything back in its place.

For me, I tried doing this by using my memory. What did it look like before I moved everything away and I also had to depend on my memories of how things looked like before I lost my vision. For me, if something is out of position by just a few inches, I’d know the difference and it all has to do with how I picture things by touch. I guess that it can be compared to how a sighted person uses their eyes to visualize things.

Another challenge for me was to make sure that I did not bump into things when they were left in the hallway during the renovation. I must say though that my contractor was very good and very aware of my potential challenges. The worst of it came when I had to place things back in the cabinets and there was my doll collection of course. I got around this by ensuring that when I was moving things out, I did it shelf by shelf and placed the contents of each shelf in specific boxes and bags.

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 some of my challenges. Visit www.nfb.org to learn how blind persons go about finding their way around.