A new ally: The Wonder Arms exerciser

I bought this nifty little device in late 2017 and I am so happy to report that it has turned out to be everything that I had ever hoped for.

I saw it being advertised on TV and after I had brought my mom’s attention to it we decided to go looking for it. 

The friendly sales lady in the store allowed me to try it out and it did not take me very long to decide to buy it.

Much later now and I am very happy with my purchase.  What I would say is this!  Make very sure that what you imagine it to be is what it really is.  That it can do what you desire it to do.  I think that this is even more important for someone who is vision impaired.

Having a great sales lady also helps a lot and hats off to the Showcase store at the Fairview Mall in North York, Toronto.

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

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Great times: Memories of the Tabi Stores

I have to admit that shopping at the Tabi stores was probably one of my most cherished and favourite memories.  Mom and I were treated to wonderful service from our favourite sales lady, Nouri.

Nouri was not just our favourite sales lady, she was a friend and a confidante.  Nouri always had time for us.  She helped us to choose our clothes, took time to make sure that we were happy and satisfied, and she always took time to chat with us.

I never got tired of shopping at the Tabi stores.  I loved to smell the new clothes and to examine all of Nouri's suggestions.  When I had enough vision to see what I was buying, I would simply love to spend time among the racks, matching and mixing outfits.

There are so many happy memories for me and even after she was transferred from the Fairview Mall to downtown, we still kept in touch. As I write this, I wonder what Nouri is up to these days and I can only wish and hope that she is well and enjoying whatever she is doing. Such a unique and unusual person!

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
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Just a wonderful sales person: Working with Maria to choose a new suit

In the fall of 2017, I had a very enjoyable shopping experience when Mom and I visited the Laura Petite's store at the Eglinton Square Mall in Scarborough, Ontario.

There we met a wonderful sales lady named Maria who spent the next hour helping me to carefully choose a very special suit for a very special occasion.

Maria was extremely meticulous.  She took her time to explain everything to me about this suit, every minute detail and how it looked and why she felt that it would be the one for this very special occasion.

After almost an hour, Mom and I walked out of the store with a large suit bag.  It contained Maria's suggestion and we were both extremely pleased and impressed with Maria's suggestion and attention to detail.

It is always so very important to me, as a vision-impaired person, whenever I can find a salesperson who understands how to communicate with me, how to explain things and show me things. Thank you, Maria.

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 at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Missing Out on Bargains

Missing out on bargains is one of the most difficult things that I have to deal with on a daily basis.  For the sighted

world, it is easy for them to read about bargains in flyers, the newspapers, and see it on TV or on the Internet.  For

me, I am unable to read newspapers or flyers, and although I may hear it on TV, many ads do not repeat phone

numbers at the end of their infomercial instead choosing to display it on screen.  In the case of the Internet, so many

websites are not user friendly to those with vision problems making it almost impossible for us to access. 

 

When I go grocery shopping, I am unable to read the flyers that are stacked on the counters.  These flyers gaily

display all of the bargains in the supermarket but I do not have a clue as to what they are.  The same applies for

when I enter a store or pharmacy and as a result I am shut out of being able to reduce my shopping bills. 

 

This is something that I'd like to see addressed by the sighted world; ways to make it possible for blind persons to

know about bargains.  One possible solution that comes to mind is this:  Maybe, the larger store and supermarket

chains could have a phone line whereby we could call in and hear the bargains on a weekly basis?  Food for thought.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out and help make it easier for blind persons to learn more about bargains. 

Please Speak Directly To Me!

This is one of my pet peeves with the sighted world. So many times throughout my life I have found myself being addressed by others in the third person. They somehow find it necessary or more comfortable to speak to me by talking to the person accompanying me. Sometimes the person accompanying me would politely tell the person asking the question that they should ask me what I need instead of asking them. On other occasions, when I am feeling up to it, I would also politely say, "You can ask me directly." This can be a big problem, if I allow it to be; the solution that I have come up with and the one that works for me is to educate those I come in contact with.

There is no pattern to the type of person that chooses to address my companion instead of me; salespersons do it, bus drivers do it, doctors do it, so many do it. I would go into a store with my friend and the salesperson would ask, "What would she like?" I would visit the doctor's office with my mom and the doctor would turn to her and say, "She does not have much of a chance of regaining her vision." Or I would go to the post office to mail letters and the postmaster would turn to my friend and say, "What does she have in the package? Documents or what?" Or at the restaurant, the waiter would ask, "What would she like to order?"

The classic for me is when I am traveling. I get to the counter escorted by an airport attendant and the ticket agent asks the attendant, "Where is she traveling to?" Of course the poor bewildered attendant has no idea where I am traveling to so I have to step in, although I obviously should have been addressed directly to begin with.

Here is another example. I go to the post office on my own with my package to mail, and the friendly postmistress asks, "Do you know what you have in the package?" This time she has no choice but to speak directly to me because I am alone.

On most of these occasions I have taught myself to smile and speak up, but there are the odd times when I become so frustrated and say in a sarcastic tone, "You can speak to me. I can understand you." As I see it, the only way to reduce these types of unnecessary incidents is through education. You can help by spreading the word that blind persons can hear and understand. You do not need to ask someone else to interpret for them.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to contact me at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca if you would like to learn how to communicate more effectively with blind and visually-impaired persons.