Refreshing and welcoming: A springtime tonic

Oh yes, and this is total tonic and such a refreshing time for me!  A time when my senses of hearing, smell, and touch simply wake up and go full tilt for me!

I can hear the birds singing their little hearts out!  I can smell the fragrant flowers, the freshly cut grass, and the cool fresh air!   I can hear children laughing and running in the park!  I can go out and touch the petals, the trunks of trees, and so much more!

Ah, yes!  The springtime tonic!

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

Respecting the limits: Realizing

Yes, it is all about realizing my limits; when to push ahead and when to stop!

I use my sense of smell to help me do a lot of my navigating. Next comes my sense of touch and then my sense of taste. But the most used sense is my hearing.

All of my senses work in tandem and I need to depend on each in separate ways. Sometimes it is fun to realize but on occasion it is not as fun.

Ah, yes! Just another lifelong experience.

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

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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!

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Just another challenge: A miserable cold

For most of us a miserable cold is something that we could definitely do without. But, as a vision-impaired person it seems to be more of a challenge, and why? Well, here goes!

My hearing is affected and as a result I have difficulty navigating my way around my home, and outdoors as well.

My sense of taste is also affected and as a result I have difficulty when I go to taste my food and to prepare it.  I am unable to tell if my food is either too salty, too sweet, or too spicy.

Then, if I have to deal with a runny nose or a stuffed up one, I need to take time to deal with this and it often throws off my concentration.

Not being able to hear very well when I have a cold also affects my ability to work with my voice software and with voiceover on my iPhone.

Then, throw in runny eyes and this can also affect my entire ability to function.

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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A useful strategy: Focusing more

Over the years I have learned that in order to beat the push and rush of a busy world, I need to focus more.  Not just more, but to ensure that I focus on one thing at a time.

As someone who is vision impaired, I find that for me it is important to focus on my focus, so to speak, or rather I should say that it is paramount for me to focus on one thing at a time.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to multitask, but for me, when I need to depend on my other senses without being able to see what I am doing, I need to ensure that all of my other senses are working and functioning at their maximum.

If I keep to this strategy then I am able to stay on course.

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

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Not too happy: When the weather prevents me

You can say that I feel like a fish out of water whenever the weather prevents me from going outdoors. I miss the fresh cool air. Also the warm sun, the birds singing, and the fragrance of flowers and fresh-cut green grass.

You see, almost all of my five senses suffer anytime the weather prevents me from going outdoors.

No denial; I love to hear the raindrops drumming on my windows and on rooftops but it is even better whenever I can feel them on my jacket or even hear the cars driving by as they splash in puddles.

There is nothing better than being able to smell freshness all around me after a downpour. Ah, yes! Just to smell the earth is like a tonic to me!

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

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A strategy: How I stay aware

I guess that we each have our own special way of staying aware but for me it comes down to using my four senses, vision being now unavailable to me.

So, I use my sense of hearing first and foremost, followed by smell, touch, and then taste.  It does not always happen in this order for it depends on what I want to stay aware of and/or be aware of.

It is so very important for me to stay aware of my surroundings, to be able to know what is going on around me.  To hear and identify the various activities, to be able to identify the various smells wafting in and out of my space, so to speak, and then to use my senses of touch and taste as backups whenever necessary.

Sometimes it is easier than you may think but at other times it can be very challenging and trying.  All in a day’s work.

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
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My reason: Why I do not put my socks in the dryer

I hope that my explanation makes sense.  It works for me and it helps me to avoid headaches.

As a visually impaired person, I depend heavily on all of my available senses to help me with my daily life.  They all help me to compensate for my loss of vision and in this case the sense of hearing is what I depend on. 

So picture this:  I have just finished doing my washing and am about ready to put my clothes into the dryer.  Socks are very small and if they fall out of my hands I would never hear them falling. 

I would not miss them until I check things out as I either start to place my clothes in the dryer or afterwards when I remove them from the dryer.

If the socks have fallen, I now have to go searching.  I would have to feel around on the floor, close to the washer, and if I am unable to find them there then I need to search my washer.

Until I decided not to put them into the dryer, this was a very trying time for me.  So here is what I do.  After the laundry is done, I go to great pains to check every piece of clothing as I remove them from the washer.  I look for my socks and upon finding them I then hang them up on my clothes line to dry.

This is what works for me.

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.
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

Walking on the jetty

This is probably one of the most interesting sensations for me: walking on the jetty.

When I had enough vision to appreciate my surroundings, I used to love to walk on the jetty and admire the water lapping at the jetty's structure. It was so lovely, water gently lapping at the jetty and a fresh crisp breeze blowing through my hair and down my cheeks. Sun shining down on me or a bright moonlight overhead.

This was when I could see but now it is somewhat different walking on the jetty with practically no vision. I often do this with family members in attendance. They walk very closely beside me and go out of their way to describe my surroundings: boats in the bay or sailing out to sea. Other people walking along and swimmers enjoying the peaceful ocean. Fish jumping high into the air some distance away and me and my family just walking along on a pleasant and almost perfect day!

Sometimes the jetty would shake slightly as the water lashes it. Sometimes it is moist from the water's spray and at other times it is dry and hard. Sometimes the surface of the jetty is hot to the touch while at other times it is cool and it all depends on the time of day.

Ah yes! Memories of my beloved jetty!

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This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

Helping mom to find

Mom and I almost always have lots of fun whenever we go shopping at the supermarket. My way of helping her is to use my sense of touch to help find such things as tins, cans, bottles, boxes, and the various meats and similar things. I use such methods as shapes, sizes, widths, and lengths. I also shake tins, cans, and boxes to help the cause.

In the case of meats, my sense of touch is called upon to help identify shapes of such things as drumsticks, thighs, breasts, sausages, bacon, and so on. It helps that I have an idea as to what to look for on which shelves.

How do I know which shelves have which things? Ah, my memory from when I used to see things. Lots of things for Mom and me to have fun over. I am sure that other blind persons either have similar methods or some new ones for me to learn about.

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 Mom and me. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

How I was able to identify

These are the methods that I still use to help me identify objects and persons. I'll do my best to make my list as concise as possible. In short, I use the senses of smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Four of my five senses.

In previous days, I used all five senses but with precious little sight now, I have to depend on the other four senses to help me out.

My sense of hearing - to help me identify the various sounds, voices, and footsteps of others.
My sense of taste - to help me identify various foods, fruits, veggies, and so on. I also use my sense of taste to help me determine when food is no longer good.
My sense of smell - to identify certain perfumes, powders, and cosmetics. To identify flowers, and also to help me determine when food is no longer good. To help me identify my surroundings: green grass, a nearby stream, lake, or ocean, and even persons.
My sense of touch - to help me confirm certain objects through shape, size, and texture.

There you have it and I encourage you to go out there and share my methods with others.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

At the dentist with Mom

No one really likes visiting their friendly dentist, but for me I have grown used to the needles and probing. The other day I accompanied mom to her dentist and as I sat there listening to the dentist and her assistant chatting softly and clinging and clanging their instruments, I began to try and visualize what was going on. Of course, I could tell some things but not the important ones.

I could tell, of course, when they were swishing water around in Mom’s mouth and when they were changing instruments, but nothing more. So at some time during the session I got up the nerve to ask if she had as yet received her injection. The dentist chuckled and said yes!

It was an uncomfortable feeling for me to sit there and not quite be able to tell what was going on and I had to really use all of my hearing and concentration to focus. I tried not to imagine my poor mom in any pain and I kept making conversation so as to try and gauge her comfort zone. Most of the time she would give a short laugh to let me know that she was okay.

Ah yes! The joys of being at the dentist.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my words 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.

Is anyone there?

One of the surest ways for me to know if someone is there is to ask, “Is someone there?” More often than not if someone is there they would respond, but sometimes they do not.

As for me, I am always on the lookout. I listen carefully. I use my sense of smell to help me determine if someone is close by and I use my intuition to guide me. I often feel vulnerable whenever I am not sure if someone is there. Sometimes my imagination tends to run away from me and I start to think that someone is lurking close by, just waiting to pounce.

Whenever I get into an elevator, I almost always say good morning or good afternoon or good evening so that I can give anyone in the elevator the opportunity to respond. When I had enough vision to see, it was not a problem but it is different now. I need to concentrate much more now on my immediate surroundings.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my words with others. Visit www.afb.org to learn more about how blind persons interact with their surroundings.

When the brain rewires

What am I talking about today? It all has to do with what happens when there is a change in one’s vision and I can speak personally to this. I have had several instances in my life: when I gained a tremendous amount of vision after my first cornea transplant, when I lost some vision and then regained it, and when I lost most of it which is now.

The brain does have a way of rewiring in order to adjust and readjust to one’s condition. Before I gained my vision, all of my senses played a part in my every day life. Smell and hearing lead the way followed very closely by taste and touch. Vision of course brought up the rear, but all of my senses seemed to work closely together.

When I gained a lot of vision so many years ago, the brain made adjustments for me to recognize and retain images of landmarks. It enabled me to identify things much more quickly and concisely and it allowed my sense of vision to lead the way in my everyday life. The other senses played very important supporting roles.

Now it’s back to square one; I have very little vision now and the brain has once more rewired to allow my senses to work in tandem. Vision has taken a back seat to smell and hearing with taste and touch squeezed together in the middle. It’s like a team of five and I makes six.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Come visit me at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What does nice mean?

What does nice mean?

The word nice has so many meanings to each of us but I am going to try and give you my side of things as a blind person. What does nice mean to me? It means so many things as perceived by my senses. Here are a few meanings.

Nice: When someone goes out of their way to be nice or kind to me. When that person leaves what they are doing to come and help me out of difficulty. When they go out of their way to show me where to find something or someone. When I am unable to find the door to a building and they step out of their car to help me.

Nice: The scent of fresh cut grass. The fragrance of flowers wafting on the air. The scent of Christmas cakes and cookies being baked. The scent of my favorite foods being cooked by mom. The smell of lavender, spice, and apples.

Nice: The taste of honey. The taste of sparkling wine. The taste of warm apple crisp. The taste of spicy food.

Nice: Birds singing at springtime. Soft music in the background. Bells ringing at Christmas time. The sound of the blades of skates in a rink. Children laughing and dogs barking happily in a park. The sound of waves rolling towards the shore.

Nice: The feel of cool grass beneath my feet. The delicate petals of flowers against my fingertips, the warmth of sunshine on my cheeks, and sand on a beach under my toes and water from the sea rolling over me. The fresh cool winds of spring against my cheeks.

I think that you have the picture by now. I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Come visit me at sterlingcreations.ca.

Can blind persons enjoy the outdoors?

This is a question that I am often asked and absolutely why not?  My inability to enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature visually in no way prevents me from enjoying through smell, touch, and feel.  Unlike many other blind persons, I am extremely lucky and fortunate that I can use visualization to help me enjoy the outdoors.  Having previously had enough vision whereby I was able to see color, I can now use my visualization to enjoy nature and the outdoors in a very unique way.

 

Most blind persons have never had the good fortune to be able to see the outdoors but that does not prevent them from doing so.  They, like me, can smell the sweet fragrances of flowers, feel the cool wet grass beneath their feet, enjoy the shade of tall trees, play with the sand on beaches, swim in the pleasant water of lakes, rivers, and oceans, and enjoy the cool fresh air in any season of the year.

 

Blind persons can definitely enjoy walks in the woods and along the beach.  They can ride bicycles built for two.  They can swim, and even enjoy such water sports as sailing, canoeing, plus more.  They can even enjoy such winter sports as skiing, ice skating, snow shoeing, plus more.  In short, despite their lack of vision, they can still enjoy the outdoors.  Ask me how do I most enjoy the outdoors and my response would be:  By ice skating on outdoor rinks, swimming in the ocean, walking in the woods, and lying on the cool sand of warm sunny beaches.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to contact me if you would like to learn more about how I and my fellow blind persons enjoy the outdoors.  Please contact me at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.