It made me smile! When I forgot to close the kettle

I am not sure what would or could have happened if I did not discover that I had left the lid of my kettle opened!  Maybe the kettle would have run out of water thus causing some kind of mishap!

So, how did I discover this?  I noticed that the kettle was taking a bit long to boil its water and the sound of the kettle was different.  Then, I decided to investigate and found that the lid was open.

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
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The sound of flowing water: Enjoying my fountain

Ah, yes!  Just to hear the sound of water flowing in my fountain is enough to ease the stress and anxiety for me.  It does not matter what time of the year it is, it is a tonic for me!

I usually turn it on, on  a Saturday morning while I do my house work and often times in the evening while I sit and relax after a long day's work.  It is so soothing.  It is so relaxing!  It just helps me to recharge, regroup, and to get ready for bed! Sometimes I even nod off while listening to my beloved fountain!

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

Another gadget to add to my arsenal: The new sound bar

I had to purchase this gadget when I discovered that my new TV's speakers were not remitting very rich sounds. The sounds were very tinny, so to speak, and not very loud. To make sure that I was on the right track, I sought the opinions of my neighbour, Sandra, and my super, Nick, and they both agreed with me.

So, off I went to my favourite electronics store to buy the suggested sound bar. Nick and his friend Jivko helped me to install it and what a difference it has made since installation.

Now the sounds are rich and booming and I am enjoying my new TV so much more. 

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

Without any warning: When the instructions fell

Of course, when they fell they did not make a sound. They simply fluttered to the floor and waited there for me to discover that they had fallen. And how did I discover that the instructions were on the floor?

Well, first I stepped on something that felt like paper and when I realized what they were, I concluded that they were instructions and then I had to retrace my steps to figure out where they had come from. Luckily for me my memory came to the rescue and I remembered that I had been working with a new kitchen aid that I had recently purchased. All's well that ends well.

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

So very frustrating: When there was no cable service

On this particular morning I woke up to a very interesting experience. I had turned on Mom's TV and there was no sound.  At first I thought that something might be wrong with the TV but when I turned on Mom's second TV I was met with the same situation. No sound.

So, I waited until Mom had come into the kitchen and together we started to troubleshoot.  Soon I decided to phone the offices downstairs to see if they had cable service and they did.

After some discussion with Mom I phoned the cable company and after going through the normal checks with the service rep it was determined that Mom's cable service was cut because there had been an error on her bill. This being that she owed some money to the cable company.  

This was straightened out in quick order and the happy ending was that Mom received her cable service once more.

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

He was sure scared! When Rico ran away

I would consider this to be a very funny experience and it all happened in Mom's yard. Mind you, it was Mom's description that made it even funnier.

We were standing on Mom's patio, enjoying the cool fresh air, and then she saw him! Rico was following some of the neighbours around as they did some work in the yard.

Mom decided to imitate a cat and so she made a loud miaou sound! As she put it: poor Rico simply ran away like a bat out of hell, never stopping to look back!

Mom said that his head was down and his tail went straight up in the air. He simply ran for his life!

Of course we never intended to scare poor Rico but there you have it! I simply allowed my imagination to do the rest.

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 funny experience: Looking for the piece of rubber for my step stool

Looking back on this incident now, I can probably smile a bit more.  What happened here is that the piece of rubber had fallen off of the edge of one of the legs and I did not catch this until I picked it up from the bottom and noticed the missing piece of rubber.

I did not know that it had fallen off because of course it did not make any sound when it did.  So I had to retrace my steps and think hard as to where I had used it.

This strategy worked and before long I found the missing piece of rubber lying on the floor in my coat closet.  Truth be told, this is probably one of the more interesting challenges for me as a vision-impaired person.  That is, when things fall down or off and there is no sound to tell me that they have.

So I need to be extra careful whenever I pick up things.  I need to make sure that all of it is intact.

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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Listening to the falling rain

Ah yes!  One of my favorite times to relax, whenever I have the chance to listen to the sound of falling rain.

For some reason falling rain is so very relaxing to me.  The sound of rain falling either on a rooftop or in the street puts me into a mood of reflection, relaxation, and it is the time when my memory rushes off and searches my memory bank for some of the more cherished memories.

I can bring back memories of days gone by when I could see things around me and when I was able to visually appreciate more.  Vivid images and pictures appear in front of me and it is very much like a slow motion movie with me as the only spectator in a deserted cinema. 

I either sit or lie and enjoy it all!  I take it all in one moment at a time and after it is all over I slip into a comfortable journey to dreamland.  Ah yes!  Listening to the falling rain.

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

In the sound booth

I have to admit that working in a sound booth, either sitting on my own or with someone else, is quite an experience. I find it very interesting but at the same time it is also a wee bit uncomfortable.

I have been working in a sound booth on my own and with someone else for some time now and this takes place whenever I record blogs or interviews for Accessible Media Inc. It is a different type of experience for me. Everything is very compact and not much room for me to move around. I perceive the booth to be dark but I have no idea if my perception is accurate. For all I know, it probably is very bright.

The microphone is very close to my face and I have to be very precise when I speak and try not to make any unnecessary noise such as rustling my notes. All in all, a very different experience and a great learning one for me.

Not too many blind persons get this rare opportunity so I am extremely grateful to Accessible Media Inc. for giving me this opportunity.

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

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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!"

Matching the voice to the person

In the same way that sighted persons match faces to persons, or vice versa, I match the voice to the person. When I had sufficient vision I used to employ other strategies to identify persons, such as: height, hair color, size, and yes! Smell.

Since losing my vision, I have lost the ability to use most of these strategies so I use the one of matching the voice to the person. Now and then I make an error, like when I thought that I was talking to a friend instead of my niece. I only realized my error when the person hesitated when I made a comment and it was then I realized that it was not my friend. My niece did not say anything; she simply carried on as if all was well.

All in a day’s work and if you would like to learn more about how blind persons match voices to persons then visit www.acb.org.
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.

Technology Becoming More Difficult

Two steps forward for mainstream technology, but unfortunately, just one for access technology.  What I mean is this; the evolution of technology is like a runaway freight train.  It changes literally by the minute and we all have to find ways to keep up with it in our own way.  For blind persons, the challenge to keep up with it is made even more difficult because of having to wait for access technology to catch up and when it does; mainstream technology has already left the building so to speak.

 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what access technology is; it is the technology that is used by disabled persons to help them access software, the Internet, plus more.  Access technology includes such products as:  screen reading software, magnifying software, and specially adapted keyboards.  There are other types of access technology of course.  Access technology is also very expensive in comparison to mainstream technology and often time, it is financially out of the reach of many disabled persons. 

 

Access technology has come a long way in its development but there is much more to be done and it does not help when mainstream technology continues to change so rapidly.  This can't be helped.  We need specially developed devices to enable us to scan and read books.  We need talking GPS devices to help us navigate streets in unfamiliar areas.  We need clocks and watches that talk to help us tell the time.  We need appliances that have been designed with voice output so that we can use them.  In short, for a blind person, we need to have devices that talk and devices with large print displays so that we can use them.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about access technology.  Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

The Mystery of Colors

To many of those who are unable to see colors, the word color remains a great mystery and at best a great desire to discover the unknown. As someone who was able to see colors all my life up until five years ago, I can faithfully tell you that it is practically impossible to teach someone who is unable to see colors what colors look like. This is one of the things that I miss the most; the ability to see colors.

One cannot hear colors or smell colors. One cannot feel colors or taste colors. One cannot sense colors or touch colors; but one can see colors if they are able to. I often wonder if there could be a way to teach a blind person what colors are all about, but several of my friends who were born with no vision often remind me that colors do not really mean anything to them because they were never able to see them in the first place.

Colors mean the world to me and will probably always mean the world to me despite my loss of vision. You see, when I hear a word or think of something, I think of it through color. Whenever I smell or touch something I put a color to it. Whenever I play or compose music, my thoughts are covered with colors! I dream in color and I think in color!

Whenever I take those joyful jaunts down memory lane, I can see a sunrise as pure as gold, a sunset that is a soft pink, the placid sea that is a shade of royal blue and a sky that is a much lighter shade of blue. I can see a big silver Air Canada jet bird and the fast flowing silver water of the Niagara Falls. The big fat white snowflakes and the smiling red rose. My favorite color is yellow with blue running a comfortable second and red coming in third.

Colors will always play a very important part in my life. I used to depend on colors to identify objects but sadly no more. Now I use colors to remember persons and things and even as I write this there are some special memories that will forever remain imprinted on my mind such as my beloved dad, who passed on 21 years ago, in his light grey suit. My beloved brother, Robert, who passed on two years ago all decked out in his pilot's uniform: a handsome black uniform adorned with gold stripes. My beautiful mom standing before me in a turquoise dress forever and so much more.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and enjoy your world of colors. If you would like to learn more about how blind persons function without color then please visit www.nfb.org.