A lighter moment : When the rain soaked my plants

 

Oh boy, and what a mess! I had to exercise all of my patience to deal with this.

I had gone out on my balcony to water my plants and good thing that I had the presence of mind to check before pouring water into them.

The rain had come down and soaked my beloved plants; even over soaking them. Plus there was water on the floor of the balcony.

I will say that, as a vision-impaired person, it is vitally important to use my fingers to check on things before proceeding.

I decided to just leave the water to subside in the soil of my plants as it would have been too difficult for me to remove the water.

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
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A reality check: Unable to use my keys to press the buttons

I know that as we take the extra steps to cope with Covid-19, part of the process entails that we are careful when we press buttons. To this end, there are several people in my condo building who use their keys to press the elevator buttons.

For me, this is not as easy. First, I need to locate the intended button and it is not easy for me if I use a key. I normally use my fingers to identify the buttons. They are marked with numbers in large print shapes.

If I use a key then I cannot feel the buttons let alone be able to locate them easily. Most of all, I cannot feel the shapes of the numbers. This is my challenge so I have no choice but to continue to use my fingers.

Too bad! This was a nice thought.

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 continuing challenge: When my clock's chimes fooled me

This is something that is becoming more and more of a challenge for me. When I am unable to see the face of my clock, it is next to impossible to know whether or not the chimes are matching the time. 

For example, if my clock chimes 5 times then how can I tell that it is indeed 5 pm?  This is all due to the era of the digital clock and the inability to remove the cover of the clock and then feel the face.

There used to be a time when I could do so, with the older clocks.  I could remove the cover and voila!  I could feel the dots and the hands but I cannot do that now with those digital clocks. 

So I need to depend on sighted assistance to tell me if chimes and time are in sync.  Just another challenge for me to deal with.

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
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It's all in a handshake

Yes, this is what I do to help me evaluate and/or form an impression or opinion of someone when I meet them for the first time.  My secret is now out but that's okay.

My dad once told me that handshakes often help to tell a story but I'll also tell you that it is not always accurate.  Most times, however, it is.

I almost always pay attention to the type of handshake I receive.  There can be so many types of handshakes, ranging from the limp one to the firm one and from the full one to the two-handed one.  There is the one where one barely touches your hand.  The one where one simply touches your fingers.  The dry one and the sweaty palm one.

I have had them all and even the one where one firmly grasps your hand and swings it round and around.  I am not saying that anyone should use this particular strategy to help them evaluate and formulate but when one is unable to see expressions, gestures, smiles, and glances, it is the next best thing.

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

Please ask before touching me

I know! Many people touch each other for various reasons. They do it for affection, they do it to make a point, and they also do it in so many cases to blind persons whenever they wish for them to move out of their way. I have no problem with all of this but whenever someone touches me because they wish me to move and they do not ask first, if they wish me to do so, then here is where my concerns lie.

Why am I concerned? Because if I am unexpectedly touched, it makes me nervous and I don’t believe that anyone should touch me without first asking. That is, if they are touching me in order for me to move out of their way. I would even venture to say that I find it rude and disrespectful if a person first touches me without asking because they would like me to move out of their way.

I know that many people do it without even thinking but I would like you to go out there and tell others about my concerns.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit www.acb.org to learn more.

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.

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.

Remembering By Touch

Now that my vision has been reduced to almost nothing, I often use the touch technique to help me remember certain cherished images. Easter Saturday was a perfect example. When the doorbell rang and I asked who it was, the voice at the other end told me that it was a delivery man with some flowers for me. At first I was at a loss to think who would be so nice to be sending me flowers for Easte,r but I soon found out.

When I opened the door I asked the delivery man to read me the card on the delivery and it was from my dear mom. He quickly noticed that I was blind and asked if I needed him to put it on my table. When I told him no, he then proceeded to describe the flowers to me and a few minutes later as I quietly closed my door the tears came rolling down my cheeks. My dear mom had sent me an Easter arrangement. It was in a darling little basket, and that I could feel but I could not see the flowers themselves. So, after pulling myself together I proceeded to use my sense of touch to help me remember.

I gently felt each and every flower. Then I examined each leaf with my fingertips. I then bent and smelled the flowers and they had a fresh fragrant spring smell to them. I stood there for a few minutes with my fingers in the basket refusing to let go. I allowed my memory to take over and as I stood there, the colors came flooding back into my mind. I imagined yellow as vibrant as the sun. Purple as gentle as a dawning sky and white as pure as the Milky Way. I pictured the leaves as green as the grass grows and when I had them all pictured in my mind, I wept for joy! My mom had done me well! She knew how much I loved my flowers and she had taken the time to ensure that her basket to me was just right.

It reminded me of a few years ago after I had lost my vision; it was my birthday and I had received another delivery of flowers then. This time the delivery consisted of a huge vase of flowers and when I asked the delivery man to read me the card, he told me that it was from my brother Robert and my sister-in-law, Charmaine. Like mom they had taken the time to send me flowers that they knew I so loved and when the delivery man described them to me, I again wept for joy and used my touch technique to help me remember. Later on a friend told me that my brother had specifically asked for flowers that bore fragrant smells so that I could appreciate them even more.

This is one thing that no one can ever take away from me. The ability to remember through touch. I can use the sense of touch to conjure up the most vivid of memories, the most cherished of thoughts, and the most imaginative of creative thinking and it is one of the things that keeps me going every day. I often tell people that it does not matter if I am unable to see something, I can use my sense of touch to help me enjoy it.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the world that yes indeed! Blind persons can certainly enjoy things by using their sense of touch. If you would like to learn more then you can contact me at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.