My Christmas wish

 Ah, yes!  Christmas is definitely for me!  All of those wonderful smells, sights, sounds, yummy and delicious goodies and oh so much more!  I feel like a kid in a candy shop and not even Covid is going to dampen my spirits this year!

There is so much to give to others, so much to wish for, especially for those who are less fortunate, and oh yes!  So many hopes, dreams, and desires to put on my list for Santa Claus!  Above all!  So much for me to be thankful for!

I am so very lucky that at least I can enjoy a mug of delicious hot chocolate!  I can still put food on my table, and I can still enjoy many things in spite of these uncertain times.  This is what I wish for those who are struggling!  For those who will be sad.  For those who will be lonely.  For those who will be far from home because they are unable to see their families.  For those who are across the miles from loved ones.  

As one of the favourite Christmas songs goes:  "I'll be home for Christmas.  If only in my dreams."

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays! But most of all, a 2022 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noèl!
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Happy Hanukkah!
Please take a moment to give the gift of accessibility to families with
children with a disability!
Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

Christmas Marshmallow Snowman

Ah yes! Christmas is definitely for me! All of those wonderful smells, sights, sounds, yummy and delicious goodies and oh so much more! I feel like a kid in a candy shop and not even Covid is going to dampen my spirits this year!

There is so much to give to others. So much to wish for, especially for those who are less fortunate, and oh yes! So many hopes, dreams, and desires to put on my list for Santa Claus! Above all! So much for me to be thankful for!

I am so very lucky that at least I can enjoy a mug of delicious hot chocolate! I can still put food on my table, and I can still enjoy many things in spite of these uncertain times. 

This is what I wish for those who are struggling! For those who will be sad. For those who will be lonely. For those who will be far from home because they are unable to see their families. For those who are across the miles from loved ones. 

As one of the favourite Christmas songs goes:"I'll be home for Christmas. If only in my dreams."

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays! But most of all, a 2021 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Joyeux Noèl!

Feliz Navidad!

Buon Natale!

Happy Hanukkah!

Please take a moment to give the gift of accessibility to families with children with a disability!

Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

I will always remember: Some day at Christmas

One of my favourite Christmas carols is "Some day at Christmas," made popular by the late Michael Jackson.  Yes, some day at Christmas: when I could wake up on a peaceful morning and welcome yet another special day with my loved ones around me and the Christ Child in my heart. 

When I would be able to say, "Finally!  All is well and now blind kids will have an equal opportunity to be like their mainstream counterparts."  When they can play with mainstream toys and be able to use cell phones and IPods just like sighted kids.  When they would be able to play with games just like their sighted friends and not have to worry about inaccessibility.  When their classrooms and playgrounds would be free of accessibility barriers and they would have an equal opportunity to just be kids!

Some day at Christmas, when I could go to bed just before Santa makes his rounds knowing that all of my wishes have been granted.  That all websites have been made  accessible.  That all supermarkets and stores have  been made fully accessible to blind persons.  That online courses and distance learning have all been made accessible and usable to blind persons.  That blind persons have equal access to all reading materials in the same way that sighted persons do. 

Some day at Christmas, after Santa has come  and gone leaving a huge package for me under my Christmas tree, I could wake up and say, "Finally!  The banks have finally gotten it!  Their ATMs are now fully accessible.  Blind persons can now access all point of sale devices and touch screens without having to ask for sighted assistance. Blind passengers can now access kiosks at airports, they can enjoy movies on board aircraft, and no more problems at airports, train stations, and bus terminals for them."

Some day at Christmas, as I sit quietly in a church along with others waiting for the Christmas Mass to begin, I could say, "Thank you, God, for ensuring that from now on society will treat blind persons as normal persons who can function on their own and the only thing wrong with them is that they are unable to see."

Some day at Christmas!  Ah yes, it is only my dreams but who says that dreams don't come true?  The smell of cookies baking in my kitchen are real!  Christmas carols being played around me are real!  Children laughing and families decorating are real!  Is it too much for me to ask Santa to help make my dreams come true?

The late Steve Jobs made some of my dreams and those of other blind persons come true!  Dare I dream that there could be another Steve Jobs out there just waiting to bring hope to the blind world?

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a very merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noèl!  Feliz Navidad!

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Dear Readers:
This is a personal request from me for you to join my campaign against bullying (CAB).

In 2012 I launched my own campaign against bullying in response to appeals from friends and associates.  I decided to try something new and here it is.

You can support my campaign against bullying (CAB) and in return for your valuable contribution I will send you a thank you gift.  Visit www.jodhanmysterybook.club to learn more.
I will use all contributions to promote workshops to help others protect themselves from bullying and teach them how to launch their own anti-bullying campaigns.

In addition, I will produce blogs and podcasts to help me spread my campaign and to convince others to do the same.

You may also visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html and browse through my selections.

Help me to stop the spread of bullying  and to show others how to combat bullies.

About my audio mysteries:Patterned after the "Murder she wrote!" and "Murdoch mysteries!"
Where mystery is the order of the day.
Meet Detective DJ and the Crime Crushers.  You won’t want to miss out on any of her audio mysteries!  Filled with gripping drama and unbelievable plots, you won’t be able to stop listening until the very end and then you’ll be craving for more – there is mystery behind every mystery!

Detective DJ writes and records her own audio mysteries. She uses the power of words to create and solve her crimes, and then she draws you in and before you know it – you’re all caught up in the plot!  But alas, at the end of it all, when you think you’ve identified the perpetrator, she surprises you once more and you’re left absolutely stunned and amazed!

Cherished memories: Spring shopping with Mom

The last time Mom and I went spring shopping was in 2012.  In the normal scheme of things we are usually not together at this time of the year, but due to some surgery that I had to have in mid April she was here with me and we made the most of it.

Before we set out I told Mom what I was wishing for, my wish list so to speak, and as always she was very quick to oblige.  Before I knew it, my wish list was a reality but with more than I had asked for.

We went to our favorite stores and had so much fun buying what I had wished for.  Mom really enjoyed describing stuff to me and I had so much fun imagining the colors around me.  Shopping for sandals was also quite a pleasure, trying on and choosing what I wanted.

Ah, yes!  Spring shopping with Mom, another cherished page for my memory bank.

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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minutes mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.takeanother5.com
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Some day at Christmas

One of my favourite Christmas carols is "Some Day at Christmas," made popular by the late Michael Jackson. Yes, some day at Christmas, when I could wake up on a peaceful morning and welcome yet another special day with my loved ones around me and the Christ Child in my heart.

When I would be able to say, "Finally! All is well and now blind kids will have an equal opportunity to be like their mainstream counterparts." When they can play with mainstream toys and be able to use cell phones and IPods just like sighted kids. When they would be able to play with games just like their sighted friends and not have to worry about inaccessibility. When their classrooms and playgrounds would be free of accessibility barriers and they would have an equal opportunity to just be kids!

Some day at Christmas, when I could go to bed just before Santa makes his rounds knowing that all of my wishes have been granted. That all websites have been made accessible. That all supermarkets and stores have been made fully accessible to blind persons. That online courses and distance learning have all been made accessible and usable to blind persons. That blind persons have equal access to all reading materials in the same way that sighted persons do.

Some day at Christmas, after Santa has come and gone leaving a huge package for me under my Christmas tree, I could wake up and say "Finally! The banks have finally gotten it! Their ATMs are now fully accessible. Blind persons can now access all point of sale devices and touch screens without having to ask for sighted assistance. Blind passengers can now access kiosks at airports, they can enjoy movies on board airplanes, and no more problems at airports, train stations, and bus terminals for them."

Some day at Christmas, as I sit quietly in a church along with others waiting for the Christmas mass to begin, I could say, "Thank you, God, for ensuring that from now on society will treat blind persons as normal persons who can function on their own and the only thing wrong with them is that they are unable to see."

Some day at Christmas! Ah, yes, it is only my dreams but who says that dreams don't come true? The smell of cookies baking in my kitchen is real! Christmas carols being played around me are real! Children laughing and families decorating are real! Is it too much for me to ask Santa to help make my dreams come true?

The late Steve Jobs made some of my dreams and those of other blind persons come true! Dare I dream that there could be another Steve Jobs out there just waiting to bring hope to the blind world?

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, wishing you a very merry Christmas!
Joyeux Nočl! Feliz Navidad!

My technicolor dreams

There is one important thing that has been kept in place for me since losing most of my vision and that is my ability to dream in Technicolor. I do not know how to explain it and how/why it has continued like this for me, but there you have it.

Maybe some psychologist could help me out if they were to read this blog but I am just so happy that my dreams are like this. In my dreams, I can see things in the same way that I used to when I had limited vision. Colors are bright, images are clear enough for me to decipher something at close range, and I can definitely walk using an ID cane, the smaller cane.

Skies and ocean are blue! Grass and leaves are green! Flowers are in so many vibrant colors and images of buildings and people are clear enough to me. Clouds are white or dark, sunrises are golden, and sunsets are orange. I can cross the street without any hesitation. I can ice skate on my own. I can walk along pushing my buggy without any fear of running into objects and I can find stores in the mall without too much difficulty. I can use landmarks to do it all.

Ah yes! My Technicolor dreams! How I wish that they could somehow turn into reality!

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 my technicolor dreams. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Looking forward

So, it’s a brand new year and time for me to have a bit of fun with my wish list. I always like doing this because it helps me to put a few things into perspective as well as to use my imagination to have some fun. So, what’s on my wish list for this year?

First, I hope that more companies will decide to follow Apple’s lead to make their hand held devices more accessible to blind and sight impaired persons.

Second, that the blind and sight impaired community can work with financial institutions and the manufacturers of POS devices to somehow make their touch screens accessible to blind and sight impaired persons.

Third, that more websites can be made accessible to blind and sight impaired persons, that it would be easier to request and access information and complete online forms more independently, that is, without having to ask for sighted assistance.

Fourth, that we will be better able to request information in alternate formats such as Braille, large print, and in a readable e-text format.

Fifth, that recreational sports is made more accessible to the blind and sight impaired.
Of course, there is more that I could wish for but I think that for now I’ll stop here.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and share my wish list with others.
Visit www.nfb.org or www.acb.org to learn more.