In my humble opinion, one of the saddest things that anyone could ever have to face is that of being a blind parent who is never going to be able to see the faces of their kids. I have had this very sobering conversation with so many persons over the course of my life, and I especially feel for those parents who have lost their vision after having been able to see the faces of their kids. That is, those who have lost their sight after their kids were born.
It's something like this: You receive one or more very precious gems; gems that shine like the stars, moon, and sun. You treasure their precious smiles and their images quickly become imprinted on your mind forever. One day, however, you suddenly realize that you can no longer see them. Poof! Try as you may, you are unable to see the shine and glitter of their smiles. So you start to use your memory to help you preserve the image forever.
You are devastated! You can still hear them, smell them, touch them, but sadly now you are unable to see them. What do you do? What can you do? Sadly nothing but hold on to your memories for dear life. It's not the end of the world, however. Life goes on, and my dear friend, Guido, is a perfect example.
Guido is the proud papa of a loving and adored daughter, Alex. At one point he was able to see her cherished face, but for most of her life he has not been able to do so. This has not stopped him from being a proud and involved papa. So why am I so sad for blind parents?
I guess that as Easter makes its way towards us, and I think of Christ dying for us and rising again, there are certain things that just get to me at this time of the year. Yes, it's sad for blind parents who are unable to see the faces of their precious angels but as my associate Geof told me recently: "I don't think about it. I just keep on going for if I did I would go crazy."
Time for me to do the same.
Happy Easter everyone!
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and reminding you to go out there and tell the rest of the world that being a blind parent is not the end of the world.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
What Does Blind Mean?
I truly believe that most of the sighted world has a fixed notion as to the meaning of the word "blind." I say this based on a life-long experience, plus those of several of my fellow blind and visually-impaired friends and acquaintances. In a nutshell: the word "blind" is taken by the majority of society to mean that a person is unable to see anything. In addition, many mainstream persons would tell you that they have a very difficult time understanding what blindness really means.
As a kid growing up in a mainstream environment with two sighted parents and two sighted brothers, I never really gave much thought to this topic except to tell you that from the start I always knew that I was blind because I could not see what others saw. I had a bit of vision that enabled me to see things at a very close range but still things were extremely blurry. I was able to see colors, daylight, and I could distinguish light from dark and some objects. Then when I was in my teens I received a cornea transplant and the world really opened up for me. I was still classified as "blind" but now I could see much more. Then five years ago I lost most of it, and now I really know what it is to be blind.
To clarify the picture for you: The word "blind" is liberally used to describe a person who has difficulty seeing things. Someone who is unable to drive because they did not pass the eye test. Someone who either uses a cane or a guide dog to move around. Someone who uses specialized glasses to read and write. Someone who can only see light, shadows, but nothing more.
Someone who is totally blind means that they are unable to see anything.
So you see, there are varying levels or degrees of blindness and there are different terms to describe each common level. You may hear terms like: High partial, high functional vision, low vision, low functional vision, light perception, and totally blind. If this is all confusing to you, then there is the term legally blind.
As for me, I was born with low-functional vision, graduated to high-functional vision, and now I am back to light perception. All very confusing you say? Then try this on for size: Different countries apply these terms a bit differently.
Here are two websites to visit so that you can see for yourself:
www.nfb.org - In the United States.
www.rnib.org - across the pond in Britain.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and asking you to help educate the rest of the world about what the term "blind" really means.
As a kid growing up in a mainstream environment with two sighted parents and two sighted brothers, I never really gave much thought to this topic except to tell you that from the start I always knew that I was blind because I could not see what others saw. I had a bit of vision that enabled me to see things at a very close range but still things were extremely blurry. I was able to see colors, daylight, and I could distinguish light from dark and some objects. Then when I was in my teens I received a cornea transplant and the world really opened up for me. I was still classified as "blind" but now I could see much more. Then five years ago I lost most of it, and now I really know what it is to be blind.
To clarify the picture for you: The word "blind" is liberally used to describe a person who has difficulty seeing things. Someone who is unable to drive because they did not pass the eye test. Someone who either uses a cane or a guide dog to move around. Someone who uses specialized glasses to read and write. Someone who can only see light, shadows, but nothing more.
Someone who is totally blind means that they are unable to see anything.
So you see, there are varying levels or degrees of blindness and there are different terms to describe each common level. You may hear terms like: High partial, high functional vision, low vision, low functional vision, light perception, and totally blind. If this is all confusing to you, then there is the term legally blind.
As for me, I was born with low-functional vision, graduated to high-functional vision, and now I am back to light perception. All very confusing you say? Then try this on for size: Different countries apply these terms a bit differently.
Here are two websites to visit so that you can see for yourself:
www.nfb.org - In the United States.
www.rnib.org - across the pond in Britain.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and asking you to help educate the rest of the world about what the term "blind" really means.
I Am More Exposed to Identity Theft
The title of this blog is a true statement. I am making this observation because as a blind person I can see where this particular group of persons is probably the most vulnerable when it comes to identity theft. True it is that seniors and persons with other types of disabilities run a very close second, but please allow me to explain a bit further.
As a person with precious little vision, I have to depend on my sighted family and friends to help me navigate through the mounds of paper generated forms. When it comes to filling out those cumbersome online forms, it's a whole new ball game. How does this make me feel? I'll tell you: helpless, vulnerable, scared, and left wondering who is really listening or really cares?
Each time I need to complete hard copy forms, it means that I have no choice but to share personal and confidential information with someone else and it means that I have to trust that person to keep my information private and confidential. I have to trust that the information I give is what is going to be written down exactly as I wish it to be and that the person completing information on my behalf will not copy that information on a separate piece of paper for their later use. In addition, I have to trust that the person reading the information to me is reading exactly what is there and not reading something else that they may choose to make up.
When it comes to completing those cumbersome and complicated online forms, I have to depend on either my screen reader software to tell me exactly what is being required or, if that is not possible, I have to depend on sighted assistance. At the present time, screen reader software still faces many challenges when it comes to being able to decipher the contents of forms and why is this? Because many website developers do not take the time to ensure that the forms have been designed to be accessible and usable. Just think of it in this way: If sighted persons have difficulty completing forms online, then the challenge for someone who is blind or visually impaired becomes twice or thrice as difficult.
So, the picture is this: If I am unable to complete forms on my own, then I must depend on a person with sight to help me which requires that I place complete trust in that person to read accurately to me and write accurately for me. This puts me in a very vulnerable position and opens me up to identity theft. There is a growing demand for forms to be provided in alternate formats. This means that forms need to be provided in a format whereby blind and visually-impaired persons will be able to read and complete their own forms independently.
If you would like to learn more about the meaning of alternate formats then you can visit www.tbase.com. This Canadian-based company provides alternate formats to those who are print-disabled which includes blind and visually impaired persons.
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 start advocating for more information to be produced in alternate formats. It will not only help those with vision problems, but millions of others who are print disabled.
As a person with precious little vision, I have to depend on my sighted family and friends to help me navigate through the mounds of paper generated forms. When it comes to filling out those cumbersome online forms, it's a whole new ball game. How does this make me feel? I'll tell you: helpless, vulnerable, scared, and left wondering who is really listening or really cares?
Each time I need to complete hard copy forms, it means that I have no choice but to share personal and confidential information with someone else and it means that I have to trust that person to keep my information private and confidential. I have to trust that the information I give is what is going to be written down exactly as I wish it to be and that the person completing information on my behalf will not copy that information on a separate piece of paper for their later use. In addition, I have to trust that the person reading the information to me is reading exactly what is there and not reading something else that they may choose to make up.
When it comes to completing those cumbersome and complicated online forms, I have to depend on either my screen reader software to tell me exactly what is being required or, if that is not possible, I have to depend on sighted assistance. At the present time, screen reader software still faces many challenges when it comes to being able to decipher the contents of forms and why is this? Because many website developers do not take the time to ensure that the forms have been designed to be accessible and usable. Just think of it in this way: If sighted persons have difficulty completing forms online, then the challenge for someone who is blind or visually impaired becomes twice or thrice as difficult.
So, the picture is this: If I am unable to complete forms on my own, then I must depend on a person with sight to help me which requires that I place complete trust in that person to read accurately to me and write accurately for me. This puts me in a very vulnerable position and opens me up to identity theft. There is a growing demand for forms to be provided in alternate formats. This means that forms need to be provided in a format whereby blind and visually-impaired persons will be able to read and complete their own forms independently.
If you would like to learn more about the meaning of alternate formats then you can visit www.tbase.com. This Canadian-based company provides alternate formats to those who are print-disabled which includes blind and visually impaired persons.
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 start advocating for more information to be produced in alternate formats. It will not only help those with vision problems, but millions of others who are print disabled.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Growing Up With Sighted Parents
In a previous blog, I talked about blind persons being parents. I grew up with two wonderful sighted parents who allowed me to go out there and take the world by the tail. For the most part, it was a delicate balance of ensuring that I fit in and at the same time being realistic enough to understand that being blind had its limitations.
The great thing was that my parents never really said no to my requests for adventure, but they were naturally cautious and timid towards certain things. My dad allowed me to reach for the stars when it came to education, but he was always leery when it came to my choice of career. My mom on the other hand was a bit more outgoing and made very sure that I fit in with the sighted world. With two loving brothers for company, a gentle granny who prodded me along, and wonderful cousins, I managed to grow up in a very unique type of environment.
It was not always easy for me at times, mainly when I wanted to be a bit too mainstream for my own good, but I learned fast. There were the times when I was limited by my lack of sight and my parents had to step in and teach me the reality of the situation. Nevertheless, I soldiered on. As far back as I can remember, it was always my goal to leave home as early as I could in order to be as independent as possible. It has paid off, but not without tremendous sacrifice on the part of both me and my family.
I learned to ride a bicycle and had bike races with my dad along the beach. He taught me how to swim and fly a kite. We went fishing together. He and my brothers played football and cricket with me in the park. My mom and granny taught me how to cook and bake and even played dollhouse with me. My dad was my constant source of knowledge, while my mom and granny were my constant tutors of life. As for my brothers? Well, they were brothers all the way.
If you would like to learn more about how sighted parents can interact with their non-sighted children, then you can contact me directly at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca, and I would be delighted to give you some useful pointers.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant reminding you to go out there and tell the world that when it comes to sighted parents being able to raise blind children, nothing is impossible.
The great thing was that my parents never really said no to my requests for adventure, but they were naturally cautious and timid towards certain things. My dad allowed me to reach for the stars when it came to education, but he was always leery when it came to my choice of career. My mom on the other hand was a bit more outgoing and made very sure that I fit in with the sighted world. With two loving brothers for company, a gentle granny who prodded me along, and wonderful cousins, I managed to grow up in a very unique type of environment.
It was not always easy for me at times, mainly when I wanted to be a bit too mainstream for my own good, but I learned fast. There were the times when I was limited by my lack of sight and my parents had to step in and teach me the reality of the situation. Nevertheless, I soldiered on. As far back as I can remember, it was always my goal to leave home as early as I could in order to be as independent as possible. It has paid off, but not without tremendous sacrifice on the part of both me and my family.
I learned to ride a bicycle and had bike races with my dad along the beach. He taught me how to swim and fly a kite. We went fishing together. He and my brothers played football and cricket with me in the park. My mom and granny taught me how to cook and bake and even played dollhouse with me. My dad was my constant source of knowledge, while my mom and granny were my constant tutors of life. As for my brothers? Well, they were brothers all the way.
If you would like to learn more about how sighted parents can interact with their non-sighted children, then you can contact me directly at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca, and I would be delighted to give you some useful pointers.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant reminding you to go out there and tell the world that when it comes to sighted parents being able to raise blind children, nothing is impossible.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Why I Learned to Ice Skate
Growing up in Canada often means that ice skating is par for the course, but what about for blind and visually-impaired kids? Many of you may think that it is not possible but I am here to tell you that it most definitely is. Really!
You're probably trying to figure out how or why would someone want to skate on ice if they are unable to see where they are going. Why would they want to put themselves through such torture? How on earth would they be able to retain their footing and keep from falling? These are all very logical and legitimate questions.
I'll be very honest with you. I took the step to learn to ice skate in order to improve my confidence. Skating without much vision can be very daunting and scary, and that was indeed my experience when I first started, but I was determined to overcome.
When I first learned to ice skate I had some vision; so it was not too bad for me; it has helped me tremendously to continue on now that I have lost most of my vision. I managed to complete four of six levels and learned to do such things as: glide on one foot, skate backwards, skull, do cross cuts and hockey stops, plus more. I still skate regularly, but without much vision I have to use different techniques in order to stay on my blades.
Ice skating gives me the feeling of power, self-control, and togetherness. Up until five years ago, I used to skate on my own with limited guidance, but now I skate by holding on to a friend’s arm. Ice skating brings me freedom! The feeling of pure bliss and exhilaration! I can be myself when I step on to the ice. I can fly high by feeling the wind on my face and smelling the fresh air and as Whitney Houston says in one of her songs: “Give me one moment in time. When I’m more than I thought I could be! When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answer is all up to me.”
When I am on the ice, I am on the top of the world and sight or the lack thereof really does not matter to me. I know that when others see me ice skating they stop and stare but I do not really care. My friends often tell me that occasionally skaters bump into each other while staring at me. Let them! I am blind but I can skate and have fun just like them.
I even played ice hockey! No, not within the mainstream environment, but with a team of blind and sighted players. This hockey team has been in existence since the 1970s and has traveled to such places as Russia and Finland to play other teams of blind players. If you would like to learn more about this team, then please visit www.iceowls.ca.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant inviting you to go out there and tell everyone that yes! Blind and visually-impaired persons can learn how to ice skate and enjoy it like anyone else.
You're probably trying to figure out how or why would someone want to skate on ice if they are unable to see where they are going. Why would they want to put themselves through such torture? How on earth would they be able to retain their footing and keep from falling? These are all very logical and legitimate questions.
I'll be very honest with you. I took the step to learn to ice skate in order to improve my confidence. Skating without much vision can be very daunting and scary, and that was indeed my experience when I first started, but I was determined to overcome.
When I first learned to ice skate I had some vision; so it was not too bad for me; it has helped me tremendously to continue on now that I have lost most of my vision. I managed to complete four of six levels and learned to do such things as: glide on one foot, skate backwards, skull, do cross cuts and hockey stops, plus more. I still skate regularly, but without much vision I have to use different techniques in order to stay on my blades.
Ice skating gives me the feeling of power, self-control, and togetherness. Up until five years ago, I used to skate on my own with limited guidance, but now I skate by holding on to a friend’s arm. Ice skating brings me freedom! The feeling of pure bliss and exhilaration! I can be myself when I step on to the ice. I can fly high by feeling the wind on my face and smelling the fresh air and as Whitney Houston says in one of her songs: “Give me one moment in time. When I’m more than I thought I could be! When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answer is all up to me.”
When I am on the ice, I am on the top of the world and sight or the lack thereof really does not matter to me. I know that when others see me ice skating they stop and stare but I do not really care. My friends often tell me that occasionally skaters bump into each other while staring at me. Let them! I am blind but I can skate and have fun just like them.
I even played ice hockey! No, not within the mainstream environment, but with a team of blind and sighted players. This hockey team has been in existence since the 1970s and has traveled to such places as Russia and Finland to play other teams of blind players. If you would like to learn more about this team, then please visit www.iceowls.ca.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant inviting you to go out there and tell everyone that yes! Blind and visually-impaired persons can learn how to ice skate and enjoy it like anyone else.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Which Subway Stop Am I At?
For those with vision, it is not an issue for them to know which stop they are at when traveling on the bus or subway, but for me it is. If I travel by train there is no problem because the conductor announces each stop. Up until a year ago, blind and visually-impaired persons living in Toronto had to depend on several techniques to tell them where they were when traveling by bus or subway but since then -- thanks to the hard and tireless advocacy of David Lepovsky, a blind lawyer -- this has changed.
David had to lobby for over 10 years in order to get the Toronto Transit Commission to implement a system whereby stops along bus and subway routes would be announced. The TTC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting against, David but in the end they lost their case and David prevailed. This case should never have gone this far but I guess the TTC was determined to be stubborn. David prevailed against Goliath.
So, how do blind and visually-impaired persons overcome the challenge of knowing which stop is the correct one for them?
They can count the stops as they travel along. On the subway it is easier as the subway always stops at preset locations, but for a bus it is different because the driver does not always stop at the same location. If there is no one standing at a pre-designated bus stop as the bus approaches, the driver often drives by and moves on to the next stop. If this occurs, it is then difficult for a person without vision to know if a stop has been bypassed or not. Before David won his case, some bus drivers used to announce the stops but those without vision could not always depend on the driver to announce the stops.
Within the last few years, there have been some exciting breakthroughs in the form of talking GPS gadgets for blind and visually-impaired persons. However, they are not cheap and most blind and visually-impaired persons are unable to afford them. There are two specific ones that I am personally aware of and these can help a blind person to plot their route and familiarize themselves with their immediate surroundings. Blind and visually-impaired persons can use these devices to make traveling easier and more enjoyable and they can also become more independent as well. You can learn more about these exciting devices by visiting www.humanware.com.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and spread the word that blind and visually-impaired persons can and do travel around on their own.
David had to lobby for over 10 years in order to get the Toronto Transit Commission to implement a system whereby stops along bus and subway routes would be announced. The TTC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting against, David but in the end they lost their case and David prevailed. This case should never have gone this far but I guess the TTC was determined to be stubborn. David prevailed against Goliath.
So, how do blind and visually-impaired persons overcome the challenge of knowing which stop is the correct one for them?
They can count the stops as they travel along. On the subway it is easier as the subway always stops at preset locations, but for a bus it is different because the driver does not always stop at the same location. If there is no one standing at a pre-designated bus stop as the bus approaches, the driver often drives by and moves on to the next stop. If this occurs, it is then difficult for a person without vision to know if a stop has been bypassed or not. Before David won his case, some bus drivers used to announce the stops but those without vision could not always depend on the driver to announce the stops.
Within the last few years, there have been some exciting breakthroughs in the form of talking GPS gadgets for blind and visually-impaired persons. However, they are not cheap and most blind and visually-impaired persons are unable to afford them. There are two specific ones that I am personally aware of and these can help a blind person to plot their route and familiarize themselves with their immediate surroundings. Blind and visually-impaired persons can use these devices to make traveling easier and more enjoyable and they can also become more independent as well. You can learn more about these exciting devices by visiting www.humanware.com.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and spread the word that blind and visually-impaired persons can and do travel around on their own.
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