Please do not forget Braille

This is my call to anyone who is thinking of either pushing Braille into the background or getting rid of it all together. I know that technology has made it much easier now for blind persons to access information through their computers and mobile devices, but there is still room for Braille.

I learned Braille as a child and when I gained a lot of vision as a teen I learned to read and write using large print. However, I kept Braille as a backup and am I ever lucky that I did. Why? Because when I lost my vision some years ago, I had Braille to fall back on. I was able to keep on labeling my stuff using Braille and I could take notes in Braille whenever a computer was not around.

There are huge advantages to using Braille. Whenever current goes, Braille is there to pick up the slack. Whenever I need to give a presentation, my Braille notes are there at my fingertips and I could deliver my presentation much more smoothly than I could using a computer or other device to hear the points that I want to make.

Braille makes a wonderful addition or backup to a blind person’s life. It is hopefully not going to go away anytime soon and I hope that you can go out there and share my thoughts on this with others.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and hoping that you would take a moment to visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Toys and me

It is probably one of my biggest weaknesses, I love to play with toys and games despite my ripe old age. My friends often refer to me as their big kid and this is just fine with me. In short, I am constantly promoting the fact that blind kids can enjoy toys and games in much the same way as their sighted counterparts.

Blind kids dream of the same types of toys as sighted kids. They dream of dolls and tea sets, cars and soldiers! No different so far but here comes technology to throw a bit of a challenge into things. Blind kids are more exposed today to mainstream toys than they were in my day. What toy developers need to think of is this! For every toy or game that has visual components, a corresponding audio component needs to be developed as well.

Blind kids have more opportunity today to listen to story books online. They have a greater opportunity to participate in mainstream games and play with mainstream toys. It is definitely getting better but there is certainly room for improvement. Would the day ever come when equal access to toys could be a reality? I certainly dream of that glorious day but only time will tell.

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

Don’t give up on a blind baby

I know, it is always very daunting for many parents who find themselves having to bring up a blind baby in this confused and cluttered world. I am here to tell you that my parents did not give up on me, and for better or for worse, I have managed to weather the storm.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of speaking to many parents who have had to bring up blind babies. Yes, at first, it could be a real scare or challenge. Especially so if you have never had the experience of dealing with a blind person. But you know what? It is not nearly as difficult as you may imagine.

True it is that a blind baby can not have the pleasure of playing visual games with you and they can not respond to visual cues. But there is something very powerful that they can enjoy: listening to sounds and responding to audio cues. They can definitely hear noises and sounds around them and they can learn to play with you in a different way, without vision but with sound.

All babies are a joy and blind babies are no different. So don’t be afraid and simply enjoy what you have been given. Give a blind baby every chance to grow into a budding child, and a great human being.

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 the joys of a blind baby. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Going fishing with Dad

How well I remember those very precious fishing trips that I went on with Dad. Call them fishing trips but they were really all about my dad introducing me to the fishing rod and the fish bait. I can still hear his gentle voice now, patiently teaching me how to put the bait on the hook.

I enjoyed every moment of our time together. He sat me down on the grassy bank of a river and then he showed me how to cast off. All the while he described everything around me. He described the color of the water flowing softly in the river. He described the trees that lined both sides of the river, and he even described the fish that I eventually caught. It was a little fish and when I told Dad to put him back into the river, he readily agreed.

We always had so much fun on these little trips. Dad always wanted me to be as still as a mouse so as not to scare the fish away. He was a patient teacher and father. He always had time for me and never allowed me to feel that I could not catch a fish despite not being able to see. Thanks, Dad!

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 blogs. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

For a blind senior

It must be awfully difficult for one who has lost their vision later in life, especially so for the one who has lost it as a senior. No, I am not there as yet, but I often think of the one who has lost sight in their latter years.

There is so much for them to learn. So much for them to adjust to and so much for them to accept. It is really not easy for a blind senior, but you know what? Technology is pounding the trail and hopefully blind seniors will be beneficiaries of this marvelous trend.

Much is being done to help blind seniors adjust. No, it is definitely not impossible, just something else for society to deal with and find solutions to. For, blind or not, we will all become seniors one day in the future.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

My internal rules

I don’t think my internal rules are really that much different from those of a sighted person but there may be a few exceptions. So, here goes.

When I need to bend down, I make sure that I am out of reach of the end of a table or counter. This way, I avoid hitting my head or face when I go to stand up.

All doors to closets and cupboards are always closed so that I do not bump into an unsuspecting open door. However, doors to rooms, kitchen, and bathrooms, are always left open.

All plates containing food and cups and glasses containing liquid are placed well away from the edges of counters and tables.

Chairs are always tucked in so as to avoid falling over them.

The lids to my toilet bowls are always in the down position so as to avoid anything falling in.

Handles of pots and pans when placed on the stove are positioned well away from me.

Of course, I have many other internal rules but this is a start for now.

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 my internal rules. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

What you don’t see...

Some may finish off this sentence with: "you don’t miss," and in the case of many blind persons, it is very true. However, for me, it is not always the case. Sometimes I play a game with myself and say to myself that what I don’t see I don’t miss and I relate this to a dirty kitchen or a dirty bathroom. Sometimes this works but sometimes not.

Having had good functional vision before, it is sometimes difficult not to miss what I could have seen. Especially so when I am watching TV and yearn to know what is going on during those quiet times if I don’t have descriptive video to help me out. Then again, if newscasters are describing horrible crime scenes during the news cast, I certainly do not miss not being able to see that. I miss seeing activities in those crowded malls. Tables loaded with food at buffets, ice skaters in a rink, Christmas scenes, blue skies and green oceans, but most of all, flickering candles and a Church all dressed up for the Nativity at Christmas.

What you don’t see can definitely work both ways. You can either avoid those terrible scenes of disaster or you can miss out on pure beauty.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others.
Visit www.rnib.org to learn more.