When the weevils came

For those of you who do not know what these little things are: they are tiny, black in color, and they love to live in packages of rice, sugar, and other similar food stuffs. For a blind person, it is practically impossible to spot them because of their size and the only way to discover their presence is for us to feel when they start crawling all over us.

This is what happened to me a few months ago. I was sitting at my kitchen table, minding my own business, so to speak, just having lunch with my mom and then some thing or things started to crawl along my arms. At first I tried to ignore it but then I could not as the little things began to feel like many little things.

I drew my mom's attention to the scene happening along my arms and without hesitation she groaned. "The things that you feel are none else than those pesky little weevils!"

We both sprang into action. I headed for the washroom to get rid of the little pests and mom proceeded to mount an attack against the intruders. She entered my larder and removed the rice and sugar from the shelf. Then she carefully opened up the containers and went to work. She removed the weevils and threw away the rice and sugar. She had no choice but to do so.

It is so difficult for me as a blind person when I am unaware that pests and insects have intruded my larder. What to do?!

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 encounter with weevils. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Piling the plate too high

This is one challenge that I face as a blind person, though I suspect that it is probably a problem for everyone else. If a plate is piled too high then I have no way of knowing where anything is. No use in trying to guide me via the clock method. The clock method would not work because there is no order of navigation for me to follow. Everything from 12 o'clock onwards is now obliterated.

There is no room for my knife and fork to move. There is no chance for me to adequately feel the food with my utensils and everything is so tightly packed together that it is practically impossible for me to move around without having something fall off my plate. Maybe a sighted person could find a way to somehow navigate their over-piled plate, but this is not possible
for me as a blind person. So, how do I deal with a plate that is piled too high? If I realize that it is so, I politely ask for another plate and for sighted assistance to help me put some of the food onto that plate.

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

Surfing the waves with Dad

Talk about cherished memories, this is definitely at the top of my list. He was my surfing buddy, so to speak. Dad and I would stand waist-high in the ocean and without a surfing board he taught me how to do this. Maybe I should call this riding the waves with Dad instead of surfing the waves with Dad.

So this is how we did it. We would stand side by side in the water. Dad would start his watch for a suitable wave and whenever he felt that there was a good one for me to surf or ride, he would yell, "Now!" Then I would jump as high as I could and that was it. Most of the time I would jump high enough to land on the rolling wave and it would carry me towards the shore. I so enjoyed it and dad would be chuckling away as he watched me having fun. Sometimes, however, I would misjudge the height of the wave and then I would end up being dragged under water and tossed against the shore.

This is how Dad and I surfed the waves. He made up a way for me to enjoy surfing or riding the waves. He knew that I could not see enough to see the waves coming so he devised a way for me to do it. Often times, I could hear them coming my way but by the time I got ready, the wave would be past me. Ah yes, and I can still hear Dad's voice shouting, "Now!" on
quiet nights as I lie in bed thinking of happy days at the seaside.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

The challenges of moving

At the best of times, moving could be a challenge all on its own, but try looking at it through the eyes of a blind person. No pun intended. Things are everywhere, no matter how hard you try to keep them in order. Boxes are blocking the way and for me, I need to do two things. First label them in Braille so that I know what they contain. Secondly, ask a
sighted person to label them in print. I can easily do this for myself, if I am not lazy, by printing labels from my computer and then sticking them on. But for the lazy person that I am! I would get sighted assistance to write them on the box.

One of the biggest hurdles is to pack everything in logical order and then when I get to my new place, well here is where the fun really begins. I have to make doubly sure to place things where I really want them to be. A mountainous task but the trick of the trade is to
be meticulous, logical, and careful.

Unpacking the boxes is yet another chore as I have to remember where I want to put things and then to place them on counter tops in such a way as not to knock them over when I start packing away. I have not had to move too many times in my life and would not be looking forward to moving any time soon. However, I am ready if I had to do it.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.

Remembering the orchids

For as long as I can remember, flowers have been near and dear to my heart, especially so when it comes to those stately and beautiful orchids. How well I still remember these flowers, so sweet, and their soft and lovely petals beneath my fingertips.

There was a time when I could even see them but now no more. No problem, however; I can still remember what they look like and I still cherish their fragrance.

Orchids were always one of my favorites. Not sure why they were but they just were. I even bought an artificial one to remind me of how they feel, and their shape. Ah, yes! Those orchids forever, along with the memories that they still and will forever bring back to me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others about how much I love those unforgettable orchids. Come by any day and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Those challenging digital boxes

Yet another challenge for me as a blind person to share with you. True it is that they have buttons at the front but I can never tell when the light goes out. When it does, my cable is gone. So here is the scoop! If my TV does not come on when I press the on button on my remote, I know that something is wrong. First I make sure that my TV is indeed on and I do this by listening to make sure that I hear a sound. Next, if the TV has a sound then I go to my digital box and search carefully for the power button. I then press it and if the
box is working the TV will start to work, but if there is no sound then guess what. It means that my digital box has died.

This does not happen too often but often enough for me to be always mindful of what is going on. A huge challenge for me if no sighted assistance is around.

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. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about how blind persons live their daily lives.

I think with color

Yes, for as long as I can remember and I am not sure why! I have always thought in color and even now with precious little vision, it is the same for me.

So, this is how it goes: I think of numbers and letters in terms of color. The #1 is a very dark grey. #2 is black, #3 is a medium brown, #4 is a royal blue, #5 is white, #6 is a golden yellow, #7 is sky blue, #8 is a reddish pink, and #9 is a light yellow. Similarly, I think of letters through color. Countries also have their special color and so on.

I live in a world of color despite my blindness and I have lots of fun enjoying it. Color, color, and I am going to use my unique way to create music. Call me crazy or call me goofy! That's me!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility consultant, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.