Once upon a time my right eye could see so well and oh how much fun, excitement and delight it brought to me. It could see so much, tell me so much, and relay so much to others.
The right eye was king then: seeing, teaching, learning, helping, assisting, and supporting. That was then and this is now. Since 2004 my poor right eye has been working very hard to stay healthy. It no longer sees and no longer shares what it sees with me. It is more or less dormant now and is continuing its fight to stay healthy.
It has done its work for me and done it very well. It has given me so many countless hours of pleasure and joy. It has helped me to experience a bit of the mainstream world. It has enabled me to learn so much, experience so much, and gather memories forever.
Thank you my beloved right eye for all that you have done. Rest well now and who knows! There may be some hope for you in the not too distant future.
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 me. Visit me any time at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Learning the IPad
Thanks to Larry Lewis I am now well on the way to learning how to use the famous and infamous IPad. What an experience and a very exciting one at that.
It is quite a new experience for me but I have chosen not to use the touch screen route, choosing instead to do it with the aid of a Braille pen. This nifty little device emulates and simulates hand gestures and it enables me to navigate quickly through the various options on the IPad. I also bought a wireless keyboard and plan to start using it very soon.
The IPad is quite a new experience for me and I am truly loving it. Thanks to Steve Jobs I can now take advantage of a great mobile device. The experience is very different from that of learning to use and navigate through a computer screen. However, once I got the hang of it my life is now much richer. I don’t plan to stop there.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to share my experiences with others. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
It is quite a new experience for me but I have chosen not to use the touch screen route, choosing instead to do it with the aid of a Braille pen. This nifty little device emulates and simulates hand gestures and it enables me to navigate quickly through the various options on the IPad. I also bought a wireless keyboard and plan to start using it very soon.
The IPad is quite a new experience for me and I am truly loving it. Thanks to Steve Jobs I can now take advantage of a great mobile device. The experience is very different from that of learning to use and navigate through a computer screen. However, once I got the hang of it my life is now much richer. I don’t plan to stop there.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to share my experiences with others. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
From Braille to print and back
That’s me in a nutshell and what am I talking about today? Well, here goes.
In my childhood I learned to read and write Braille because I did not have enough vision to read and write print. I loved learning Braille and those dots will forever be brailled in my mind. Then, in my teens, I got new vision through a cornea transplant and I learned how to read and write print.
These were very exciting times for me but through it all I never forgot my Braille and those faithful little dots. It was so mesmerizing for me to learn how to form those letters on paper. I used pens and pencils and crayons and markers. I learned how to read with the aid of a magnifying glass and a close circuit TV. I learned how to draw and I discovered shapes and colors. The world was fascinating and fast moving. I wore glasses to read and write and to see distance.
It was all good then but as they say, nothing good lasts forever. Then, in 2004, everything returned to its original state. I had a retinal detachment and print disappeared to be replaced by Braille once more. The little dots returned and saved me from total disaster.
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 blogs. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.
In my childhood I learned to read and write Braille because I did not have enough vision to read and write print. I loved learning Braille and those dots will forever be brailled in my mind. Then, in my teens, I got new vision through a cornea transplant and I learned how to read and write print.
These were very exciting times for me but through it all I never forgot my Braille and those faithful little dots. It was so mesmerizing for me to learn how to form those letters on paper. I used pens and pencils and crayons and markers. I learned how to read with the aid of a magnifying glass and a close circuit TV. I learned how to draw and I discovered shapes and colors. The world was fascinating and fast moving. I wore glasses to read and write and to see distance.
It was all good then but as they say, nothing good lasts forever. Then, in 2004, everything returned to its original state. I had a retinal detachment and print disappeared to be replaced by Braille once more. The little dots returned and saved me from total disaster.
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 blogs. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.
Friday, September 21, 2012
When the sock got lost
I only realized that the sock was lost when I went to put my laundry away. Of course, a sock never makes noise when it falls and such is its disposition that it is always difficult to find it at the best of times, whenever you are dealing with it falling on carpeted floors.
First, you do not hear it fall. Second, it can fall anywhere so here was my adventure. I looked first in the washer to ensure that it had fallen. Next I tried the dryer and no luck in both places.
A search of the immediate floor space turned up nothing. So where did I finally find it? On my chair. It probably fell out of the bundle of dried clothes and onto my chair. Of course, I did not hear it fall so had no idea as to its whereabouts.
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 adventures. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
First, you do not hear it fall. Second, it can fall anywhere so here was my adventure. I looked first in the washer to ensure that it had fallen. Next I tried the dryer and no luck in both places.
A search of the immediate floor space turned up nothing. So where did I finally find it? On my chair. It probably fell out of the bundle of dried clothes and onto my chair. Of course, I did not hear it fall so had no idea as to its whereabouts.
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 adventures. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
When did I learn body language?
I am not sure when I really did so I can only surmise. Maybe my parents and Granny helped me as a child and I developed it when I first got my improved vision.
As a child, I do remember my folks telling me about how to use my head to nod yes and no. I do remember them showing me how to shrug my shoulders and use my hands in conversation, and when my vision came, then I saw it all.
I was a quick learner and I watched conversations between and among people. I used to marvel at all of the different gestures and body language and then I would do my best to emulate it all. I learned how to express myself through body language and I discovered how to do so without having to speak. It was a great novel to me and oh how I used it.
Now that I have little to no vision, I still use my body language to help me cope. I am glad that I learned how to use it.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my insights with others. Visit www.rnib.org to learn more.
As a child, I do remember my folks telling me about how to use my head to nod yes and no. I do remember them showing me how to shrug my shoulders and use my hands in conversation, and when my vision came, then I saw it all.
I was a quick learner and I watched conversations between and among people. I used to marvel at all of the different gestures and body language and then I would do my best to emulate it all. I learned how to express myself through body language and I discovered how to do so without having to speak. It was a great novel to me and oh how I used it.
Now that I have little to no vision, I still use my body language to help me cope. I am glad that I learned how to use it.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my insights with others. Visit www.rnib.org to learn more.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
When the grape fell
This laughable circumstance would probably apply to us all, but when you do not know where your grape fell and rolled to, or even if it did fall, then the situation becomes even more comical at best.
This is what happened to me a few months ago. I had carefully placed my grapes in a small bowl and was about to dig into them when I thought that I had dropped one of them on my counter’s top. No proof of this but off I went in search of the precious missing grape.
I searched carefully, using my fingers to do the searching. I moved very gingerly so as to ensure that if indeed the grape was on the counter, I would find it before it rolled off onto the floor. My luck was not with me that day.
I did not find the precious grape and as I was stepping away to start my search on the floor, my right foot found it! Unfortunately not carefully enough and I squished it. Needless to say, the juice poured forth and made a tiny puddle.
In the normal scheme of things, this could have happened to anyone; for a blind person it meant that I had some extra work to do, ensuring that my floor did not sustain a grape stain.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my experience with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.
This is what happened to me a few months ago. I had carefully placed my grapes in a small bowl and was about to dig into them when I thought that I had dropped one of them on my counter’s top. No proof of this but off I went in search of the precious missing grape.
I searched carefully, using my fingers to do the searching. I moved very gingerly so as to ensure that if indeed the grape was on the counter, I would find it before it rolled off onto the floor. My luck was not with me that day.
I did not find the precious grape and as I was stepping away to start my search on the floor, my right foot found it! Unfortunately not carefully enough and I squished it. Needless to say, the juice poured forth and made a tiny puddle.
In the normal scheme of things, this could have happened to anyone; for a blind person it meant that I had some extra work to do, ensuring that my floor did not sustain a grape stain.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my experience with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Your slice of the pie
When it comes down to it, we could easily compare it to a slice of pie. Now what am I going on about today? Well, here goes!
In my humble opinion, we are each assigned a slice of pie when we come into this world. Each slice is of the same exact size but we can increase or decrease the slice of our pie depending on our actions throughout our life. If we take our slice and make things happen, if we take it and use it as a means to help expand our horizons, and if we take it and use it to help others, then the size of our pie will definitely grow.
If, on the other hand, we do not take advantage of it, then someone else will definitely come along and claim it and in turn, they will use it to broaden their own horizons, their own influences, and their own experiences. There is no limit as to how big the size of our slice could be and this is important to know. In other words, the sky is the limit as long as we want it to be.
If I were to clarify this picture, it would look something like this: If we, as blind persons, do not claim our rights (our slice of the pie), then they would be either given to someone else or thrown away. Or worse, someone else is going to come along and take them away from us. Neither government nor anyone else is going to hand us our rights on a platter. True it is that we each have rights as a person and as a Human Being, but that is the limit. If we do not take steps to increase our slice of the pie, that is claim our rights and make sure that they are recognized and protected, then they will go unclaimed, unrecognized, and unprotected.
Blind persons have to work extra hard to keep their slice of the pie. That is, they have to work overtime to claim, protect, and have their rights recognized. This is not going to change anytime soon and if we want to leave any sort of legacy to tomorrow’s generation of blind kids, then it is time for us to claim our slice of the pie.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
In my humble opinion, we are each assigned a slice of pie when we come into this world. Each slice is of the same exact size but we can increase or decrease the slice of our pie depending on our actions throughout our life. If we take our slice and make things happen, if we take it and use it as a means to help expand our horizons, and if we take it and use it to help others, then the size of our pie will definitely grow.
If, on the other hand, we do not take advantage of it, then someone else will definitely come along and claim it and in turn, they will use it to broaden their own horizons, their own influences, and their own experiences. There is no limit as to how big the size of our slice could be and this is important to know. In other words, the sky is the limit as long as we want it to be.
If I were to clarify this picture, it would look something like this: If we, as blind persons, do not claim our rights (our slice of the pie), then they would be either given to someone else or thrown away. Or worse, someone else is going to come along and take them away from us. Neither government nor anyone else is going to hand us our rights on a platter. True it is that we each have rights as a person and as a Human Being, but that is the limit. If we do not take steps to increase our slice of the pie, that is claim our rights and make sure that they are recognized and protected, then they will go unclaimed, unrecognized, and unprotected.
Blind persons have to work extra hard to keep their slice of the pie. That is, they have to work overtime to claim, protect, and have their rights recognized. This is not going to change anytime soon and if we want to leave any sort of legacy to tomorrow’s generation of blind kids, then it is time for us to claim our slice of the pie.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Come visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
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