There's a technique to this: Centering the fan

 

As I learned that night, it was a very interesting task to ensure that the fan was correctly centered so that Mom could enjoy the fan’s breeze. Just like how Mom’s care giver did it for me so that I could stay cool while working at Mom’s home.

I tried to do the centering on my work table but just did not get it quite right.
I started by going back and forth from table to chair but at the end it was Mom’s care giver who got it just right for me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award winning sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.
 
If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and 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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Thank you my faithful kettle! The mystery of the departing kettle

My kettle and I had been together for more than 10 years so it was a bit sad to see her finally leave me. For the most part, she worked well except that at times she had difficulty when negotiating the outlet in the wall.  

Many times I blamed it on the outlet but in the final stages of her life, I sadly realized that it was a faulty connector from my beloved kettle to the outlet that was causing the problem.

I said a sad so long to her, placed her in a nice box, and took her down to the recycle room. I thanked her again and gently tapped her box before leaving.

Now I have a new kettle that looks much like my departed one and hopefully she will stay with me for a very long time.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.
 
If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and 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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Important notice from Donna J. Jodhan
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share news and or info about yourself or about others, then please read on!
Donna J. Jodhan can help you reach a rapidly growing list of over 12,000 readers and listeners and counting!
All you need to do is to give a listen to her monthly shows and if you like what you hear then here's how it works!
For the very affordable price of $25, Donna will feature your info and news on 2 of her monthly shows.
Once on the Ask Donna show and once on the Dining with Donna show.
Both of these monthly shows run weekly.
This means that your info will be featured twice for the month.
No more having to worry about posting to Facebook!  
You'll be able to engage with ready made readers and listeners!
Your payment of $25 will be prorated as a monthly payment.
So you can either pay monthly, or you can pay as you go.
Just send your info or news to Donna at askdonnaonblindlife@gmail.com
No more than 150 words.
Donna will then post your info or news as soon as you remit payment to her at paypal@donnajodhan.com
To give a listen visit https://www.donnajodhan.com/askdonna and https://www.donnajodhan.com/dwd
Take advantage of this very quick and easy way to reach a ready made audience!
 

The newest addition to my kitchen: My new toaster oven

I bought this nifty toaster oven over a year ago but recently decided to take it out of its box and start using it.

What makes it unique is that it talks.  There are buttons that when pressed tell me what menu I am on and I can also be guided by voice to set the temperature, choose my choice of bake, toast, broil, or warm, set the time, and much more.

I bought this in order to support fellow blind and vision impaired entrepreneurs as this oven was adapted by a blind entrepreneur. You can visit www.blindmicemegamall.com to learn more.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly sight-loss coach and advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

How I Navigate Aound My Freezer

It's really not that difficult; the only difference is that I use tactile methods to do this plus super organization.  In addition, whenever anyone goes into my freezer to retrieve anything, they need to know that everything needs to be repacked in the same way that it was found or else I'll be in big trouble the next time I go hunting for something in my freezer.

 

I pack all my packages of chicken on one side of my freezer.  Pork is on the other side.  Beef and fish are in the middle.  Boxes are labeled in Braille.  Packages of vegetables are banished to the door of my freezer and I use tape to distinguish between them.  I do not have to worry too much about bacon and sausages.  Their shapes are enough to help me out.

 

I do not think that this is too much different from what a well organized sighted person would do when it comes to organizing their freezer.  There are several other techniques that blind persons can use when working with their freezers and you can learn more about these by visiting www.maxiaids.com.  This website provides a magnitude of products for blind and partially sighted persons.

 

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.

Appliances Are a Challenge

There used to be a time when I as a blind person was able to navigate the buttons on the panels of my appliances without having to ask for sighted assistance.  Buttons and knobs on washers and dryers were big enough for me to feel and touch, you could set levels of water and temperatures by counting off the clicks, and you could do other things by simply memorizing how many clicks to the left or right, etc.

 

A few months ago, I had to replace my washer and dryer and thank goodness I was able to find a small appliance store that sold washers and dryers with manageable buttons.  Many of the appliances today are dominated by touch screens and digital displays and this makes life more difficult for someone who is unable to see.  Some appliances even have lights to indicate certain things and this too is not very good for a blind person.

 

In the good old days, I only had to ask for sighted assistance once when I was learning the position of the buttons but all this has changed.  I know, we are now in the digital age and that can't be helped but how I wish that someone can come along and develop a gadget for blind persons to use with digital displays and touch screens.  Thank goodness I have a talking microwave but my toaster oven is a challenge for me.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world about the challenges that blind persons face when it comes to appliances with digital displays and touch screens.  Visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more.

Visit

Is the TV On?

One of the daily challenges that I face is this one:  How can I tell whether or not the TV is on when I first turn it on?  Well, it's totally by trial and error and several of my friends use different techniques but here's mine for what it is worth.  My first job is to find the correct on/off button to press and after I have done so, the next thing is to ensure that I press it in the right way.  One task done and one more to go.

 

If I hear sound immediately then I know that I have pressed the right button to turn it on and now it's time for me to find my channel of choice.  I have to ensure that I know the locations of the following buttons before I can do anything else; the numeric keypad to select the channels, the up and down selector key, and the volume up and down keys.  If I do not make sure to familiarize myself with these keys then I am in huge trouble if I have any hope or expectation of being able to use my TV effectively. 

 

If I do not hear any sound when I press the on/off button, then there are three things for me to consider:  First I have to make sure that I have pressed the right button.  Second, if I am sure that I have pressed the correct button I then have to move to step two and that is to determine whether or not the cable is working or whether or not electricity is on. I will stress that it is important for me to know this because if after I am sure that I have turned on the TV I do not hear any sound, then there are two things for me to investigate. 

 

First I need to make sure that cable is working and I can do this by flicking from channel to channel.  If I hear a static sound as I travel from channel to channel this will tell me that there is nothing on the screen on the various channels and I will know that cable is not working and I have to wait for it to return.  If I do not hear that tell tale static sound then I have to check to see if electricity is on or off and I can do this by checking other appliances to see if they are receiving electricity.  My radio, stove, fridge, microwave, and so on. 

 

If electricity is there, and I am very sure that I have turned on my TV, then I can assure you that trouble awaits me.  Yes, you probably guessed it!  My TV is not working. 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and learn more about how blind persons function on a daily basis by visiting www.independentliving.com.