Showing posts with label skating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skating. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Christmas is for me no matter where I am
Yes! You got it right! You heard me correctly! No matter where I am and no matter what I'm doing! Christmas is for me!
I could be spending it in Canada where the winters are icy, the snow is falling, the winds are howling, and I could practically hear Santa chuckling. Christmas is for me! Or I could be spending it in the sunny Caribbean where Santa could be seen in either a jeep, standing in an open truck, or even on a motorcycle. Christmas is for me! No matter where I am, this very special time of the year is for me!
There are some very special things that many parts of the world share in common: the birth of Jesus, gift giving, greeting each other, Christmas goodies, toys, and the singing of Christmas songs and carols! So many things in common for us to share!
No matter where I am, all of these things will be with me! From a snowy winter with skaters skating on an icy rink with Christmas lights winking in the background and bystanders drinking hot chocolate, to a deep blue sea with swimmers swimming lazily under the watch of bright blue skies, Christmas will always be the same! It is not where I happen to be! It is all about the spirit of Christmas! Remembering what Christmas really means to me! The giving, the greeting, the joy, the special hopes and wishes for others. But most important of all, remembering to let the Child Jesus into my heart and to let him stay with me all year through!
Quoting from a popular Christmas carol: "The secret of Christmas is not what you do at Christmas time! But the Christmas things you do all year through."
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, wishing you a wonderful Christmas and the very best for the new year.
May all of your dreams come true!
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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Frozen in memory forever
One could easily say that many of us freeze things in memory forever but my frozen memories have a bit of a twist to them. It goes something like this. All of the memories that I collected and stored in my memory back when I had enough vision are now stored forever, despite knowing that my memories will now be forever out of date with reality. Please allow me to explain a bit more clearly.
Our features change with time and facial looks also change with time. The memories of nieces and nephews when they were younger have all changed since my last visual sighting of them. They are older now and some of them have grown from preteen years into teenagers and beyond. True it is that many faces remain a semblance and are a mature version of what they were as younger ones, but my memories of what they looked like at the time are frozen forever.
Memories of hockey games are frozen forever. Memories of my favorite ice skating figure skaters are also frozen forever and memories of strolls through the malls and walks through the parks are also frozen forever. Some memories will no doubt be like history in that memories of the past are history but when it comes to changing features and facial looks, that's a bit different.
I hope that I am not confusing anyone with this but I am really trying hard to explain myself. Maybe it is something like this: I remember Marcus as a preteen and Faith as a toddler and now that they are both older, my memory of them remains the same.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit me any time at www.donnajodhan.com.
Our features change with time and facial looks also change with time. The memories of nieces and nephews when they were younger have all changed since my last visual sighting of them. They are older now and some of them have grown from preteen years into teenagers and beyond. True it is that many faces remain a semblance and are a mature version of what they were as younger ones, but my memories of what they looked like at the time are frozen forever.
Memories of hockey games are frozen forever. Memories of my favorite ice skating figure skaters are also frozen forever and memories of strolls through the malls and walks through the parks are also frozen forever. Some memories will no doubt be like history in that memories of the past are history but when it comes to changing features and facial looks, that's a bit different.
I hope that I am not confusing anyone with this but I am really trying hard to explain myself. Maybe it is something like this: I remember Marcus as a preteen and Faith as a toddler and now that they are both older, my memory of them remains the same.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit me any time at www.donnajodhan.com.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The right to recreation
As a resident of the city of Toronto, Canada, I feel that I am compelled to write an open letter to our new Mayor, Rob Ford. First, Mr. Mayor, congratulations on your recent elections. I know that for the next while, you will be busy putting your Mayoral house in order but before you get down to the business at hand, I thought that I would sneak in on the ground floor, so to speak, and make you aware of something which will probably become more important to Torontonians as time marches on.
For the last 15 years, I have been valiantly trying to get some answers from the City of Toronto with regard to whether or not they are ready and prepared to accommodate the needs of blind and sight impaired persons when it comes to recreational activities and programs. I have spent hundreds of hours talking to all levels of administration within the structure of this city but sad to say, I have not been able to obtain any satisfactory response.
I started my tedious journey in the mid '90s when I decided to take up ice skating as a leisure sport. I went to the then Scarborough Parks and Rec department and after many conversations, I managed to find an attentive official who decided to help me. I was fortunate enough to have received some great lessons through the kind auspices of the North York division and Mike LaFlamme and for three wonderful years, I enjoyed my ice skating. I also managed to engage the assistance of the good folks at the Ice Palace arena in Scarborough, and Jan Haney, head of the Skating Adventures School in Scarborough.
My ice skating fun lasted until 2003 and after that things somehow went off track as I was unable to find anyone within the city's structure who was able to help me. For the next seven years, I ran into insurmountable road blocks from various administrative personnel and the common theme seemed to be as follows: The city did not have any money to initiate programs for those who are blind and sight impaired. Yes, there was some funding, but it would not cover the needs of blind and sight impaired persons.
It is so heartbreaking when you are given reasons like this, especially when it comes to a city such as Toronto, Canada's largest city. It makes one feel as if they are being treated like a second class citizen and I can assure you that several other blind and sight impaired persons have expressed similar types of sentiments to me. To be told that there is no funding for I and other blind and sight impaired persons to be able to take advantage of recreational activities within the city is an absolutely devastating blow to the body.
Mr. Mayor: You must be aware that with a rapidly aging population, your city, and indeed Canada and the rest of the world, is going to have to find ways to accommodate the needs of a population that will undoubtedly be afflicted with a plethora of afflictions that will definitely include persons with loss of vision. Maybe it is just a matter of you taking some time to ensure that your staff is properly trained and sensitized to the growing needs of a changing clientele, or it may be that you may need to take a serious look at initiating programs that will include all persons of your city.
A few weeks ago I hit pay dirt after I went to my counselor's office for assistance to find someone to go ice skating with me. To my utter surprise, Counselor Michael Del Grande's office found me a North York staff member, Matt Hiltz, and he has since informed me that he has the resources to help me. Furthermore, he has informed me that these resources have been in place for some time now.
So, you may be asking why am I still complaining? I am doing so because of the fact that I have had to spend so much time discovering Matt Hiltz and it took a concerted effort on my part through the office of my counselor Michael Del Grande. Why did I have to pursue such a route in order to obtain positive results? Others have told me that they have had to deploy similar methods in order to obtain positive results. Some of the questions being asked include:
Are city of Toronto staff members fully aware of what the city really offers?
Could it be that most of our city's staff are just too overworked to really care about providing adequate services?
Or is it that they are just a wee bit too lazy to do their homework?
Whatever the reasons, I do believe that something needs to be done in order to ensure that blind and sight impaired persons are included in the city's recreational activities and programs. More funding? A definite yes! Better training for staff? A definite yes! Recreational activities and programs for blind and sight impaired persons should not be considered as just nice to have. It is a right. For as long as it is open to the mainstream person, it should be made available and accessible to the blind and sight impaired, as well.
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.
Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
For the last 15 years, I have been valiantly trying to get some answers from the City of Toronto with regard to whether or not they are ready and prepared to accommodate the needs of blind and sight impaired persons when it comes to recreational activities and programs. I have spent hundreds of hours talking to all levels of administration within the structure of this city but sad to say, I have not been able to obtain any satisfactory response.
I started my tedious journey in the mid '90s when I decided to take up ice skating as a leisure sport. I went to the then Scarborough Parks and Rec department and after many conversations, I managed to find an attentive official who decided to help me. I was fortunate enough to have received some great lessons through the kind auspices of the North York division and Mike LaFlamme and for three wonderful years, I enjoyed my ice skating. I also managed to engage the assistance of the good folks at the Ice Palace arena in Scarborough, and Jan Haney, head of the Skating Adventures School in Scarborough.
My ice skating fun lasted until 2003 and after that things somehow went off track as I was unable to find anyone within the city's structure who was able to help me. For the next seven years, I ran into insurmountable road blocks from various administrative personnel and the common theme seemed to be as follows: The city did not have any money to initiate programs for those who are blind and sight impaired. Yes, there was some funding, but it would not cover the needs of blind and sight impaired persons.
It is so heartbreaking when you are given reasons like this, especially when it comes to a city such as Toronto, Canada's largest city. It makes one feel as if they are being treated like a second class citizen and I can assure you that several other blind and sight impaired persons have expressed similar types of sentiments to me. To be told that there is no funding for I and other blind and sight impaired persons to be able to take advantage of recreational activities within the city is an absolutely devastating blow to the body.
Mr. Mayor: You must be aware that with a rapidly aging population, your city, and indeed Canada and the rest of the world, is going to have to find ways to accommodate the needs of a population that will undoubtedly be afflicted with a plethora of afflictions that will definitely include persons with loss of vision. Maybe it is just a matter of you taking some time to ensure that your staff is properly trained and sensitized to the growing needs of a changing clientele, or it may be that you may need to take a serious look at initiating programs that will include all persons of your city.
A few weeks ago I hit pay dirt after I went to my counselor's office for assistance to find someone to go ice skating with me. To my utter surprise, Counselor Michael Del Grande's office found me a North York staff member, Matt Hiltz, and he has since informed me that he has the resources to help me. Furthermore, he has informed me that these resources have been in place for some time now.
So, you may be asking why am I still complaining? I am doing so because of the fact that I have had to spend so much time discovering Matt Hiltz and it took a concerted effort on my part through the office of my counselor Michael Del Grande. Why did I have to pursue such a route in order to obtain positive results? Others have told me that they have had to deploy similar methods in order to obtain positive results. Some of the questions being asked include:
Are city of Toronto staff members fully aware of what the city really offers?
Could it be that most of our city's staff are just too overworked to really care about providing adequate services?
Or is it that they are just a wee bit too lazy to do their homework?
Whatever the reasons, I do believe that something needs to be done in order to ensure that blind and sight impaired persons are included in the city's recreational activities and programs. More funding? A definite yes! Better training for staff? A definite yes! Recreational activities and programs for blind and sight impaired persons should not be considered as just nice to have. It is a right. For as long as it is open to the mainstream person, it should be made available and accessible to the blind and sight impaired, as well.
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.
Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Yes I Can Enjoy Swimming
Well, here is another misunderstanding for me to clear up. Much of the sighted world has a very hard time understanding and believing that blind persons can enjoy swimming. Of course they can and I am living proof. In addition to ice skating and skiing, I swim as a hobby. I am a very good swimmer and growing up near the ocean enabled me to learn to swim in the sea.
As early as I can remember, my dad and my siblings took me swimming. Dad taught me how to swim and we started off with life belts but I quickly graduated to swimming on my own. Naturally, he and my family worried about my safety as with any other kid, sighted or not. Dad taught me how to do the back stroke, the butterfly, the crawl, plus so much more. I learned to do summersaults too; both forward and backward. Then I took my skills to the swimming pool.
One of the things that I enjoyed the most while swimming in the sea was to look up at the bright blue sky and the golden sun while I was lying on my back in the ocean. I cherished seeing that beautiful
Dad was my best swimming buddy and I always feel very close to him whenever I go to the beach. He passed on many years ago but his spirit still accompanies me whenever I go sea swimming. Swimming is still one of my most enjoyable hobbies.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help spread the message that yes! Blind persons can enjoy swimming. If you would like to know more, then please do not hesitate to send me an email at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.
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