A great feeling: Auntie's recovery

She is strong and determined and each time I visit her I am so reminded of this.  Her recovery is slow but sure.

Now that I can no longer see her, I find other ways to remind myself of what she looks like.  I listen to her voice and I sit next to her.  I reach for her hand and put mine in hers.  I answer her questions and I ask her how she is doing.

I am just so happy that I got to see what she looked like before I lost my vision.

Auntie has a lot of good lessons to pass on to me.  She never complains and takes everything in stride.  In short, she is a good old trooper!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advisor wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
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.

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A challenge: Haircuts and hairdos

This is what it is like for me now that I no longer have the vision to see myself in the mirror.  I need to depend on those that I trust to tell me how things look for me after I have had a haircut. 

For the most part I trust my hairdresser, but like anything else she sometimes goes a bit off track.  Sure, I can feel the length of my hair at the back and my bangs, but there will always be things that I would miss: evenness around my head, too short or not short enough, the shape, and so on.

This is how it must be for the rest of my life!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Happy memories: One of the most pleasant kids

Her name was Tobi Nielsen and in my books she was probably one of the most pleasant kids that I ever met.  She was just nine years old when I first met her and from then until she left home to marry and settle down in Austria, I had the privilege and pleasure to know her.

Tobi was a very gentle little girl; always pleasant and always smiling and laughing.  She was filled with warmth and whenever I visited her home she was always there to give me a huge hug and play all kinds of games with me.

I don't think that Tobi really cared that I was vision-impaired.  She did not treat me with kid gloves but on the other hand she was always ever so careful to ensure that I did not stumble and fall or run into objects.  She was helpful but never overdid it.

I always loved giving her Christmas presents, all kinds of girls' toys.  She appreciated each with such delight that it often almost made me cry.

Now Tobi is all grown up with 3 daughters of her own and her youngest is vision-impaired.  She has RP.  I know that this will be a great challenge for Tobi and her little girl but I can only hope that somehow my having known her when she was a kid would help her in some way as she watches her little girl grow up.

You can do it, Tobi, and I am here for you if ever you need to reach out.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. 

If you would like to learn more about me as an 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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts! www.takeanother5.com

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

My memories of the moon

O! That big round face that always seemed to smile down on me each time I looked up at her! For as long as I can remember until January of 2004, I was able to see her. No matter how small she was and how brightly she shone! I could see her.

After the demise of my vision in January 2004, I used my memory to conjure up images of her and it sure as anything works for me. Ah yes! My beloved moon! I could find her on any given night when I had enough vision to do so and when I was studying in England my dad had said to me before I left home: "Whenever you're feeling homesick just go out there and look up at the moon and I'll do the same and all will be well."

This magic formula sure worked for me because believe it or not I believed it and I knew that my dad would never let me down. Just like me, he would go out there and look up at the moon. He taught me so much about my beloved moon!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to learn more about the world of blind persons by visiting www.acb.org.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.

What color do I think it is?

This is a little game that I developed as a child and still play by myself. It was lots of fun to play this game when I did not have much vision, and when I got much vision it was even more fun. Now, without very much to call my own vision, it is back to my game in earnest.

I should probably know the color of what many of the things in my life should be, but still! It is fun for me to guess. I love doing it with clothes, trying to guess the color before I use my color detector to tell me. I do it with flowers and more often than not, I end up guessing incorrectly. I also try to do it with the skies but sometimes I am a bit off whenever I ask a sighted person to tell me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and if you would like to learn more about color detectors then visit www.independentlivingaids.com.

I Must Not Give Up

This has been my motto ever since losing my vision in early 2004.  I must not give up, I will not give up, and I will pray every day for a miracle.  There are some who have said to me that I should not hope for miracles because it only brings heart aches each time something is suggested and then fails.  I know that this is partly true; heartaches are not easy to endure but for the fighter that I am, I will keep on fighting. 

 

So much keeps on happening in the world of medical break throughs.  Stem cell advancements are continually encouraging us to hope and for me the hope lives on.  This is why I still hold on to my large print crossword books, my close circuit TV, and all of my treasured scrap books.  Every night I rock myself to sleep with vivid memories of colors, shapes, scenes, plus so much more.  I must not give up for I do then I might as well die!

 

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 the rest of the world.  You can visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.