Daddy, I still remember our games

We played ball games and we played card games. We played quiz games and we played hide and seek. We played all kinds of games and I remember them all. My dad never got tired of playing them with me.

Whenever we played ball games, we did it with a big bright ball so that I could see it. We played cricket and football and we invented a type of tennis game, as well. Most of the time, the ball was either red or orange. Our card games were played with Braille cards, cards that were marked with Braille dots.

Our quiz games consisted mainly of Dad testing my knowledge of any and every thing and sometimes I got to test his, as well. We had such fun doing it and Dad never got tired of testing, teaching, and gently guiding me along the way.

I loved those times when we played hide and seek and when he would have me chase him in the sea. I would have to try and catch him beyond the breakers or in the surf. Sometimes, he would have me chase him along the beach as well. Oh, how I loved and cherished those special times.

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

The problem with simulation

This is the process that many organizations use when training volunteers to better understand the world of a disabled person. A very good strategy if I may say so but there are some drawbacks to this and for what it is worth, here is the biggest one.

In the world of a sighted person there is the reality that the sighted person can return to their world of normalcy after simulation, but for the disabled person this is not the case. I will focus on the world of a blind person. We learn to cope without vision. We navigate without sight and we do all of this knowing that there is not going to be a return to normal vision. We have developed our own coping methods and we have found ways to do all of this.

Simulation can definitely help a sighted person to better understand to some extent. A sighted person would have gotten a snapshot of our world after they have gone through a simulated environment of our world, but at the end of the day, it is only a snapshot and nothing more. The big difference, as stated above, is that the sighted person is assured that they can return to their sighted environment and we can’t.

For a person who was born with either no vision or partial sight, the coping mechanisms are developed out of the crib so to speak. For the one who has lost it during childhood or adulthood, the mechanisms are developed with reference points to a sighted world that they have been forced to leave behind. There is no return for this latter group and there was never a return for the former. So, there could never be a true meaning through simulation for those trying to understand. Just a simulation that lasts for a wee moment in the lives of those who have been brave enough to try 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 thoughts with others. Come by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

The accommodation syndrome

I used to be more accepting whenever a company or organization told me that one of their policies included accommodation or the accommodation of the needs of disabled persons. All well and good, but for blind persons this word is fast becoming a very unpleasant one. You may be asking why and here are my reasons for what they are worth.

I do not believe that any company or organization should be using this word because it gives the impression that they are going out of their way to accommodate our needs and demands. No company or organization should have to feel or be put upon to accommodate any consumer or user. It should be an automatic reflex or normal process and it should be taken in the same light as providing the same types of services and products to the mainstream world.

I am often embarrassed whenever I hear this word used in the above context or whenever I am told that this is what companies and organizations are saying. It sure singles us out and in a normal world it is one of the last things that blind persons need: to be singled out. Yes, we do indeed have special needs but I don’t really hear this word being used whenever companies and organizations decide to provide their product information and services in multiple languages.

Come to think of it: Is it not the same thing or concept? If a company in an English-speaking country needs to attract the attention or provide multi-language service, is it not the same thing? Are they not accommodating the consumer whose first language is not English?

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 by any time and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Both sides of technology

Call me fussy or call me picky! Call me whatever, but as a Blind person, I often look at technology from both sides of the fence.

On the one hand, technology has helped greatly to improve my quality of life. I can use a computer to help me do my work, send and receive emails, and surf the Internet. I can use technology to help me in my daily life: talking clocks, microwave, digital recorder, thermometer, light and color detectors, bank note readers, mobile devices, and other types of talking gadgets. I thank all of those manufacturers and developers who have taken the time and commitment to make it all happen.

So what now, you may be asking, would the other side of technology be? Well, it is whenever I run into problems with any of my access technology (software and hardware) and I am unable to find ready help to assist me to get them back up and running. Over the years, I have managed to find very dependent and hardworking individuals who are willing to help troubleshoot and problem solve but in some cases I have had to discard some of my talking gadgets when they have stopped working in favor of going out and buying replacements.

You may be thinking that it is no different for a sighted person and this is very true but for a blind person it is much more difficult, and why? Because there are fewer people around who possess the knowledge to troubleshoot and problem solve in the access technology arena as well as to fix talking devices whenever they fail to work.

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. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Please describe to me, Mom

This is often my request each time Mom and I go on our adventures, and how well she does it. She describes as much to me as she is able to. Everything that is within her visual field is described to me.

If we go to a mall, then you can be sure that she would describe to me whatever she sees in a supermarket if we go in there. If we visit a clothing store or a boutique, then all that sits on a rack is described to me and she even describes the sales persons to me. Whenever we dine out, she describes the food to me, the physical layout of the restaurant, and diners around us.

This is my world and this is my mom, describing everything to me. Most times, without having to ask, she does it like clockwork. It is an automatic part of our lives.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to tell others about me and my mom. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

Daddy, I still remember the roses

My dearest Dad:

How much I still remember those early days of my childhood when you used to pick a rose and put it in the palm of my tiny hand. I will cherish these memories forever.

These days were always sunny ones to me. We would walk in front of those sweet smelling rose beds and my little hand would be firmly but gently enfolded in your larger one. You would be describing everything to me as we walked along those fresh and sun-filled mornings, and as we walked you would be looking for the perfect rose for me. How well you knew how much I loved my roses, but more importantly, how well you knew my love for those sweet smelling roses.

You knew so well that I could barely see their color but you also knew how much I enjoyed smelling them and touching their delicate petals. I shall forever remember those fragrant roses placed gently in the palm of my tiny hand on many a sunny morning.

Thank you, Dad, for these precious memories!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my memories with others. Come by and visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Helping mom to find

Mom and I almost always have lots of fun whenever we go shopping at the supermarket. My way of helping her is to use my sense of touch to help find such things as tins, cans, bottles, boxes, and the various meats and similar things. I use such methods as shapes, sizes, widths, and lengths. I also shake tins, cans, and boxes to help the cause.

In the case of meats, my sense of touch is called upon to help identify shapes of such things as drumsticks, thighs, breasts, sausages, bacon, and so on. It helps that I have an idea as to what to look for on which shelves.

How do I know which shelves have which things? Ah, my memory from when I used to see things. Lots of things for Mom and me to have fun over. I am sure that other blind persons either have similar methods or some new ones for me to learn about.

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 Mom and me. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.