Wearing the wrong jacket

There are times when I can only tell you that it all comes down to humor and over the years I have learned to take it all in with a grain of salt, so to speak. This is what happened the other day when I discovered to my chagrin that I had worn the wrong jacket.

With no longer being able to see colors, I have to depend on a few things to ensure that I wear the right clothing. First, make sure that I arrange my closet in such a way that I know where to find what I seek, and second to ensure that what I think I am wearing is really what it is.

I had put on a light fall jacket when I was going out with Mom to the hospital. I really thought that the jacket was my red one, my Montreal Canadiens hockey jacket. But lo and behold, it was not! It turned out to be the jacket to my ice skating outfit, a black and white jacket. How far off the mark could I have been?

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. Come by any time and listen to some of my audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com.

The first big plane trip with my parents

I can still remember this trip. I sat in the middle with Mom and Dad on each side of me. We were on our way to Panama and I was just so excited. Scared, not really! Dying to know what was going on around me? Definitely.

Dad took my hand in his warm and gentle grasp and then proceeded to give me a detailed description of the scene surrounding our plane as it flew on. Deep blue skies with white puffy clouds floating by. The sun shining down on our plane and sparkling ocean below. He went on to explain all about air pockets, altitude, tail winds, and so much more.

Mom sat quietly and took it all in and then she did what she always does best; she gave me a detailed description of what other passengers were wearing and doing after dad had finished his description. By the time they were both done I had had a complete description of everything that I had ever wanted to know. What terrific parents taking the time to introduce me to the world of flying and air travel!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

At conferences on my own

There used to be a time when I absolutely dreaded going to conferences on my own. I felt so alone as I struggled to do such things as carry my luggage upon arrival at the hotel, find my room, familiarize myself with my room, and then go out there and make friends.

I used to really be uncomfortable going down to breakfast on my own or doing the same at dinner time, alas! Time has been good to me though and with a bit of practice, motivating myself, and learning how to ask, things have improved greatly for me. The trick for me is to always make sure that I get to know the staff at the reception desk and to familiarize them with my circumstance. That is, to let them know that as a Blind person there are things that I would need help with.

So I make friends with them and then the rest for me becomes easier. My experience is that once you ask for help then help is there. Tell a staff member at the desk that you need help with navigating the remote for their television and help is rendered. Ask them to show you where the dining room is and they are always willing to be of service. Ask them to show you where the swimming pool is and bingo! They are only too willing to be of assistance.

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

All about a new vacuum

At the best of times, it is often a struggle to get used to a new gadget, device, or appliance, but for me as a blind person, ah yes! It could literally be anything! Exciting, maybe! Frustrating, sometimes! A breeze, sometimes! A new vacuum? Well, never a dull moment!

Not too long ago, I bought a new vacuum and for some odd reason, I had such a hard time getting used to it. My poor mom did her best to help but when it came to my understanding where that big red button was located, there is where I lost it all.

First off, I was unable to find that big red button because I am no longer able to see colors. Then I had difficulty trying to figure out a way to identify that big red button by touch. Finally I found a way and after this, everything just fell into place.

It is similar for me whenever I buy a new gadget, device, or appliance. I need to find ways to identify what a sighted person can through sight. Things are made identifiable through color and I just have to find ways to do the same but by touch. I use tape to do the job for me or anything else that I can use touch to identify.

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 anytime and visit me at www.donnajodhan.com.

Where is the opened car door?

Another humorous moment for me. I am constantly trying to figure out where the opened car door is each time I approach a car. If it is someone whose parking habits I am familiar with, then no problem.

In the case of my favorite cab driver, Gerry, I can almost always guess where to find the opened car door and it is the same for my friend Gabriella. However, whenever I am unfamiliar with someone else's parking habits, then here is where I run into problems.

What I need to do is this: I first need to figure out the direction in which the car is standing or parked. That is, to figure out the position of the front versus the back of the car and then go from there. It would just take a bit of concentration on my part. Very doable for me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my blogs with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

My piano keys

In the majority of responses, a pianist or keyboard player would tell you that more often than not they rarely need to use their vision to play their piano or keyboard. This has always been the case for me, but somehow I still remember what they look like and I have a mental visualization of what is going on.

I can still picture in my mind where and how those black keys are placed. I can also picture the placing of the white keys and I can even assign sounds to each key. I can even picture each octave!

I keep promising to return to my musical passion, that being to compose and create my own music, and hopefully I'll be able to do this soon. Music is what makes me think better, write better, and on the whole be a better person. Music is my Soul and my piano keys are my stability.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility consultant, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca anytime to catch up with me.

What happened in the shower!

Well, this is one of my lighter moments in life and one that I had to laugh at after it all happened. Let's just say that for a sighted person, and if they were paying attention, it would not have happened and this is why my memory needs to be on the ball at all times.

Here is the story. I hung one of my sweaters to dry on my shower's head. I went away and the next morning when I went to take my shower I turned it on as usual but somehow I found that the water was not running very heavily. My first thought was that something was wrong with the shower's head and that I had to call the plumber! Oh boy, more expenses for me! Then I realized what was going on here! My sweater was hanging on the shower's head and thus it was getting in the way of the running downpour of the water.

By the time that I had realized what was going on, my sweater was soaked through and had to be placed in the washer to be spun dried. For me as a blind person, it is important for me to remember where I have placed things so as to avoid such accidents.

Humorous, yes! Take it with a smile? Definitely so! Try my best to avoid it in the future? Most certainly!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by and visit me at www.donnajodhan.com.