A review of the Ibis Liverpool Central Albert Dock hotel

By Donna Jodhan
Award winning advocate and sight loss coach

Introduction:
Talk about helpfulness, total accessibility, and knowing how to be great hosts and this is the hotel!

So how would I rate their services? With 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, here are my ratings.
Service desk assistance – 5
Assistance for guests with special needs – 5
Assistance at restaurant – 5

Remarks :
Access to the restaurant was extremely user friendly for a vision impaired person and navigating among the tables was not very difficult.

About hotel staff:
They went way above the call of duty and were very eager to help!

My meals:
Excellent, tasty, and yummy!

Any suggestions?
Just keep on setting the example!

Contact info:
the Ibis Liverpool Central Albert Dock hotel
27 Wapping, Liverpool L1 8LY, UK

To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
Visit www.donnajodhan.com and access the coach page to learn about the services that I offer; affordable

July 2024 monthly tips

A bit of this and a bit of that from Donna’s did you know diary

Award winning sight loss coach, author and advocate

You can contact me via email at donnajodhan@gmail.com

Practical and natural!

Welcome to my Donna’s did you know diary for this month and pleased to share the following with you.

Here’s what I learned for this month.

• Interesting reading about elephants!

1)         The most obvious characteristic of elephants, besides their massive size, is their trunk.

An elephant’s trunk is nothing more than an elongation of their nose and upper lip,

but it is the most versatile of all mammalian creations.

The trunk is composed of an estimated 150,000 muscles

and is employed as a nose, arm, hand,

and multipurpose tool to pull branches off trees,

uproot grass, pluck fruit, and to place food in their mouths.

The trunk is also used for smelling, trumpeting, drinking, greeting, or throwing dust for dust baths.

Elephant tusks are elongated upper incisors and are the largest and heaviest teeth of any living animal.

The tusks are used for digging for roots and water, stripping the bark off trees for food,

defense from predators,

and fighting each other during mating season.

Elephant tusks grow continuously throughout the elephant’s life.

They can grow as long as 10 feet and weigh as much as 150 pounds each.

• A tip on saving water when doing your laundry

It is always best to turn off the taps after you have done your laundry.

Not doing so will only serve to waste water.

• Some tips about weight

If you find that your shoes are fitting you slacker then you may have lost some weight.

• About having airplane mode on

Best to have airplane mode on while staying at a hotel.

This way you ensure that you do not incur unnecessary wi-fi connection charges.

• About Aspirin

You can take Aspirin to help you settle an upset or Nauseous tummy

• About egg shells

Grind up egg shells to make fertilizer.

Feed them to your hens to help them produce healthy eggs and chicks.

• About coffee grinds

Use coffee grinds to help you fertilize your garden beds.

• about deer

The white tail deer use their tails to warn their fellow deer of pending danger.

They swish them in the air.

• About best before dates

They are particularly important when checking meat and deary products.

• About shrink flation

This term applies to shrinking packages of food and rising prices.

Catching up with the coach!

July 2024

To contact me with your idea send your emails to me at donnajodhan@gmail.com

11) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Children

Polishing Baby Shoes

* Before polishing, rub with rubbing alcohol.

* Rub with a raw potato before polishing.

* Polish with an old nylon stocking.

* After polishing, allow to dry thoroughly and then buff with waxed paper.

_____

12) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Children

A Great Bib

* Old shirts can be cut off at the sleeves to serve as coveralls for your children when they are painting or eating.

_____

1) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Miscellaneous

Aluminum, Exterior, Painted Or Unpainted

* Mix 50% motor oil (10 weight) with 50% kerosene. Clean aluminum well with this mixture and clean cloth. Wipe dry and apply another thin coat of this mixture. This should be done about twice a year for proper care.

Ask the Coach!

July 2024

My name is Donna Jodhan and I am using my extensive experience as a sight loss coach as well as my lived experience to share and respond to questions that are submitted to me and I also invite you to share your thoughts on questions asked.

For this month:

a question from Dena in Boston Massachusetts.

Dena wants to know if there is such a thing as roasting bags.

My response:

Dena, o yes!  Most definitely!

I use these quite often for roasting my chicken!

They work very well and they certainly help to make things easy to clean up!

They certainly produce meat that is yummy and hearty.

I use them more for roasting chicken!

I simply love them and you can buy them at almost any supermarket.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Tell us what you think!  Share your feedback and let’s get more ideas cracking!

It’s important for us to share how we do things!

A question from Shaun in Billings Montana.

Shaun wants to know if there is something like chopping mats for chopping vegetables on his kitchen counter.

My response:

Most definitely Shaun.

Again, I can certainly vouch for this as about 2 years ago I bought a set of 3.

They are very easy to use.

Just spread them on your kitchen counter and then chop your vegetables.

The good thing about these chopping mats is that they protect your counter top from getting nicked with your knife.

They made of a very flexible plastic material.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Tell us what you think!  Share your feedback and let’s get more ideas cracking!

It’s important for us to share how we do things!

A question from Katie in Brisbane Australia.

Katie is looking for a kitchen gadget that can zest and grate; an all in one of these.

My response:

Katie, and yes! Such a thing does indeed exist.

A friend of mine made me a gift of it last year.

It works really well.

You can do both zesting and grating with the same gadget.

I am pretty sure that you can buy one of these nifty gadgets at any kitchen store.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Tell us what you think!  Share your feedback and let’s get more ideas cracking!

It’s important for us to share how we do things!

To contact me with a question or a thought; please send an email to me at donnajodhan@gmail.com and I’ll be sure to respond in 5 business days at the most.

If you wish me to respond earlier then put the word important in your subject line and I’ll do my best to respond more quickly.

Until the next time then!

I’m Donna wishing you a pleasant day and thanking everyone for their insightful feedback and suggestions!

The Monthly News Round Up For Award Winning Advocate, Sight Loss Coach and Author Donna J. Jodhan

For the month of June 2024

Read about Donna’s external engagements

https://sterlingcreations.ca/current-affairs

Major news items can be found here

It’s all about Donna’s major initiatives for this month plus a lot more

https://sterlingcreations.ca/current-affairs

And we are pleased to kick off this month’s news with a news flash from Donna herself!

Donna is delighted to announce that from July 29 – August 02, she will be participating in a camp for kids titled “Eye Retreat.”

Donna will be teaching 2 1 hour courses each day to the kids.

These are Entrepreneurship 101 and advocacy 101.

Donna thanks DR. Alan Chase for giving her this opportunity.

Read more below:

History:

The Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat was born after passage of the North Carolina Disability History and Awareness Month Act.  This legislation mandated that public schools teach disability history, famous people with disabilities, and disability characteristics.  Specifically, the legislation suggested that individuals with disabilities be utilized to provide some of the instruction.  Our founder, Dr. Alan Chase, was involved in advocating for passage of the legislation and supported curriculum development for implementation in the public schools. Thus, the EYE Retreat was born in 2008.

Why us?

First and foremost, 100% of our leaders and mentors have visual impairments.  Our leaders and mentors are successful adults who are either gainfully employed or attending post secondary institutions.  Second, our philosophy focuses on the power of peer mentoring.  Our mentors help students to develop a toolbox of skills and resources by leading courses on a variety of topics, such as self-advocacy, transitioning to college life, career exploration, and soft skills for employment, that will support them in their future pathways  Finally, our mentors guide students in bridging theory into practice by facilitating real world application of skills in the community, such as riding public transportation, navigating a college campus, and visiting local businesses.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide an opportunity for youth with visual impairments to experience a glimpse of post secondary outcomes (employment, college, etc) through development of mentoring relationships, real world applications, and identification of available resources.

Vision:

Our vision is to empower and create a community of lifelong learners who will have the tools necessary to be successful in their education, careers, and lives.

Moto:

“I Retreat From No Challenge!”

Dr. Alan Chase

President and Executive Director, Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat alan.chase@eyeretreat.org <mailto:alan.chase@eyeretreat.org>

919.813.0393

www.eyeretreat.org <http://www.eyeretreat.org> “I retreat from no challenge!”

You can start by taking a tour of Donna’s personal diary by visiting

www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com

Donna posts 3 times weekly and her posts gives you great insights into her daily life, challenges, and perspectives as a blind/vision impaired person.

Blogs posted for this month

To the www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog page

The FEDEX fiasco

https://sterlingcreations.ca/blog/the-fedex-fiasco-great-company-but-lousy-employee

Wendy’s touch screen trauma

https://sterlingcreations.ca/blog/wendys-touch-screen-trauma-once-again-blind-and-vision-impaired-customers-have-been-left-behind

How real is the generation gap?

How Real Is the Generation Gap? – Yes, No, Maybe?

You can also view previous selections here.

Contributions From Founder and Advocate Donna Jodhan

Donna has also posted other articles of interest on her

www.sterlingcreations.com/blog page

for this month.

News round up for May 2024

Donna’s news round up for May 2024 – she is unstoppable!

Hottest tips from the Sterling Creations Business Desk

A Must Read – Important Tips From the Sterling Creations Team

Latest news from the Apple Vis online newsletter

Read about the latest and greatest accessible Apple apps -May 2024

A review of the Limoncello Restaurant in London England

https://sterlingcreations.com/blog/a-review-of-the-limoncello-restaurant-in-london-england-sorry-you-are-no-long-around

A bit of this and a bit of that from Donna’s latest did you know diary

https://sterlingcreations.com/blog/a-bit-of-this-and-a-bit-of-that-from-donnas-latest-did-you-know-diary-see-what-i-learned-for-this-month

Catch up with Donna’s expert page at

https://sterlingcreations.ca/ask-an-expert

and for this month

10 tips for learning Chat GPT

Ask an Expert – June 2024 – 10 Tips for Learning ChatGPT

Read Donna’s author’s tip for this month

Brides, grooms, and graduates

Ask an Author – June 2024 – Brides, Grooms, and Graduates

And catch up with previous author’s tips

https://sterlingcreations.ca/ask-an-author

Read Donna J. Jodhan’s articles on ask the coach for this month

Using a dish drainer over the sink, finding tongs that are safe to use for a blind person, looking for a burger press

Read Donna J. Jodhan’s articles on ask the coach for this month Using a dish drainer over the sink, finding tongs that are safe to use for a blind person, looking for a burger press

Read Donna J. Jodhan’s tips and hints for catching up with the coach for this month

Calming The Angry Child, saving your child’s artwork, Cleaning Stuffed Toys

See an archive of all of her product reviews at

https://www.toptechtidbits.com/news.html

Listen and catch up with Donna’s podcasts

Week 1 – ask the blogger

(on bullying;

Tips on entrepreneurship;

Scams and scammers;

Donna’s thought for today;

Week 2 – ask the coach.

Week 3 – ask the home maker.

Week 4 – book and product reviews.

“ask Donna”( )

Ask Donna YouTube Playlist: https://donnajodhan.com/askdonna

“dining with donna”

( )

week 1 – Corn Bread Dressing With Oysters

week 2 – Crumb Topped Salmon

week 3 – Golden Baked Whitefish

week 4 – Herbed Orange Roughy

Dining With Donna YouTube Playlist: https://www.donnajodhan.com/dwd

Your mental stretch with donna

YouTube Playlist: Mental Stretch

https://donnajodhan.com/mentalstretch

Ask the business reviewer:

YouTube Playlist: Ask the Business Reviewer –

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX95yuU4fJhio7AsI1qsn2KwvIBAgFOv8

Ask an expert:

YouTube Playlist: Ask an Expert –

And now for Donna’s latest podcasts – her Blindly brilliant page on ETSE where Donna’s pottery creations are now available.

YouTube playlist: Blindly Brilliant – Etsy:

Finally!

Donna has resumed posting to the Access to Information News weekly online newsletter

Sponsored by Mindvault Solutions!

https://barrierfreecanada.org/wendys-touch-screen-trauma-blind-customers-are-being-denied/

https://barrierfreecanada.org/how-real-is-the-generation-gap-yes-no/

Phone or Customer? – It’s Either Or! No Compromise Here!

To learn more about Donna  as an award winning  sight loss coach and advocate plus more visit www.donnajodhan.com

That’s it for this month.

Don’t forget to drop me an email at donnajodhan@gmail.com

Don’t be shy!  Share your thoughts and feedback!

The new look for 2024
July 2024

Welcome to our new look monthly tips where we are pleased to share a plethora of tricks and tips that are relevant to such things as technology, travel, managing your daily life, and much more.
So just come aboard, sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy!
If you wish to contact us then please do not hesitate to write to us at info@sterlingcreations.ca and we promise to respond within 2 business days as long as technology allows us to do so.
Give us your feedback, comments, suggestions, and thoughts!
For it is only through you and with you that we are able to do this!

Table of contents –
1. From our 10 tips on technology series
2. From the pages of Donna’s travel diary
3. A bit of this and a bit of that from Donna’s did you know diary
4. From the scam watchers

+++++++++++++++

From our 10 tips on technology series
Hello everyone:
Welcome to my 10 tip series where each month I’ll be sharing 10 tips on various pieces of technology.
This would include tips on popular screen readers, office software, and browsers.
If you have any suggestions on what you would like me to share then by all means! Write to me at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.
For this month:
10 tips for learning word.

1.
Explore the Ribbon:
Familiarize yourself with the Ribbon, the tabbed toolbar at the top of the Word window. It contains all the tools and features you need, organized into tabs like Home, Insert, Page Layout, etc.
2.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts:
Learn and use keyboard shortcuts to perform common tasks quickly. For example, Ctrl+C for copy, Ctrl+V for paste, and Ctrl+B for bold.
3.
Master Formatting:
Understand the basics of formatting text, including font styles, sizes, colors, and alignment. Use styles and themes to maintain a consistent look throughout your document.
4.
Paragraph and Page Layout:
Learn how to adjust paragraph spacing, indentation, and line spacing. Explore page layout options for setting margins, orientation, and page breaks.
5.
Tables and Columns:
Practice creating and formatting tables for organized data presentation. Familiarize yourself with columns for better document layout.
6.
Headers and Footers:
Understand how to use headers and footers for adding consistent information to the top or bottom of each page, such as page numbers, titles, or dates.
7.
Inserting Objects:
Explore the Insert tab to add various elements to your document, such as pictures, shapes, charts, and hyperlinks.
8.
Review and Proofreading Tools:
Utilize the Review tab for features like spell check, grammar check, and word count. This ensures your document is error-free and well-edited.
9.
Track Changes:
If collaborating on a document, use the “Track Changes” feature to see edits made by others and to make your own suggestions or revisions.
10.
Explore Templates:
Microsoft Word offers a variety of templates for different types of documents. Use these as starting points to save time and ensure a professional-looking document.
Remember to practice regularly and experiment with different features to become more comfortable with Microsoft Word. Don’t hesitate to use online resources and tutorials to enhance your skills further.

To contact me please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca
I’m Donna J. Jodhan (sight loss coach and accessibility advisor)

_________________________

Important tips from the travel table

From the pages of Donna’s diary
Going on a coach trip

I have come to enjoy coach trips and I was introduced to these by my aunty Angie who lives in England.

Over the last two years, Angie and I have enjoyed 2 of these. Twice, we traveled to Liverpool and in 2025 we are planning to travel to Ireland.
We hope to use the Johnsons company for our travels.
In 2023 we also traveled to Sandringham.

I find that coach trips are extremely relaxing and the coaches are very clean and comfortable. The drivers are very friendly and the destinations are very accessible. That is, the ones that we have visited.

I am not sure if coach trips are that popular in North America but they sure are in the uK.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan enjoying my travels.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com

On your next trip you could enrich your down time with some of my audio mysteries. Take them with you wherever you go!
In the car, on the plane, on the bus or train, at the beach, anywhere!
And now you can listen to Donna’s weekly podcasts!
Ask donna – a plethora of tips from a sight loss coach along with book and product reviews!
Dining with donna – recipes and time saving tips for the kitchen!
Your mental stretch with Donna – how to recharge, renew, and get going! Save yourself from those dramas, traumas, and stress!
Visit www.donnajodhan.com/youtube
and subscribe for free
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

_________________________

A bit of this and a bit of that from Donna’s did you know diary
July 2024
Award winning sight loss coach, author and advocate

Welcome to my Donna’s did you know diary for this month and pleased to share the following with you.

Here’s what I learned for this month.

1) A wee lesson in Geography
“The driest place on Earth is the Atacama Desert near the Pacific coastline of Chile. The average rainfall in these desert mountains is less than .004 inches per year. There are even some locations within the desert where no rain has fallen for more than 400 years. Yet even in this arid wasteland, there is some water. There are some salt lakes throughout the region, and in some elevations, where the temperature never exceeds freezing, snow still remains from previous storms.

2) About junk foods:
The top four most popular junk foods are: Potato chips, ice cream, candy bars, and cookies. According to DoSomething.Org, Americans eat 31% more prepackaged food than fresh such as fruit, raw vegetables, etc.
If you wish to know preferences by state visit the Zippia link below, where they have compiled preferences in all 50 states.
The Most Popular Junk Food in America, New Data Shows — Eat This Not That
<https://www.eatthis.com/news-most-popular-junk-food-state/>

3) How to preserve your most treasured garment keep sakes?
Wrap tightly in blue tissue paper and store in a sealed bag or box.

4) Best time to try on for new shoes?
Probably in the late afternoon or early evening and why?
Because it is the time of day when your feet have expanded the most after a day’s activity.
Your feet are the smallest when you wake up in the morning.

5) And here’s another tip re your shoes:
If you are having problems when fitting your feet into your shoes, then sprinkle the insides with some baby powder or any other type of powder!
It works like a charm!

6) A home made suggestion for an after meal digestion?
Why not try enjoying some fruit?

7) Looking for ways to have your plants stay alive while on a short trip?
Here is a solution if your trip does not exceed 2 weeks.
First, place enough water in your pots as if you are watering normally.
Next wrap your plants in plastic making sure that the entire plant is covered.
When you return remove the plastic and presto!
Your plants will be healthy, wealthy, and wise!
What happened here?
The plastic helped to keep the moisture preserved in your plants!

8) A wee tip about water?
60% of our bodies is made up of water!

9) A useful tip for keeping your bill payment straight and on track:
Best to use just one credit card and in this way you only have to deal with just one payment.

10)A word on taking chargers with you when you travel:
Keep in mind that the voltage for Europe and the UK are different from North America and parts of the Caribbean.
It is always best to consult your electronics store to ensure that you have the correct charger before you travel.

_________________________

From the scam watchers

Ah yes! And July is usually the month for scammers to use their scams to try and charm you into going on a too good to be true vacation.
These vacations could include fantastic offers for not just the summer but for fall and winter as well.
Their solicitations could come in the form of emails, automated phone calls, or even on your What’s App on your iphone.
Or even through text messages.
You know what to do!
Ignore and delete!

_________________________

Contact info:
Visit our websites at www.sterlingcreations.ca
www.donnajodhan.com
www.sterlingcreations.com

Email us at info@sterlingcreations.ca

Or call us at 416 491-7711

June 2024

A bit of this and a bit of that from Donna’s did you know diary

Award winning sight loss coach, author and advocate

You can contact me via email at donnajodhan@gmail.com

Practical and natural!

Welcome to my Donna’s did you know diary for this month and pleased to share the following with you.

Here’s what I learned for this month.

1)To make sure that your food warms evenly in your microwave:

Spread out your food on your plate, dish, or bowl before warming.

2) When unplugging our device:

Make sure to grab the part that is closest to the I device.

Do not pull out by the chord.

3) And what exactly is Kale?

Well! Kale is a type of cabbage but it tastes a lot more delicious.

4) What exactly is pork belly?

And o yes!  Pork belly is sliced bacon.

When you bake it the skin on it turns to crackling!

5) What’s this about your video doorbell?

According to the experts, criminals now have the ability to infiltrate your doorbell

And they can monitor your daily routine.

Who comes and who goes.

This means that you need to ensure that your video doorbell is able to thwart those infiltrators.

6) And here are some tips on fishing for you!

For the average person out for a fishing trip, casting their line into the water doesn’t mean there will be a successful catch.

We can follow the fishing rules of having a sinker attached to make the hook go deep;

being quiet;

threading the worm on the hook completely

and not to throw things in the water that would disturb the fish.

7) If you want to get the most accurate reading from your bathroom scale then?

Place the scale on a bare floor and not on the carpet.

If you place it on the carpet then the scale shows a lower reading.

8) Sitting in a window seat on a plane?

You are exposed to more sun rays.

9) Keep these indicators in mind the next time you think you may be having a heart attack.

First, you are sweating.

Second, you are having chest pains.

Third you are Nauseous.

10) Having problems cleaning your eye lashes?

Gently wash with some baby shampoo!