Catching up with coach Donna j. Jodhan – tips for the bathroom

Catching up with the coach!

September 28 2022

The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter. The lifestyle newsletter of and for the blind and vision impaired by Sight Loss Coach and Author Donna Jodhan.

 

Welcome to my blind lifestyle newsletter.

Today I am pleased to share some of my tips with you and you can read more of these by visiting www.donnajodhan.com/tbln.html

Please send me your feedback and if you have any suggestions or thoughts then I’d love to hear from you.

Email me at donnajodhan@gmail.com

 

 

4)  Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom: Two Excellent Cleaners

* To save time and money while providing the best shine possible to your bathroom fixtures, use an old cloth which has been slightly dunked in kerosene. Kerosene removes scum from the fixtures, including the outside of the toilet bowl. The odor will only remain for a few minutes.

* Spray tile and fixtures with Spray & Wash (laundry soil and stain remover) liberally. Rub with cloth for a beautiful shine.

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5)  Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom:

Shower Stall Film

* Rub lightly with a plain piece of dry fine steel wool (not the soap filled variety). Try a patch first to be sure it isn’t scratching your tile. If it is, you should use a finer piece of steel wool. As you scour the tile, you will see the scum coming right off. Wash down after the job is completed.

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6) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom:

Shower Stall Film

* Rub lightly with a plain piece of dry fine steel wool (not the soap filled variety). Try a patch first to be sure it isn’t scratching your tile. If it is, you should use a finer piece of steel wool. As you scour the tile, you will see the scum coming right off. Wash down after the job is completed.

_____

 

 

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Check out one of our latest features – Catching up with the Coach by Donna J. Jodhan

Catching up with the coach!

September 27 2022

The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter. The lifestyle newsletter of and for the blind and vision impaired by Sight Loss Coach and Author Donna Jodhan.

 

Welcome to my blind lifestyle newsletter.

Today I am pleased to share some of my tips with you and you can read more of these by visiting www.donnajodhan.com/tbln.html

Please send me your feedback and if you have any suggestions or thoughts then I’d love to hear from you.

Email me at donnajodhan@gmail.com

 

1)  Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom: Ceramic Tile:

* Turtle Wax (car wax) is an excellent tile cleaner and refinisher. Rub in well with a soft cloth, let stand for 10 minutes. Do not let it dry too thoroughly. Polish with a clean cloth or better yet, buff with an electric buffer. Your tiles will sparkle like new.

* Try cleaning with a solution of sal soda concentrate, the strength depending on the extent of the soil. To the stubborn cracks, apply the sal dry with a stiff brush.

* Clean the recessed spaces between tiles with an ordinary typewriter eraser or rub with a white nail pencil.

* Make a paste of baking soda and bleach and scrub with a small brush.

* Also, before you start cleaning the bathroom walls, fill the tub with the hottest tap water available. Dirt loosened by steam will come off faster.

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2)  Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom: Clogged Shower Head

* If your shower head is clogged from lime and mineral deposits, try boiling it in 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 quart of water for 15 minutes or so. For plastic shower heads, soak in a hot vinegar and water solution.

 

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3) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints

For The Bathroom:

To Remove Mildew From Shower Curtains

* To prevent mildew on shower curtains, soak in a solution of salt water before hanging them for use.

* Use baking soda to remove mildew from a small area.

* For more extensive stains, wash in hot suds, followed by a rubbing with lemon juice. Dry in the sun.

_____

 

 

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The Importance of Physical Activity

Our latest feature from Donna J. Jodhan – ask the coach

Ask the Coach!

September 05 2022

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 week:  a question from Kelly in Manhattan:

 

Kelly would like to know how important is it for a vision impaired person to engage in physical activity?

 

My response:

Kelly, my personal view is that for someone with either limited vision or who is completely blind, it is very important to be able to find some kind of physical activity to engage in.

 

It may not be easy to walk at fast rates but a tread mill could be a great substitute or even an exercise bike.

 

Swimming is also a great physical activity as long as there is easy access to a pool.

I try to go ice skating but I do this with a friend and during the winter season I sometimes go skiing with friends.

 

There are also other types of fitness and yoga activities that blind and vision impaired persons can participate in.

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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The Latest Hot New Apps from the Apple Vis September Newsletter

Welcome to the September 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly newsletter which highlights what’s new and noteworthy
on the AppleVis website. Below, you’ll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis by members of the community –
from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts.
We are pleased to highlight the newest apps.
…. New and Noteworthy App Entries

1. Brain Wave: 35 Binaural Series (iOS/iPadOS, US$8.99)
35 Advanced Binaural Brainwave Entrainment Programs for Focus, Relaxation, Sleep, Anxiety, and Meditation. Includes ‘Focused and Alert’ program to target 40 Hz.
Advanced Brainwave Entrainment combined with Ambient Music, Nature Sounds, Other Audio Apps or your own iTunes Music * Includes Binaural Programs for Sleep, Focus, Memory, Energy, Positive Mood, Motivation, Confidence, Anxiety Relief, Stress Relief, Relaxation, Meditation and much more! * Headphones or Earbuds must be worn for Binaural Tones to be effective * Use the Included Playlist Creator to create an iTunes Playlist for each Program * Can also run alongside other audio apps like Spotify or Audio Book Readers when Background Mode is set to ‘Other App’ or ‘Ambience + Other App’.

Current Version: 9.4.1 (September 7, 2022)
Read Brain Wave: 35 Binaural Series’ AppleVis App Directory entry for more information <https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/finance/brain-wave-35-binaural-series>
Visit Brain Wave: 35 Binaural Series’ App Store page
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brain-wave-35-binaural-series/id307219387>

2. Foodlapse (iOS/iPadOS, Free With In-App Purchases)
Foodlapse lets you rapidly track days where you have a lapse in judgment.
Everyone has them, days where we don’t eat the way we should. Having bubble tea is fine. Having it three days in a row? Not so much. That’s a lapse in judgment called a Foodlapse. Using the app you can rapidly track these days and easily see if maybe you should “cool it” or see that it’s time to treat yourself!
FEATURES
* Rapidly log days where you’ve had a lapse in judgment.
* Siri shortcut support. It’s fastest to log a day with the help of Siri!
* See the history of your logged days in a beautiful calendar or in a list.
* Get a detailed breakdown of your activity over time with charts.
* Voiceover and dynamic text support
* No subscriptions (Pro is a one-time purchase)
* No advertising in the free or Pro version
* Clean and playful design
* Dark Mode support (can be automatic)
* Numerous settings to configure the user interface

Current Version: 1.7 (September 25, 2022)
Read Foodlapse’s AppleVis App Directory entry for more information <https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/food-drink/foodlapse>
Visit Foodlapse’s App Store page
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foodlapse/id1619348683>

3. Letterfull (iOS/iPadOS, US$2.99)
Have you always wanted to play a game where you wish you could make up your own words but you can’t?
welcome to Letterfull! The game where you must manage to form words without filling the five by five game grid.
The mechanic of the game is quite simple. The game board consists of five rows of five columns, which may contain letters that appear faster every level. With the letters that appear, you must form words by touching the letters with your finger. When you touch a letter, it will move to the bottom of the board, after the separator, i.e. the word you are trying to form. To submit the word and check if it is correct, (must have at least 3 letters and be in the dictionary of the chosen language -more on that later), you can tap the submit button (or double-tap with 2 fingers if you use VoiceOver). If you want to send all the letters back to the end of the game board, either because you made a mistake or because you saw another letter that can form a better word, you can tap the move all button or, if you use VoiceOver, do the back gesture (2 finger scrub). You can also tap one letter of the letters you have in your word to send it back to the end of the game board.
The game is available in English, Spanish, Catalan and Italian, and changing the language does not involve any change in the game interface, only in the dictionary used to check if the words are correct. For people learning English, Catalan or another language available in the game, it can be very useful.

Current Version: 1.0 (September 6, 2022)
Read Letterfull’s AppleVis App Directory entry for more information
<https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/games/letterfull>
Visit Letterfull’s App Store page
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1639843494>

All recent app entries posted to AppleVis can be found at:
iOS/iPadOS
<https://www.applevis.com/apps/latest?type=ios_app_directory>
Mac
<https://www.applevis.com/apps/latest?type=mac_app_directory>
Apple Watch
<https://www.applevis.com/apps/latest?type=watch_directory>
Apple TV
<https://www.applevis.com/apps/latest?type=tv_directory>

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Ask The Coach – Tips for Cleaning A Bathtub

Ask the Coach!

September 19 2022

 

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 week:  a question from Jill in Montreal Canada:

Jill would like to know if there are any good ways to clean bath tubs.

 

My response:

Jill, I would start by saying that as a blind person, I am never sure if I have cleaned up all of those stubborn stains in my bath tub.

However, I use my fingers to identify scum and dirt and then I spray or pour my cleaner liberally over the offending spot.

 

I use scrubbing sheets to clean my bath tub and I make sure to clean the entire surface of the tub before rinsing.

I also clean the sides of the tub thoroughly,, then the outer walls of the tub, then the surrounding tiles, and finally the outer areas of the tub.

 

This is very hard work but once again; I normally ask my sighted family and friends to do a regular inspection for me.

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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How to Discoverstains on carpets

Ask the Coach!

September 12 2022

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 week:  a question from Josh in London England:

Josh asks if there are any tried and proven ways to discover stains on carpets.

 

My response:

Josh, this is probably one of the most difficult things for blind and vision impaired persons to work with.

If I know that something has fallen on my carpet for sure and I am able to quickly find the offending area, I do my level best to clean it with the appropriate cleaner.

 

Bear in mind that different types of stains require different types of cleaning agents.

I normally call on sighted assistance to help me out here.

Sometimes it is next to impossible for a blind person to be able to find and clean stains on carpets.  However I am sure that there are ways to deal with some of the more routine situations.

 

There are dried stains and then there are damp or wet stains which only complicate things even further.

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Brand New Feature – Ask the coach

Ask the Coach!

September 05 2022

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 week:  a question from Kelly in Manhattan:

 

Kelly would like to know how important is it for a vision impaired person to engage in physical activity?

 

My response:

Kelly, my personal view is that for someone with either limited vision or who is completely blind, it is very important to be able to find some kind of physical activity to engage in.

 

It may not be easy to walk at fast rates but a tread mill could be a great substitute or even an exercise bike.

 

Swimming is also a great physical activity as long as there is easy access to a pool.

I try to go ice skating but I do this with a friend and during the winter season I sometimes go skiing with friends.

 

There are also other types of fitness and yoga activities that blind and vision impaired persons can participate in.

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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Sterling Creations’s hot tips for October 2022

Hello there and welcome to our monthly feature of all kinds of tips.
We at the business desk are pleased to bring you our monthly feature of a plethora of tips that cover a wide range of topics.
All of our tips are designed to help you save time, cut down on your research, and help you get ahead.
So go ahead and read on.
This week we bring you our monthly tips.
It’s what we do for a living! We help you to help yourself!
Enjoy!
From the business desk team at https://www.sterlingcreations.com.
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld

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Helpful tips for October 2022

In this issue:

General tips
Articles of the day
* Uses For Ammonia
From the pages of Donna’s travel diary
award winning sight loss coach and author
* Access to ordering online

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General tips
Courtesy of the research team at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca

Scams of the month:
Before giving you our scam tips of the month, here are some very valueable tips.
You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes! It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.

Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details have been compromised online.

With a huge Thanks to Melanie Mama Peach
The best of hints for cars
1) Quick Window Cleaning
* Baking soda quickly cleans spatters and traffic grime from windshields, headlights, chrome and enamel. Wipe with soda, sprinkled onto a damp sponge or dissolve 2 tablespoons in a quart of water. Rinse.
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2) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Car
Preventing Doors And Trunk From Freezing Shut
* Wipe the rubber gaskets with a heavy coating of vegetable oil. The oil will seal out water, but won’t harm the gasket. Especially good before having your car washed in the winter.
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3) Recipes And Tips For Today:
Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
Cigarette Ashes
* Ashes that continue to burn in the car ashtray are a nuisance. Prevent by placing an inch of baking soda (or gravel) in the bottom of the tray.
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4) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
A Parking Trick
* If you have bumped the front fender of your car into the back wall of your garage, try this: suspend a small rubber ball on a string from the ceiling of the garage so that when the ball strikes your windshield, you will know the car is in far enough so you can close the garage door.
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5) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
Battery Corrosion – Proofer
* Scrub battery terminals and holder with a strong solution of baking soda in water.
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Articles of the day
Chosen by the Business Desk team

Uses For Ammonia
There are two types of ammonia you can use around the house:sudsy and non-sudsy. Sudsy has detergent added. Non-sudsy is best suited for streak-free cleaning.
1. To make your own window cleaner combine 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia plus 2 tablespoons vinegar to a quart of water
2. To make tile cleaner: 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, and 1 gallon warm water.
3. To clean combs and brushes, soak them in a sink filled with water and 1/2 cup ammonia. This also shines up diamond rings.
4. To remove body oils and perspiration from your sheets, towels, and clothing, add 1 cup ammonia to your wash cycle with your usual amount of detergent.
5. Equal parts ammonia and turpentine will take paint spatters out of clothing. Saturate the soiled areas several times, then wash in warm, soapy water. Good for work clothes, not fine fabrics.
6. Soak the bottom of a scorched pot in a small amount of ammonia before scrubbing. ammonia may darken the finish of aluminum pans
7. Leave a bowl of 1/2 cup ammonia in a cold oven overnight to loosen baked-on residue.
8. Mix one part ammonia with three parts water in a spray bottle for an all-purpose solution for cleaning appliances and countertops.

_________________________

From the pages of Donna’s diary
Access to ordering online

Access to ordering online is probably one of the highlights or features for anyone when traveling away from home. It is also important even when at home.

So in order to make this a pleasant experience we need to ensure the following:
* If a mobile app is being used that it is easy to navigate and that it is accessible using voiceover.

* If a computer is being used that the website is accessible, navigable and usable.
Menus should be easy to navigate and the ordering form should be easy to complete.

* It would be really great if phone service is available and that customer reps are well trained to take calls from those with special needs and disabilities.

Believe it or not, a large portion of the travel population would either still prefer to use the phone as they are not comfortable using either a computer or a mobile app.
Many would not normally travel with a computer.
Some don’t have an i device.

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!
Affordable, portable, (computer or i device) and you could either purchase or Subscribe for unlimited access to my library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can now take advantage of our free downloads here.

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

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A Review Of The Boston Pizza Restaurant

A review of the Boston Pizza restaurant
By Donna Jodhan
Award winning advocate and sight loss coach

Introduction:
In my humble opinion, this friendly and welcoming restaurant should definitely be given 100% plus for its ambiance but most of all the way they interact with customers with special needs.

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.
Social distancing was maintained to meet the requirements of the ongoing pandemic.

About restaurant staff:
Helpful, accommodating, and they went above the call of duty.

My meals:
Extremely tasty and yummy!

Any suggestions?
Keep up the great service!

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

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A More Accessible Cubicle

Hello everyone:
Each month I will be responding to a question; chosen from a pool of some of the most commonly asked ones that I have been asked over the years and continue to be asked.
This month, I’d like to answer the following question:
A more accessible cubicle

Before you say no or turn thumbs down on these suggestions; consider these thoughts.
You can definitely increase your revenue and reduce both your internal and external costs and here’s how.

Take it from me! I have been an accessibility awareness consultant and advisor since 1998 and I continue to help companies to increase their revenues, reduce their costs, and reach hidden consumer markets!

Now as a sight loss coach I am helping consumers with sight loss to become more aware of their environment and their requirements and this is helping companies to have a better understanding of how they need to plan and execute their initiatives.

There is no doubt that with the challenges of Covid, we all need to think about what is going to make a cubicle more accessible moving forward and here are some suggestions.
* If you can, design your cubicle so that social distancing can be adhered to.
* One of the important things to remember is that your cubicle does not have to take pattern after the mainstream cubicle in the workplace.
* That is, your cubicle could be set up in your home, even in your back yard, in your driveway, and in your home office.
* You need to find the appropriate place to set up your cubicle.
* Make sure that you stock your cubicle with such things as hand sanitizers, wet wipes, and disinfecting sprays.
* Make sure that your cubicle has enough space to accommodate persons with mobile devices; wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and so on.
* Make sure that your cubicle has enough air circulation.

I know that it may not always be possible to adhere to this but these are only some important suggestions for you to keep in mind.

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

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