Walking in shoes for the first time outside in ages.

I thought spring might be approaching yesterday. For the first time in what feels like ages, went out in shoes yesterday. Tulia (my guide dog) did not have to wear her boots either which made her happy. I realized as I walked, that I can feel so much more through shoes than I can through boots. the sidewalk cracks and dips, driveway slopes, changes in surfaces. How wonderful it was to not have heavy boots on. But now they are saying a big dump of snow for today and tonight so human and dog boots come out again! But hopefully spring really is just around the corner.

Upcoming Storytelling performance at the carlingwood library in Ottawa.

I am storytelling this friday March 1 at the Carlingwood library.  in Ottawa from 2 to 3 PM.  Address is 281 Woodroff.

I will be telling stories for adults.  Autobiographical stories filled with interesting twists, insights, and humour.  It is free to attend.  The space holds about 40 people.  They would prefer you to register.  In order to register, you need a valid Ottawa library card which is free.  Here is the registration link.

//bit.ly/XX9k3j 

If this doesn't work for you and you want to come, let me know.  My lovely guide dog Tulia will be there too of course!

Changes to the Electronic Access Agreement - Please Review

Changes to the Electronic Access Agreement - Please Review

We have recently updated the Electronic Access Agreement which governs your
use of RBC Royal Bank Online Banking. The changes come into effect on February 25,
2013. By signing in to RBC Royal Bank Online Banking before February 25, 2013,
you are agreeing to the revised terms and conditions of the Electronic
Access Agreement.

To review the Summary of Changes to the Electronic Access Agreement,
click the "Sign In" link below:

Sign In to Online Banking

Apps and products I use regularly.

I'm going to start a series of blog posts about apps, resources, technologies, I use as a blind person regularly. If anyone has suggestions or wishes to write a guest post, contact me at gttprogram@rogers.com and I will take submissions. In the next post, I will feature blog booster which I am using to write this post.

Not in the dark.

I was trying to describe to one of my blog readers yesterday about what I see. In one eye, I see light and dark and shadows if they are within maybe a foot of my eye. In the other I see nothing. People say, "Does it look like dark?" No, it is just nothing. Not a scary nothing. But nothing. They asked if it was emptiness. Well, maybe. But the thing is that I am focusing on my other senses so even dark does not feel dark. When I walk around the house at night in the dark, I hear the furnace, the floor creeking, sounds from outside. I feel the carpet or the floor under my feet. I smell whatever scents are about. And I can touch everything I would touch in the daytime and know what it is. So it doesn't feel dark in a bad way as my world is full of the other senses. Hope this description makes sense. Thanks to all for your questions and reading of this blog. Another new parent of a blind child has found it. Welcome! Glad I have made you feel more positive about blindness. an aspiring song-writer is now here too. People working on school projects. Friends, family, and others. Glad to have you all here.

My mom and I tenacious to the core!

My mom has recently broken her dominant arm.  I have spent a lot of time with her trying to help out with tasks.  I've learned something!  She is stubborn, tenacious and wants to keep going no matter what!  And, so am I.  I'm blind!  Totally blind!  No problem!  Find a way to keep going!  Do what I need to do.  That is how my mom is with her arm too.  She passed those traits on to me and they have really assisted me and assist me every day.  When faced with a new task, a challenging new thing, people who don't think I can do things, I just keep trying, finding ways to adapt things, advocating for myself, explaining to others.  I learned all of this from her.  And now, she is finding ways to adapt to her temporary one armed status.  Doing what she can, asking others to assist when she needs it, moving forward with no self pity and no excuses.  Thanks mom!  We sure are a stubborn pair!  And both of my grans were stubborn ladies too!

Reading the newspaper.

I've always liked keeping up with the latest news. I like to know what is going on in the world. up until the last few years, I listened to radio and sometimes tv news but could not read news articles too easily. Someone would have to read them to me. I would have to ask them to read an article and would not necessary know which articles were available to me. But, now with my I device, internet, and braille display, I can read articles from all over with ease. I can pick what to read, I can read using synthetic speech or braille, and I can read it now or later. It has really increased my freedom of information which is very important to me.

Only by teaching do I realize how much I know.

I was helping someone learn to use her Iphone yesterday. I was teaching how to text message, set the phone into portrait mode' and some tricks about using voiceover which is the software that makes all things apple accessible for blind people. As we worked, I started to realize how much I have learned myself about this. How much I know. How far I have progressed since I first touched that flat smooth screen and thought there was no way for me to use it. So so glad to teach and learn about accessibility!

How do you dream?

I may have blogged about this before but it came up again this morning so thought I would do so again. How does a blind person dream? I was amazed one day when my brother talked about a dream he had. In his dream, he was watching himself like in a film. I was shocked. "You dream like that?" "Sometimes. How do you dream?" So, I thought about it. In my dreams, I can hear people talking and know them by their voices if they are familiar to me. I also can hear sounds around me that let me know where I am and what is there. I also touch things as I would in my every day life. Sometimes one of my guide dogs past or present is guiding me. Sometimes I am moving around by myself. Sometimes I can fly. I am up in the air. Moving along. Hearing things. Feeling the sun on me. I do not smell or taste as often in my dreams. Sometimes, I know where I am in a dream for no reason except that I "k it. I think that happens to sighted people too. If anyone has questions, send them along to kimstoryteller@me.com

Are you blind?

On the phone the other day, I had an interesting conversation with a sales representative. At the end of the discussion, I had to explain that I was blind and could not see the picture on my computer screen. There was a silence. "you're blind." "Yes." "Half blind?" "No. Really blind." "Fully blind?" "Yes." "All the way blind?" "Yes." "Oh." So I got to wondering, does half blind mean blind in one eye or blind in both eyes half way. She finally finished asking how blind I was. smile! She was nice and not condescending but seemed totally perplexed by my blindness.