Sterling Creations Blog

Wow! I cannot believe that we are three quarters of the way through July!
Summer is here but before you can blink it will soon be time to put away the
shorts and T shirts!
Today I am pleased to share our president’s editorial and for this week
Donna J. Jodhan talks about walking the fine line.
Happy weekend everyone!
I’m Scott Savoy!

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

Walking the fine line
By Donna J. Jodhan

This is probably one of my pet peeves and it all has to do with walking the
fine line. What am I referring to today? Well, it all has to do to making
a more concerted effort to being able to distinguish between volunteering
and being paid for our knowledge.

Please do not misunderstand me; I am all for volunteering as there are so
many benefits to be reaped on all sides. However I continue to witness that
more and more organizations of all sizes fail to respect the fine line
between volunteering and paid services.

There are always going to be those organizations who are not in a position
to pay for knowledge because of their financial positions but when some
large governmental organizations and departments and even some large
corporations attempt to obtain knowledge and expertise through the volunteer
channels, here is where I draw a very pronounced line in the sand.

The excuse that it is not in the budget for remuneration to be given in
return for specialized knowledge and expertise is totally unacceptable,
unprofessional, and frankly; a huge insult to those being asked to provide
their knowledge and expertise in return for no compensation.

I take great exception to those government departments that establish
advisory committees for disability issues made up of persons with
disabilities. The knowledge that they obtain or seek to obtain goes
financially unrewarded and I am not sure if this would apply if these
committees were to be made up of persons without a disability.

The question of the day for me would be this: How could these entities
justify not paying for expertise and knowledge that is unique? Knowledge
that can only be obtain through the eyes of those who live as a person with
a disability? However on the other hand, they appear to be more than
willing to pay for knowledge when it comes from persons who do not have a
disability?

I would respectfully submit that the messages here are very mixed and
confusing. On the one hand the expertise being sought is unique,
specialized, and very difficult to replicate. On the other hand, entities
are not willing to pay for this type of expertise. So why is this? What’s
missing here? I can only urge entities to take a long hard look at how they
go about seeking and obtaining specialized expertise from persons with
disabilities.

Our knowledge and expertise are unique and highly specialized. We have
obtained it through our life’s work and experiences! Now we need to be
financially compensated for it whenever it is sought.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

My goodness and we are now smack in the middle of July.
Another gorgeous weekend shaping up and today I am pleased to share our
president’s editorial with you.
For this week, Donna J. Jodhan gives us some very insightful tips on how to
spot scams and scammers!
I’m Christian Robicheau wishing you a great weekend.

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

Spotting the scams
By Donna J. Jodhan

I believe that if we put our heads together and share the relevant
information it would certainly for us to be able to push back on those scams
and their scammer creators. We must not give up; instead, we need to be
able to spot them, ignore them, and immobilize them!

Remember now: They attack by phone and by email and even dare to come to
your door despite the Covid restrictions. So please allow me to share some
of my tips with you.

For the phone:
Ignore any automated call.
Ignore those calls asking for banking details.
Ignore those calls that tell you that your credit card has been disabled.
Ignore any call that when you answer your phone it takes a few seconds for
the call to connect.
Ignore all overseas calls that are not familiar to you.

For emails:
Delete those emails that are written in poor English.
Delete emails with erroneous names of senders; a bunch of letters and
numbers making up the sender’s name.
Delete emails that tell you that your email address has been frozen except
if it is from your provider and even at best to call your provider.
Delete emails asking you to sign in and re-establish connection with your
banking institution.
Delete emails that ask for your assistance in any way.
Delete emails with attachments from unknown senders.

Remember now! Scammers are also not afraid to attack you via your cell
phone.
Do not respond to any unknown texts or messages.

Finally, more sophisticated scammers are getting smart at using the names of
your friends to try and encourage to fall for their scams; by phone, by
email, and even by your i device.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Greetings and I’m Scott Savoy welcoming you to yet another gorgeous weekend
in June.
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s editorial with you and for this
week Donna J. Jodhan has her focus on a very serious and insightful topic.
I invite you now to read on!
Happy weekend.

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

Disposable and devalued

A few months ago, I attended a tele board meeting of a well known Ontario
organization and I was simply blown away when the presenter gave his
personal views on how Canadians with disabilities are often viewed by the
rest of Canada. In short; “disposable and devalued.”

These were the words of a well known advocate with a physical disability who
has had many years of experience interacting, communicating, and
collaborating with a plethora of communities, organizations, and agencies
across Canada.

For me, I guess that I never really considered describing it like this but
after the board meeting I took some time to ponder these words. For the
chicken that I sometimes consider myself to be, I guess that I would
probably not have used such strong words but then if I had to be honest with
myself I would say that these are words that indeed reflect how it can often
be.

Disposable? Yes and why? Because much of society often considers persons
with disabilities to be such that our opinion does not matter. We are
considered to be extremely hard to employ and we are often thought of as
ones whose jobs and services would be first to be chopped when hard times
occur.

In short; we are often thought of as an after thought. When financial times
are hard, the needs and requirements of persons with disabilities are the
first to be disposed of. Whenever consideration is being given to providing
benefits, persons with disabilities are often considered as persons who
either do not need them, require them, or are not even considered.

Devalued? Yes and why? Because sadly enough, we are often considered as
not being able to contribute to society; financially and socially.
We are often viewed as persons considered to be unemployable.
We are also considered as persons who are unable to speak for ourselves and
accordingly we need others to speak on our behalf.
We are often considered to be persons who are not scholastically capable or
technically able.

Time for us to set the records right!
Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Greetings and I’m Christian Robicheau wishing you a happy holiday weekend!
To our neighbours to the South; happy July 04 to you!
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s editorial with you and for this
week Donna J. Jodhan asks this question: “Could we be afraid to speak up?”
Happy Holiday weekend to everyone!

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

Could we be afraid to speak up?
By Donna J. Jodhan

This may be a very tricky topic and I am sure that there are going to be a
plethora of thoughts, suggestions, and feedback on this. However, I am
going to venture out into the wide open ocean and for better or for worse
I’ll share my thoughts.

There is definitely a very small minority that is willing to speak up and I
am one of those. Why do I speak up? Because I am not afraid to do so. For
me, it is most important that we do our best to speak up to help protect the
future of our kids. To let society know that more needs to be done to
protect, recognize, and legitimize the rights of persons with disabilities.
To speak up whenever others need to be reminded that we matter and that we
are part of the important equation.

There are those however who are afraid and for very sound reasons. They are
afraid that if they speak up, their social support programs will be taken
away from them. That the vital financial subsidies that they receive from
Federal and Provincial governments would be taken away.

There are many who would agree in private that federal and provincial
entities should be paying us for our services but alas! They prefer to sit
on all kinds of advisory groups choosing not to voice their opinions on the
above in public. Instead they choose to continue to give their expertise
away for free because they believe that it brings them prestige and that
maybe some day they would be compensated for their expertise.

I humbly submit that as long as this trend continues, the above will not
change for after all! Why should government entities pay us if we do not
protest? They are the big winners and we are the big losers. They continue
to benefit from our expertise and at the end of the day we are still waiting
for meaningful change and broken promises to be fulfilled.

Then there are those who are genuinely afraid to speak up because they were
always taught not to do so. Unfortunately, the majority of governmental
entities use these circumstances to continue to stifle the opinions of
persons with disabilities. They are definitely aware that persons with
disabilities are afraid to speak up and they use this to their advantage.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

I’m Scott Savoy and well, it’s almost time to say so long to June! Time is
simply flying by and July is waiting in the wings!
Today, I am delighted to share our president’s weekly editorial with you and
for this week Donna J. Jodhan zooms in on a chronic problem! When
commercials fail to announce the number to be called that is on the screen.
Here’s wishing you a great weekend.
And a happy Canada Day to our Canadian friends for next Thursday July 01!

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

Call the number on your screen
By Donna J. Jodhan

Sometimes it is easy to understand why creators of commercials and
announcers during newscasts may not remember to announce the phone numbers
that they wish you to call when necessary. They either forget or simply do
not understand that there are those of us who are unable to read these
numbers because of being print disabled.

Okay; but when these commercials are being aired on behalf of those agencies
for persons who are blind, vision impaired, and deaf/blind, this is not
acceptable.

I humbly submit that in these cases, it is not just an embarrassment, it is
also insulting, disrespectful, and borders on humiliation. Here are these
agencies going out there and asking for the public to donate to their worthy
cause but alas! Almost all of their clients are unable to read the number
and there is no audio equivalent. Dare I ask if this a very subtle message
to their clients not to donate then?

Then there are certain government departments that air commercials asking
viewers to call in order to obtain more info but alas! There is no
accommodation made for those who are unable to read the phone number on the
screen. Dare I ask if these departments simply do not care about whether or
not persons who are print disabled are unable to read the phone number?

I really hope that this problem is addressed much sooner than later because
I am very serious when I say that one day very soon some very creative
thinker may easily think of using this glitch to mount a worthy legal
complaint against these organizations and departments.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Greetings and I’m Christian Robicheau on another gorgeous June weekend.
Somewhat rainy but still pleasant.
I hope that everyone is happy to see the lifting of Covid restrictions and
we can only hope and pray that this trend continues.
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s editorial with you and for this
week Donna J. Jodhan talks about some very important magic words.
Here’s hoping that you have a few minutes to read.
Happy weekend everyone.

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

What are the magic words?
By Donna J. Jodhan

Too often we either choose to deliberately ignore the so-called magic words
or we do not even know what some of them are! For me, and after much
reflection, this is my list of some of the more important ones! These are
the ones that I constantly use to help me get by!

Thanks! This word often puts a smile of gratitude on the face of the
recipient and makes them know how much you appreciate what they have done or
said. It would probably stick in their minds and encourage them to help you
again in the future.

Please! It shows that you would like their help and would appreciate it if
given. This word would show the recipient that you value their time and
opinion.

Sorry! Shows that you are sorry for your actions and/or words and it gives
closure to a maybe uncomfortable or awkward situation or moment. It would
probably encourage the recipient to work again with you in the future and
you would also be viewed more favourably by them moving forward.

Wrong! Tells the recipient that you recognize your error and that you are
humble enough to admit it. This word goes a very long way to mending fences
and building bridges.

Of course, there are many more magic words but these are the ones that
readily come to mind for me.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Hello there and another gorgeous June weekend is definitely in store for us.
Wherever you are; happy weekend to you.
Today, it is with much sadness that our president’s editorial is being
shared with you.
You’ll see when Donna J. Jodhan has her say on something that can only be
described as a shameful shame! Shame on you Canada! Shame on you Catholic
Church! Shame on all those who dared to snuff out the future of innocent
children!
I’m Scott Savoy.

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

Futures stolen and snuffed out
By Donna J. Jodhan

It is bad enough whenever we steal the future of anyone, especially so those
of our innocent kids! But whenever the futures of kids are deliberately
snuffed out? There are absolutely no words to describe this horror!

President John F. Kennedy once said “an error is not a mistake until you
refuse to correct it” and my humble and respectful opinion is that once
more; our system has failed us all! Especially those 215 kids whose remains
were recently found out in British Columbia! How many more burial grounds
are we going to discover?

I can only say that shame on you Canada! Shame on you Catholic Church!
Shame on you residential schools! Why was this ever allowed to take place?
Everyone named above is equally responsible and there is no trying to play
the blame game!

Indeed; bless the beasts and the children! For in this world they have no
voice! They have no choice! They are at the mercy of us adults and we have
all let them down!

All of their dreams have been squashed and snuffed out! They never had a
chance to play with toys! To meet and greet their little friends! To enjoy
those happy days of growing up and hoping for a date, going on a date,
dancing the night away, and dreaming of becoming whatever they were dreaming
of! Just simply looking to graduating on a sunny spring day!

Parents never had a chance to hold their precious ones close and to tell
them how much they loved them. They never had a chance to hear their
precious kids laugh and cry. To see them smile and play! to run with them
in the park and along the beach!

Heck! They never knew what happened to them. Instead? The cowardly
bastards told them that their kids had simply run away and classmates had no
choice but to believe these lies!

On your knees now Canada and beg God to forgive you! Get down on the ground
now face down Catholic Church and plead with God to have mercy on you! On
your all fours now residential schools and beg God to cleanse your souls of
these horrible deeds! For I am afraid that only God can help you now!

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Welcome to June and I guess that these weeks and months are simply slipping
by.
Another pleasant weekend and for today I am pleased to share our president’s
editorial with you.
For this week; Donna J. Jodhan zooms in on the burned out dilemma.
Here’s wishing you a great first weekend of June!
I’m Christian Robicheau

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

The burnt out dilemma
By Donna J. Jodhan

We are living in a world where the burned out dilemma is becoming more and
more of a reality rather than an occasional circumstance. We are living in
a world where the effort to keep up and even stay ahead is becoming more and
more difficult and as a result we are becoming more frantic because we
simply cannot cope. Enter the burned out dilemma or the burned out
syndrome; how ever you wish to label it.

Unfortunately, there is not very much that we can do about this and why?
Because there are too many variables beyond our control in order for us to
even try and deal with it let alone to make any sort of affective effort to
control it.

The world continues to evolve and spin out of control in so many ways or on
so many platforms or in so many arenas. We are not just dealing with such
things as technological evolution; but we also need to face and find ways to
deal with cold hard facts such as:
Climate change, a greater need to provide health care and an increase in
homelessness, a rapid growth in overall bullying, suffering due to famine
and wars, and the continuous assault on the future of our kids.

This is probably just the tip of the iceberg so to speak and with this
picture in front of us; it is no wonder the levels of commitment and the
ability to pay attention and listen with both ears are all suffering and
this is probably due to the burned out dilemma becoming more of a challenge
to deal with.

When we become burned out; both mental and physical capacities suffer a
major body blow and as a result we need to take time to repair ourselves Not
only are we affected but those around us as well. Many of us are aware of
this very grim picture but alas! There are too many of us who are still
either unaware or in the dark or who are refusing to admit it.

So what to do? I am hoping that we could start some sort of discussion on
this and see where we go.

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

My goodness and I cannot believe that it is the final weekend of May and a
Memorial Day holiday weekend for our neighbours to the South.
We wish you a pleasant weekend.
For this week I am pleased to share our president’s editorial with you and
today Donna J. Jodhan focuses her attention on walking the walk; let’s do
less of talking the walk!
Happy Memorial Day weekend from all of us!
I’m Scott Savoy

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

Talking the walk and walking the walk
By Donna J. Jodhan

I humbly submit that too often we have folks who talk the walk but somehow
they get lost along the way when it comes to walking the walk. So what do I
mean today?

Simple! We seem to have too many folks who love to preach but often fail to
practise what they preach. For me; this is one of my most passionate
principles! I always do the best that I can to walk the walk! To practise
what I preach! For if I cannot or do not; I would be a hypocrite and a
dismal failing example to the kids of the future.

What good would it be for me if I were to keep telling our future leaders
that they need to respect themselves and their knowledge and expertise?
That they need to demand appropriate compensation for the services that they
render? That they must focus on such things as demanding nothing less than
equal pay for their knowledge and expertise? That they must demand the same
treatment that sighted and mainstream folks receive? Most important; that
they must stop giving away their daily living for nothing!

Finally and finally I have found a way to live with my conscience. A few
weeks ago I walked away from a certain Federal Government department’s
advisory group. This after I had voluntarily given away too many years of
my daily living. I finally did it! I finally pulled up the boots by the
strap and took that huge step to walk the walk!

I cannot tell you how good this felt! Total relief! I finally did it for
the kids of the future and now I can smile as I set about to leave some sort
of a legacy for them!

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

And as May zooms along blessing us with wonderful weekends, we continue to
creep away from this horrible Covid choke hold! Let’s be patient and all
will be good.
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s weekly editorial with you and
for this week Donna J. Jodhan talks about our kids watching and waiting!
A great thought provoking editorial for you to read and support.
I’m Christian Robicheau sending you lots of pleasant times for this Victoria
Day holiday weekend.

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

They are watching and waiting

They are everywhere and they are depending on us all the way! They need us
just as much as we need them! They are following every move that we make,
every word that we utter, and every action that we take! Who are they?

They are our kids! Innocent, vulnerable, and simply yearning for us to
teach them and show them right from wrong!

Each time we say something, they are listening to us attentively! Each time
we do anything, they are watching us with wrapped attention! Each time we
fail to correct an error or repeat a faux pas continually, they are taking
note and storing it in their minds for future reference!

We need to take better responsibility for our kids for after all! We
brought them into this world without their consent! They came without any
hesitation! They never asked any questions! All they wanted was for us to
love them, cherish them, and to take care of them and to protect them!

At the end of the day; not very much for them to ask for!
Time for us to keep up our end of the bargain!
And in the words of the late Whitney Huston in one of her songs:
“I believe in the kids of the future! Teach them well and let them know the
way!”

Just my two cents for today.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach visit www.donnajodhan.com

To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan