Today is national podcast day. I would like to share some disability focused podcasts that you should listen to.
Down to the Struts
Down to the Struts focuses on disability and design and how to make this world more accessible for people with disabilities.
Rare With Flair
The Rare With Flair podcast aims to highlight the beautiful aspects of disability. The hosts are visually impaired and share their point of view on various lifestyle topics.
That’ll Be the Day
This podcast focuses on various topics regarding the blind and visually impaired community.
Disability Matters
This podcast discusses employment and disability. People with disabilities have a harder time obtaining employment. This is a good resource to learn more about this area.
There are many more disability related podcasts out there. Please share some more suggestions below.
Today I would just like to share an album that has encouraged me. I enjoy listening to the old hymns. I hope that these songs will encourage you today and that they will make your heart sing as well.
Autumn is finally here. This is one of my favorite seasons. Today I want to share some of my favorite things about the autumn season by answering the questions in the autumn tag.
I love the crisp cooler weather. I love that it is the season for hot drinks like hot chocolate. I love the change that takes place in nature.
2. Spooky autumn or cosy autumn?
I am not a fan of anything spooky so I would say that I do enjoy the cosy aspect of the autumn season.
3.Haunted house or Halloween party?
I will pass on both of these things. I do not celebrate Halloween. I am not afraid of a possibly haunted house but I would not find any fun in exploring one.
4. Carve pumpkins or paint pumpkins?
I would probably paint a pumpkin. Carving a pumpkin can quickly become a very messy and unpleasant situation but I guess that is all part of the fun.
5. Go apple picking or go on a hayride?
I really enjoy apple picking. I enjoy being in nature and having a nice day out. I also like eating apple cider donuts at the end of the day.
6. Pumpkin spice lattes or mulled apple cider?
I love apple cider, it is one of my favorite drinks.
7. What did you dress up as for Halloween last year?
I do not celebrate Halloween.
8. Falling rain or a crackling fireplace?
I would choose the sound of falling rain. This is one of my favorite sounds.
9Have you purchased any fall decor yet?
No, but Iwould recommend wax warmers as a good addition to your autumn home decor
10. Favorite photo that you took last fall?
I do not take many photos so I do not have a favorite picture to share here.
11. Favorite autumn themed movie?
I am not a fan of watching movies and I don’t have an answer for this question.
12. Favorite color to wear in autumn?
I like burgundy and brown and I also like wearing jean jackets.
13. Favorite autumn themed book?
I do enjoy reading books but I can’t think of an autumn themed book to call my favorite.
14. Best way to spend a rainy day?
I think the best way to spend a rainy day is in my room listening to music and just relaxing.
15. Favorite Halloween candy?
I like anything with peanut butter but as I said before I don’t celebrate Halloween.
16. Favorite autumn quote?
I am a big fan of poetry. Here is a poem on autumn.
Yes, contrary to popular belief, people who are blind or have low vision are able to cook independently. It is possible to cook without sight and it can be done with few adaptations.
Every visually impaired person has a unique level of comfort in the kitchen and I am sure this is true for fully sighted people as well. Well the good news is that technology has come a long way and cooking has become even more accessible.
Today I want to highlight some tools that can make cooking more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. I have to add that I am not good at cooking at this time but I want to improve in the future. This is research that will help me as a visually impaired person and everyone else as well.
If you don’t believe that blind people can cook just watch Master Chef winner Christine Ha in action in her kitchen.
There are talking food thermometers to ensure that meat or fish is well done. There are talking kitchen scales to measure out correct amounts of ingredients. There are sets of measuring cups and spoons labeled in braille or large print available as well. Sight is not needed to cook a meal.
For those who may be like me and are not yet fully comfortable in the kitchen, here are some tools that may make things a little easier.
The George Foreman Grill
I love my George Foreman grill. It is easy to use and a good tool to practice cooking easy meals like grilling chicken or vegetables. I use it to toast bread or heat up sandwiches or to heat up waffles. I hope to expand my use of it in the future. There are many recipes that can be done on the grill.
** This post is not sponsored by any of the items mentioned **
Air Fryer
I am not a fan of fried foods but I think this is an interesting product and it seems to be a healthier alternative to frying. The buttons can be made accessible by adding braille or bump dots and you would have to memorize the temperature settings or you can use an app that reads text to read the machine.
Smart oven
I recently found out about a company called Tovala. They have a smart oven that cooks food at the scan of a barcode and they have a meal delivery service to go with it. Now, I would like to learn to cook from scratch but this is still cooking for me because they send you all the ingredients you need but all you have to do is put it in the oven. This is a good way to begin to learn to cook.
I would also probably get a regular toaster oven to practice baking instead of the smart oven.
Some extra thoughts
Cooking is accessible to all. To make the stove accessible you can put bump dots to identify the low, medium and high settings. Cooking is an adventure and I hope to start on mine soon. What are some of your favorite recipes to cook?
In the United States where I live, autumn begins on Wednesday. This season reminds me that change can be a good thing sometimes. Yes some things are lost or stripped away but so much beauty is there at the same time.
This is a time to leave the past behind and to embrace the beauty that is ahead.
I wrote this poem years ago on this thought.
Autumn (Original Poem)
Leaves fall, autumn arrives. Change is coming time flies by. Colors move from shade to shade Change is coming though its time it takes.
The autumn feel, the wind so crisp. A new beginning as the past falls away. Change is coming soon Watch the colors as they change.The song that autumn plays A song announcing change See the beauty in the leaves The beauty in the shades.
Jazmin Ruiz 