AccessiTales

Here is tonight's dinner. Stouffer's CHEESY GARLIC LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE $9.84 at Walmart COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Conventional Oven Instructions STEP 1 Preheat 375°F. Leave film on tray, do not vent. STEP 2 Place tray on a baking sheet, center rack. STEP 3 Cook 65 minutes.* Uncover, continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes (TOTAL cook time 70 minutes*). STEP 4 Remove baking sheet from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. -- 🚀 Join My Journey I’ll be sharing more like this — along with my mission through the galaxies of accessibility, blindness retraining, and certification to become an assistive technology instructor.  That journey will take me to World Services for the Blind, and I’ll be chronicling it at www.AccessITales.blog 

In an effort to help others not get food delivered as often I thought I would start sharing the easy oven meals I am making for my Wife and I. Marie Callender's Family Size Cheesy Chicken and Rice, Frozen Meal, 36 oz.  This was $8.63 at Walmart. Do not prepare in toaster oven.  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  2. Peel back corner of film to vent.  3. Cook on baking sheet in center of oven 65 minutes.  4. Check that food is cooked thoroughly. Careful, it’s hot! Let stand 5 minutes; enjoy! Food Safety and Quality: Keep frozen. Do not thaw.  

🌟 Finding My Own Gold Stars There are things I’ve wanted to hear, expected to hear, and sometimes realized they just weren’t in my partner to say. That made me stop and ask: What is it I’m really needing to hear? And if those words don’t come from someone else, maybe they can come from me. ✨ Childhood Lessons in Affirmation I remember back in second grade when my teacher, Miss Jerome, would put a gold star on my schoolwork. It was her way of saying, “You did a good job,” even without words. Later teachers didn’t use gold stars, but I learned to recognize their signals — the subtle ways they showed I was doing well. 🏠 Carrying It Into Adulthood Now, at 52, I find myself wanting that same affirmation in my daily life — whether it’s at home or in my relationship. I’ve realized my partner isn’t someone who gives frequent verbal encouragement. She says it sometimes, but not as often as I’d like. And that’s okay. It’s not about fault; it’s about understanding differences. ...

Right now I am in a hurry up and wait mode as I wait for a training program for the blind to get started in February 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. I thought the process was getting started over the summer when my counselor sent me to the program for three days.But that was just for an evaluation I am going into this training with an open mind. I know I need Jaws training as I have never been trained on using Jaws. Its not that I don't know how to use a screen reader I have used NVDA and before NVDA it was Window-Eyes. I made jobs at Citibank accessible using Window-Eyes, Right now I am in a hurry up and wait mode as I wait for a training program for the blind to get started in February 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. I thought the process was getting started over the summer when my counselor sent me to the program for three days.But that was just for an evaluation  Its not that I don't know how to use screen reading software I have used NVDA until recentl...

               I am looking forward to the November meeting of this local accessibility meet-up. It was wonderful last month just to get out and talk accessibility with like minded people. I felt like part of the group at my first meeting.  Here are the details...  Durham-Raleigh A11y: The Accessibility Meetup-Triangle Style  Tuesday, November 18, 2025  6 pm - 8 pm Eastern  Durham Food Hall  520 Foster St, Suite 1  Durham , NC 27701  The group is looking for a more accessible meeting place as currently someone would have to go outside and to the next door to enter from upstairs if they were using a wheelchair.  If anyone needs some assistance doing that, call me and I will make sure someone comes outside to assist.  816-334-7529  info@AccessiTales.blog I will be bringing my Pixel 8 Pro phone if anyone wants to try using TalkBack. I will also ...

I have been involved in assistive technology for more than 30 years as both a user, trainer, consultant, and advocate and as a career goal I couldn't think of anything different for me. My first experience with assistive technology was when my high school electronics teacher brought in the talking clock from Radio Shack that he bought for his Father in-law. I wasn't blind yet but after I did become blind a few years later, I knew this was my first piece of assistive technology I needed. Back then in 1994, Radio Shack was a great place for buying talking products. A few years later that is where I went to buy my first mobile phone. It wasn't talking or anything yet but the buttons were spaced out enough that it was easy to dial numbers, I had memorized the buttons to change ring tones and the phone had a larger battery I could attach on the back of the phone. The guy at Radio Shack helped me pick out a phone and suggested the extra larger battery. He said th...

So why do I need a refresher in my blind skills? When I was in my first rehab training program in 1997 in Kansas City, Missouri there was an older guy in the apartment across the hall from mine. I learned that he was there to get a refresher in his blind skills. Those things, if you don't use them, over time you will loose them. That is where I am now. When my wife and I moved in together, I did all of the cooking and as she became more comfortable I let her take over those things she wanted to do. As time went on she took over more things around home and it got to the point where I wasn't using those skills anymore. Things have changed where I need to start doing things around the home again, as my Wife goes to work on her Masters degree. So I'm in the waiting to go to a blindness training program in Raleigh, North Carolina for fifteen weeks. I'll get cooking skills, cleaning, braille and Jaws screen reading software training. It may sound strange t...

I am starting a new blog because I need that place to write about something when there isn't enough space on threads. I also want to keep people up to date on the blind refresher program I'll be attending in February or sooner.  I hadn't used some of my blind skills over time and it is true, if you don't use them, you will lose them. Stuff like orientation and mobility, I never have had jaws training, the big screen reader when I last had a job was Window-Eyes.  So stuff like that, maybe some braille, I'm open to ideas and opinions.  I plan after that training program to look at getting my CATS certification at WEB in Arkansas. Its about an 18 month program that is intense in what is covered but I want that level of knowledge. I want to teach assistive technology and that looks like the best way to go that doesn't require a bachelors degree.  Up coming this month there is the local Accessibility Meet-up that I will be attending. I went to my first meeting last m...