[blparent] Accessible Appliances

[Dena Wainwright]

I know Access World features accessible appliances from time to time, so you 
might want to search its back issues. However, having just purchased a 
treadmill, having just replaced a microwave, and being on the verge of 
replacing a dishwasher, I've found the best thing for me to do is go to a 
store where I can physically look at everything. From what I've seen, even 
when there are buttons on the panel the appliance may not be completely 
accessible because of all of the menus and modes many electronics have now. 
It does make it easier, though. Our microwave is a G.E., and the model name 
starts with a "P." I can look it up if you need me to. It has a dial in the 
center, and buttons all around the dial like numbers on a clock. It's the 
most "accessible" one I found when we went looking.

The dishwasher we are going to buy is a Bosh, and it also has actual buttons 
instead of a touchpad. My other favorite things about the Bosh are that the 
panel is on the top of the door, so it can't be accessed unless the 
appliance is open. This is especially important, since I've recently found 
myself with a child who loves to start and stop our dishwasher. It also has 
some sort of sensor that prevents it from flooding your kitchen and creating 
a huge mess of water damage in your house.

A friend who is blind just purchased an L.G. washer and drier, so I'll ask 
her how easy they are to use. This is a real issue for many of us. The other 
thing to note, is that they can often order things into the store that are 
not on display. A friend who is blind purchased a new stove, and after much 
searching through catalogs, the store was able to find one that had good ole 
fashion dials and buttons on it. Hopefully you don't need your stuff in a 
huge hurry, as it seems to take awhile to get things like this in.

Dena

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Shelton" <rshelton1 at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 11:18 PM
Subject: [blparent] Accessible Appliances


> Hi -- happy holidays everyone.  Turns out that we will be replacing 
> several
> major appliances -- washer, dryer, dishwasher -- very soon.  For many 
> years,
> we have simply muddled through, but I'd like to be smart about purchasing
> equipment that either of us can use.  My sweety can see, and I've always
> been able to get by in a pinch, but a lot of new appliances have touchpad
> controls which might be a challenge.  Surely this is an issue that many
> blind people have faced.  Wonder if anyone publishes something like a
> Consumer Reports for accessibility of common household appliances.  If 
> there
> are other lists/resources devoted to this topic, I'd appreciate a pointer.
> A couple of weeks ago, I posted a question about how to deal with a 
> diabetic
> partner and got steered to an excellent resource -- thanks.
>
> Best wishes to all,
>
> --Robert
>
>
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