[blparent] Accessible Appliances

[Leanne Merren]

Our dishwasher has a touch pad and I actually like it because it was so easy 
to braille.  There are several buttons and it would have been a pain to try 
to remember what each one does.  So I just labeled it with my dymo tape 
labeler and it's pretty easy to use.  You still have to press pretty hard on 
the buttons for it to change so I haven't had issues with it being bumped or 
anything when I'm trying to read it or otherwise.  If I mess up and I'm not 
sure what setting I have it on, then I have to ask my son or somebody what 
it's set on, but mostly I keep it on the same settings anyway, so the only 
buttons I usually need to push are start or maybe change the cycle if I 
don't wash as many dishes or something.  It might be trickier with something 
like a washer though where different people might be using different 
settings and you don't know what it's set on when you go to use it.
We had a tech out to work on our dishwasher once from Maytag and he told us 
that for our washer and dryer, which are Whirlpool (the 2 companies are the 
same now), we could have gotten braille over lays for the dials for free if 
we had called them within 6 months of purchasing the machines.  They came 
with the house though so that wouldn't have worked for us.  But you might 
want to check with them and see what your options are for getting your 
appliances labeled for free if you buy their products.  I think they have to 
be specifically Whirlpool products, but I could be wrong.  Also, I'm hearing 
from a lot of people that they're having issues with GE products, so 
something to do some research on before you buy. *smile*
Leanne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Shelton" <rshelton1 at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 12:18 AM
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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blparent:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/leemer02%40gmail.com