[Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges

Sun Jan 27 00:12:35 UTC 2013

I have never seen an oven or any applience like that with braille lables or 
buttons. I have seen ovens with nobs and they usually come with a stove with 
nobs. With the newer flat screen and flat serfice trend going around, I have 
become a big supporter of universal design. I think that anything with a 
flat screen needs voice output since the screen itself can change. When you 
get screens that change, lables don't do any good especially when buttons 
are on the changable flat screen. I have a oven that has one of those 
changeable flat screens. I even tried to lable it with braille and I still 
did not find it helpful. I don't use it because not even someone with site 
has been able to figure it out. I have to use my stove or microwave for 
cooking. The same goes for my two blind friends who live in the same 
building that I do. I hate my oven! I do love my stove which I was able to 
lable with the land lord's permition, the dish washer which I also labled 
with braille, again with permition from the land lord, the washer and drier 
with the land lord's permition and the microwave which I got from my mom 
when I moved into my apartment. My friends also complain about not being 
able to use their oven for the same reason. I suggested them to go to a 
friend's place and use their oven instead. The big applience came with the 
apartment so there is not much we can do about the oven. I also hate it when 
you go to visit your parent's place and not be able to use their appliences 
because every one of them are flat screen and flat buttons. O.K., sited 
people believe that flat screens and flat buttons are cool! Sure, it's not 
your house so you can't influence their free will beyond your conplaints. 
Sure, they are doing it because they have wanted to do that for a while and 
they are free from having to have buttons because you don't live there any 
longer. I think that universal design will allow them to use it without 
having to mess with buttons but it will also allow you to use the applience 
at your time too. Yah, my parents have done that at their house. I can't use 
their appliences when I go over there. I can't do much other than complain 
and let them know what I think. I hope that when universal design finally 
becomes the law that they will implament it into their kitchen and laundry 
room. When you go to choose your apliences, I would feel it first, ask 
questions about the screen itself and the buttons as well and shop around 
until the eagles fly home. You might have to order some of the older modles 
to avoid the changing flat screen garbige just so that you can lable the 
buttons and actually have them be helpful. I can't wait until our government 
finally passes the technology bill of right's act! By the way, I love the 
iphone because even though they are flat screen, they also use universal 
design. The design of the iphone is only one of the many zillions of reasons 
why I raive about the iphone. Once I learned how to use my iphone, I almost 
never have nothing going on my iphone.
Kendra
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances" 
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 2:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges


>I also agree you need tactile labels on appliances since they are flat 
>screens. I live with family now but to operate the appliances we labeled 
>them. I have the microwave and oven labeled with dimo tape. The dish washer
> is labeled with clear dots of some sort since there is hardly room to 
> label it.
>
> Someone said labeling individual buttons is hard and the dimo tape falls 
> off. I don't agree with that. I labeled individual buttons on the 
> microwave and they stuck on for a long time; only just two years ago did a 
> few fall off.
> If the surface is clean and you press the labels on firmly, they should 
> not fall off.
>
> I guess I'm used to labeling since I've never seen a oven with tactile 
> buttons.
> However, every other appliance I've seen with a dial or buttons at some 
> point.
> I'm curious to know if there are ovens though with tactile buttons or 
> dials. So this is a good discussion.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Annette Carr
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 4:47 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges
>
> I agree, these days you are going to have to put some type of accessible
> labeling on your appliances.  I had to get sighted assistance to add 
> braille
> dymo tape labels to my dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, and oven
> controls.  I have the Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer and have not needed 
> to
> label them.  There are however some buttons that I cannot remember what 
> they
> do, which is annoying.
>
> If you do not read braille and you are not sharing your appliances with
> sighted household members, I'm wondering if the PenFriend would be 
> helpful.
> You could apply a small round PenFriend label to each button on the 
> "static"
> flat panel control and record a message about that button.  Of course this
> would require that you have your PenFriend handy, but I'm finding that I'm
> using mine most often in the kitchen and might need to get a second one 
> for
> upstairs.  Just my 2 cents.
>
> Annette
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mary Donahue
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 12:55 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges
>
> Hello Matt and everyone,
>
> I agree. When we got our first microwave with a digital screen and
> no dials, my parents were visiting so they helped me label it. When we 
> moved
> into this townhome, our oven with built-in microwave oven did not have
> buttons, either. A daughter of one of the Lions Club members helped me 
> label
> the oven, among other things. We have a small microwave at the present 
> time
> that has no dials, and I plan to get someone to label it as soon as
> possible. There is no way of avoiding putting on Braille labels these 
> days.
> Get used to it!
> Mary Donahue
>
> "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."
> Garrison Keillor
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Peter Donahue
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 11:23 AM
> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges
>
> Hello Matt and everyone,
>
>    I'm going to ask Mary to come in on this discussion. Since she's on 
> this
> list she'll see this thread. We removed the trial and error aspect by 
> having
> a sighted person help us label the appliances. One problem solved. We try 
> to
> get our hands on appliances with traditional controls but realize that 
> until
> manufactures are required to make all appliances accessible and usable by
> the blind labeling them with assistance is the best way to go.
>
>    I seriously doubt that simply affixing a Braille label to a control 
> area
> on an appliance will void any warranty. It's not like you're trying to
> dissect the thing. It's when you attempt to repair them yourself that you
> run the risk of voiding a warranty. And if it happened report it to the
> NFB's legal staff as such behavior by an appliance manufacturer would give
> us additional ammunission to insist on the adoption of legislation to 
> insure
> that home appliances and electronics are 100% accessible too and usable by
> the blind.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matthew Chao" <mattchao at verizon.net>
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 10:00 AM
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges
>
>
> Yes, that's the problem - lots of time/trial and error in labeling.  And
> sometimes, marking up a new item may void the warranty.  Ideas, anyone?
> Have been researching this for over a week now with few decent
> results.--Matthew Chao
>
> At 10:37 AM 1/26/2013, you wrote:
>>Good morning Matt and everyone,
>>
>>     Marking up the controls with lock dots and/or Braille labels will
>>most likely be your only solution. We had the same issue with our
>>microwave and range ovens. Placing Braille labels over the areas where
>>the controls are was the only way we could make them usable by a blind
>>person. We recently had a new microwave given to us and need to have it
>>labeled. Here's hoping you can find a range that will work for you and
> require minimal labeling.
>>
>>Peter Donahue
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Matthew Chao" <mattchao at verizon.net>
>>To: <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 7:26 AM
>>Subject: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Electric Ranges
>>
>>
>>Hi, Folks.  I need to get a new stove for my house.  In looking around,
>>I've had a tough time finding accessible stoves, primarily because the
>>oven displays are of clear plastic with no textured labels or
>>bubble-like membrane buttons.  Controls need to be in the front.  Read
>>articles about accessible appliances at the AFB Web site, but still no
>>luck.  Any ideas?  I'm not eager to mark up displays with those plastic
>>dots or have to take a long time to do up Dymo tape labels.  Any help
>>would be appreciated in finding an accessible stove.  Thanks in
>>advance.--Matthew Chao
>>
>>.
>>
>>
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