[Electronics-talk] washing machine

Sat Nov 9 18:04:28 UTC 2013

I'd suggest going to one or two of your retail stores that will have the 
largest selection of washing machines and dryers and looking around at 
the different controls.

I bought a front loading Frigid-Aire clothes washer a few years ago. It 
has a dial and buttons on the front. The dial sets the settings for the 
load you want to wash, e.g. delicate, normal, heavy, .... The buttons 
allow you to change the defaults, such as temperature, but you can just 
take the default settings for each load. You then just hit the start 
button, and you're off. Note that this is not mechanical, but the rotary 
dial does have a stop at each end, and you have a tactile notch for each 
setting. It's very accessible, except that when you start changing the 
default settings, the buttons just rotate through the different options, 
such as hot, warm, cold for the temperature. You do get beeps in this 
case, but unless you know where this starts for each load setting, you 
won't know where you are.

I got a dryer less than a year ago from Whirlpool which has very similar 
controls on it. The rotary dial doesn't have stops at each end, but it 
has a line on it, so you can easily figure out that when the line is in 
the 12:00 position, you have it set on a normal load. There's a start 
button, which is just a bubble on a touch screen, but it's very obvious. 
There are a few other bubbles, but to be honest, I never use them and 
I've forgotten what they do. Again, it's very new, modern, not a low end 
dryer and very accessible.

On 11/09/2013 11:38 AM, Ashley Bramlett wrote:
> Hi,
> Well, I like the independence of having a simple accessible washing 
> machine and dryer. I was hopeful some still were made since I've seen 
> simple ones without the flat touchpad here at our VA rehab center for 
> the blind.
>
> My hope is to have buttons I can touch although I would still need to 
> label some of them.
> Yes, I could label a flat screen keypad as I have for other appliances.
> But I'd rather stick to as little labeling as possible and not many 
> buttons. We simply need to wash our clothes, usually with cold water, 
> nothing fancy. So, my folks would probably like a simple machine too.
> I mean, why pay for extra settings and fancy settings you don't need.
>
> If anyone has low vision, you can speak to the contrast of the screen. 
> Is the numbers large or contrasting so you can see it? Is it white 
> numerals on black screen?
>
> I guess if I had to I'd time it as Gerald suggests, but I hope not to 
> resort to that.
> Gerald, thanks for the history fact; so electronic controls were 
> brought in ten years ago; so older
> models will have mechanical controls.
>
> Currently, the old accessible machine is a whirlpool. We'll keep this 
> one as long as possible, and even if repairs are just as expensive as 
> a new machine, I will insist on a repair if we can do a repair, rather 
> than a new machine.
> However, repairing equipment is sadly hard to do as parts are no 
> longer made and sadly our society would rather us buy new stuff rather 
> than fix old equipment.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Gerald Levy
> Sent: Saturday, November 09, 2013 11:57 AM
> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] washing machine
>
>
> Good luck trying to find a washer that still has mechanical controls.
> Electronic controls became standard on even the cheapest models about ten
> years ago, and I am not aware of any current models that still have
> mechanical controls, although you might be able to find a low-end
> GE/Hotpoint, Maytag or Whirlpool model that still has them if you search
> hard enough online.  Most models have flat touchpads with digital 
> displays
> like microwave ovens.  I suppose you can label the various buttons with
> tactile markers to more easily locate them, but there is no way to
> accurately determine the remaining washing time without using a talking
> countdown timer after you set the washer for a particular wash cycle.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ashley Bramlett" 
> <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, November 09, 2013 11:21 AM
> Subject: [Electronics-talk] washing machine
>
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I use an older model washer now which is simple with buttons and no 
>> screen.
>> You turn a knob to set the cycle such as normal wash and its marked 
>> so I know where to turn it.
>>
>> However, it will not last forever.
>>
>> What simple washers are out there? Preferabily one with no screen 
>> although I could probably use one with a screen if it does not have 
>> essential info.
>> I do not, not, want to use a touch screen. I also have some vision so 
>> can see simple things like colors of lights, so this may help.
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Ashley
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail