[Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices

Sat Nov 12 16:59:12 UTC 2016

Tracy,

Yes, you are correct.  The "dynamic" displays and the one button that cycles through a menu of options would not be improved with this modification.  

My Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer uses tactually discernable buttons that each move through a different set of options for that feature.  The nice thing about these products is that with each press of the button a different pitched tone is made.  So if there are 3 options, the option at the top of the list when selected makes the highest note pitch.  The option in the middle makes a slightly lower note tone, and the option at the button of the list makes the lowest note tone.  When you press the button again you hear the highest note tone and you know you are back at the top of the list.  I have a list of all of the feature options for each wash setting selected from the large dial.  At first this system was over whelming, and the list gets lost or damaged, so I just use a few wash cycles.  This is not the best system, but it is my most accessible appliance in the house and it required the least amount of adaptions.  Ok, my refrigerator is the most accessible appliance as all I had to do is memorize which button gives me crushed ice and which one gives me ice cubes.

Annette

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2016 9:14 AM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Tracy Carcione
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices

Annette, that's a good idea.  It would solve the problem of finding the buttons, though it wouldn't help for buttons that change function depending on some inaccessible menu.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Annette Carr via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2016 9:11 AM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Annette Carr
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices

Pressure activated buttons such as those traditionally found on microwaves could easily incorporate texture or even a ridge around each button.  This surface could easily be cleaned.  There are many control panels used in industry and hospitals for example that have no seams and can be cleaned without damaging the internal workings of the button.

Annette

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike Freeman via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2016 1:41 PM
To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
Cc: Mike Freeman
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices

I believe we are missing something here: if apps have buttons, they become dirty and eventually become useless and one most by they I device again. It seems that although blind persons often find tactile devises easier to use, they may not be able to afford to repurchase and repurchase and repurchase.

Mike Freeman

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 10, 2016, at 10:14, Gerald Levy via Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> If the appliance manufacturers can make their products accessible by means of a smart phone app, then they could just as easily make them more accessible by using a control panel with tactile buttons.
> 
> Gerald
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Jim McCarthy via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2016 9:41 AM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> Cc: Jim McCarthy
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices
> 
> Sandra,
> The smart phone providing access to appliances actually might prove helpful to you given what you describe. That is if you had access to a qwerty keyboard or braille display. The majority of touch screen gestures and methods do have keyboard equivalents. I agree with Dave that smart phone access to appliances would be one more access tool and it also seems one that the appliance manufacture community might pursue.
> Jim McCarthy
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sandra Streeter via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2016 9:46 PM
> To: electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Sandra Streeter
> Subject: [Electronics-Talk] future of accessibility in appliances and devices
> 
> All in for a range of solutions! I, for one, have had a devil of a time mastering any touch-screen device (except my microwave), because I’m a lousy auditory learner who needs both Braille and practice to master even a smartphone, and because I have some fine-motor issues that make it harder to ensure that I’m, say, double-tapping something instead of tapping once and accidentally moving my finger without knowing it, then attempting the second half of the gesture (in the new place I wasn’t aware I was in). Those of us who are still button-pushers, and don’t want to use touch screens or to talk to a device, are left out in the cold. . Smartphones would not be an option for me. Besides which, say the Internet part of the grid (but not all electronic areas) went down—getting our phones to talk to our devices so we can set them properly might be a major issue. And, I am totally in agreement that we need to be better advocates for ourselves, instead of waiting for a politician or governmental

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