[Electronics-Talk] Accessible Washing Machines

[Peter]

Good afternoon everyone,

	We have a Sears Kenmore front loading washer and drier. My
mother-in-law bought them in 2010 and 2014 respectively. The drier came
first followed by the washer 4 years later. We were able to label both
appliances with Braille labels at various points on the dial that control
drier functions. The dial on the drier contains a grip that is narrow at one
end and serves as a pointer.

	AS for the washer there are buttons to set wash cycles, laundry
type, on/off, and start/stop wash cycle. The dial used to set the wash type
can be turned consistently. We placed Braille labels around this dial to
select the wash type. A piece of electric tape is directly on this dile to
serve as a pointer allowing us to select the particular wash type, normal,
heavy duty, express, etc. In addition we placed Braille labels directly by
each button that controls various wash cycles clean washer, pre wash, and a
few others. This has worked out quite well for us.

	As for repairs our washer gasket came apart in 2015. It and the
clamp that holds it in place needed to be replaced. A Sears Technician came
out to replace them but did not repair it correctly. A subsequent repair
technician correctly repaired the gasket and clamp and also discovered that
an object lodged itself in the pipe that allows water to fill the washer
causing it to flood the kitchen. Both appliances have run virtually
flawlessly since that time. They were repaired last year by Geek Squad who
replaced a heating element in the drier and a switch in the washing machine
that was about to fail. They continue to serve us well and should do so for
a while longer.

	When that time comes we'll need to study the home appliance
accessibility landscape to select the best washer and drier that will meet
our needs like the Kenmore units have done. Let's hope that improvements to
their usability with smartphone apps and PDAS will be available and will be
more powerful than they are now. All the best for a happy new year from Mary
and myself.

Peter Donahue