# Accessible Home Appliances

Category: Daily Living

## Post 1 by Miss Gorgeous (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009 17:12:34

Do you prefer accessible microwaves, coffee makers, dish washers, washing machines, and other home appliances or do you get around using it without the sounds? If you were given a chance to add another accessible feature to these appliances other than the speech software, do you have any suggestions to improve the accessibility of these products?

## Post 2 by SingerOfSongs (Heresy and apostasy is how progress is made.) on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009 18:44:04

The only one I'm aware of in that list that is marketed as "accessible" is a couple different microwaves. I can only think of one appliance that I've had to deal with that I really felt couldn't be made accessible, and that was an oven with a touch pad that was so sensative I swear breathing on it could've pressed a button. I honestly can't see companies coming out with ones that'd talk, which means you really do have to just label things and know how your appliances work.

## Post 3 by Daenerys Targaryen (Enjoying Life) on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009 19:05:51

I just have a talking microwave.

## Post 4 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009 22:45:30

I've seen a talking stove before, but I don't think I'd ever get one. I don't like depending on those kinds of things, they're usually so m more expensive, and the orriginal stove was expensive enough.
I've never seen a talking coffee maker, and I don't think I'd need oneI've never seena coffee maker I couldn't use, and I've seen and used some of the top line coffee makers on the market.
I do know however that some companies, whrlpool for instance, make braille and tactile sheets that you stick onto your machine. I've seen them for washing machines and dryers mostly. They are made o go on a certain kind of machine, so if you know what kind you have, you might be able to find one. Saves you the trouble of finding someone to help you do it.
Othe than that, some braille labelling tape, or other tactile material, has always worked for me.

## Post 5 by SingerOfSongs (Heresy and apostasy is how progress is made.) on Thursday, 18-Jun-2009 8:45:24

Oh, one thing I forgot. There's actually been a good amount of progress in making it so you can network your appliances, and can even give them commands with sound or vocally. If that comes into being, you may be able to control ovens and the like that way. (sorry, I'm still waking up, if someone doesn't understand what I'm trying to say, let me know and I'll try to reexplain.)

## Post 6 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Thursday, 18-Jun-2009 9:09:08

Talking microwaves are too expensive. The only part that's annoying, is when they tell you door open, like we don't know that. If it didn't do that, and if it was cheaper, i'd get one.

## Post 7 by wildebrew (We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?) on Thursday, 18-Jun-2009 9:27:04

In fact I'm worried that appliances are going the other direction, fast. Flat top stoves, touch screens, all that kind of stuff. I hope that network technology will be something in future, where microwave, for instance, reads cooking instruction from the packaging directly and cooks appropriately, once RFID tags will become standard appliances can work with them, from microwaves to washers and dryers.
And, hey, I've seen talking coffee makers, mostly at Starbucks, they usually even have degrees in arts or are aspiring musicians and always artifically happy, even at 7am when I'm too sleepy to say "a cup of your strongest espresso dude."

## Post 8 by jen91_09 (777) on Monday, 20-Jul-2009 21:17:30

I'm looking for a good talking microwave. I got one for graduation. (cook magic I think it is) and it doesn't work right. It won't even pop popcorn right! Any Suggestions?

## Post 9 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Tuesday, 21-Jul-2009 2:48:39

Wildebrew, do you think we'll live long enough to see what you are suggesting? It's really frustrating going to an appliance store and looking at things and trying to figure out which ones might be easy to label and which ones you shouldn't waste time even thinking about trying to make accessible.

## Post 10 by Polka dots and Moonbeams (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 23-Jul-2009 1:45:15

Oh my gall, I remember a few years ago, shopping for our new washer and dryer. So many of the models, the dial and the ring around it just spun around independent of each other. Those would have been a pain to label. Luckly, I found a nice pair that worked out well.
My parents have a stove and refridgorator with some flat panel controls. Thankfully, they aren't as sensative as someone described above, and they have texture. Texture is one of the most important parts of flat panels. It makes it so much easier to discern the buttons when some of the panel is rough and some is smoothe.
I've been lucky with coffee makers. Don't you just love it, when there is some natural tactal line for the fill level. When I want to make half a pot or something and can't be bothered to get my magnifier out, I've used various measuring devices. A water bottle works great! Easy to pour out of and one usually knows the measure of the bottle.
Good topic!

## Post 11 by kristabell (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Friday, 31-Jul-2009 22:07:05

my coffie pot doesnt talk and i've personally never heard of one that does and as far as the stove goes and my microwave just took those wonderful dots!! and my washer and drier if i had one boy they would come in handy!

## Post 12 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Saturday, 01-Aug-2009 21:46:36

I'd like to see a talking coffee maker and a talking stove. We have braille labels on our microwave, and the one that my parents bought me for college, just has some tactile felt dots placed in certain places. Our stove though is a different story. Its completely glass topped, and the buttons on it do have some texture, but doesn't really help much. So talking microwaves and coffee makers I don't think I'd need, but a talking stove would be nice. I think the washer and dryer I'd be alright with as long as I had it labeled.

## Post 13 by jen91_09 (777) on Monday, 03-Aug-2009 18:16:38

i received my microwave for graduation. Its talking, but doesn't cook things right. my moms friends (a group of them went in to get me it) say they'll replace it if i tell them what I want. I'm not sure what one I want though and can't see the pictures online, so i have to get my mom to describe the differences so i'm sure what they look like since the written ones don't help much.

## Post 14 by kithri (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Monday, 10-Aug-2009 23:45:05

Well, as far as talking appliances, the ones I've seen and read about are way too expensive for someone on a fixed income or most other people for that matter. For the microwave I label it in braille, not the complete words, but abbreviations like S for stop or C for cancel, skip every other number, DF for defrost and so on. We have a new stove with a stupid touch screen. I hate things with those. Anyway, the knobs for the burners are still there and thankfully its not the kind of stove where the burners are built in and flat. For the oven I labeled that in braille as well like U for temp up and D for down, CL for clean, BK for bake and so on. The only thing I wish is that it did have a small talking chip in it so I knew what the temp was when I hit the up or down button. That part is kind of a guess. As for the washer, I put a dot on the washer itself where the wash is supposed to begin and another on the thing that goes around so that when they match, I pull out the button and the water starts. The other buttons for temp and load size click and each click has a braille mark in front of it. As for a coffee pot, well, I don't have one of those timer things, so I just put the water and grounds in their proper places and hit on button and let it do its thing. If you have other things with keypads on them like one of those new air conditioners with the flat screen, you can label that too with dots or braille letters and numbers for the functions. The only things I own that actually do talk are a thermometer, blood pressure monitor and scale and that's only because I got them from my transplant worker when I left the hospital or I probably wouldn't own those because of price. The one thing I wish they would come up with a talking chip for is those damned cable and satelite boxes so you can program the channels or use the menus to see what's on and where!

## Post 15 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Tuesday, 11-Aug-2009 11:13:13

Our oven has a number pad, much like one you would find on the telephone. we've labeled the bake button in Braille. So, if I were baking a batch of cookies, i'd just hit bake, followed by the three-digit temperature. can't remember how to shut the darn thing off though. It's been a while. lol

## Post 16 by Harmony (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 24-Aug-2009 11:58:25

Most of the cookers I've seen are ones where the rings are raised and just get someone to label the temperatures that you would most need on the knobs, a bit like for the washing machine and tumble drier. The cookers I hate are those that have a flat stove and no way of telling if the pan is in the right place. I don't mind touch pad microwaves as long as they're labelled because some of the buttons are so sensative.

## Post 17 by lelia (Zone BBS Addict) on Monday, 12-Oct-2009 11:36:56

Hi all, well, there is a Hamilton Beach talking microwave that we got for Christmas and its awesome, its not like the other talking microwaves I've seen which say the door is ajar. No no, this one has some buttons up and down the front of it for express cooking and when you press them they talk, it also has a dial which when you turn it it talks, and it says things like dinner plate, pizza beverage stuff like that, we love it.
s for our washer and dryer they have Braille labels on them. We also have a digital oven and so we Brailled that with abbreviations. I have heard of a talking coffee pot and honestly I am hoping that Todd's mother gets this for him so he can use the timing function.
Lelia

## Post 18 by Philippa (Veteran Zoner) on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2009 9:57:58

wow, so many things that i didn't know existed on here. never heard of a talking coffee pot but it sounds useful if you make a lot of coffee. I have a talking microwave, because i managed to save enough for it a few years ago and i have to say it is such a big help because its a combination. I live in a bedsit so I have a mini oven which has dials which I have labled with my mum's help. I have no rings on that but I have a single induction hob which i got on the cheep from lidl, which works on a magnetic system that means the hob only gets hot where the pan touches so it doesn't even have to be in the centre, and it doesn't matter if you touch the serface because it is cool to the touch. it doesn't talk but it beeps so i know when i've pressed something and its really symple. my washer dryer is a hotpoint, and they come out for free and put on a braille controle panel so you can use all the functions. they also provide a cd manual for the machine. i am waiting for my panel to be made as we speak. the only other thing i have is talking scales and a talking meat probe which doesn't work that well and a talking measuring jug which can be a bit temprimental. I will never have anything with a touch screen if i can help it i prefer dials or buttons.

## Post 19 by OceanDream (An Ocean of Thoughts) on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2009 14:08:37

I usually just buy regular appliances and make them accessible as best I can. It works with most things. The only thing is that my braille labels are falling off the microwave, and I really can't figure out why. They were sticking really well for so long. They fell off the oven as well, so I just got my mom to outline the print buttons with puffy paint, so I can feel them really well. I have a stove with dials, and I pretty much know which position is which. The only thing I can't get my head around are those flat top stoves, which are becoming very common. I would suggest avoiding them altogether if possible, though it's getting more difficult to do that. As for the coffee pot, I just memorized the layout of the buttons. The only appliance that I bought already accessible was a talking timer, and I highly recommend them, although I'm sure there's a way to make those egg timers accessible. I've never experimented with those before, though. If you have a brailleNote, Pac Mate, or a talking watch or clock, they will usually serve well as an accessible timer as wel.

## Post 20 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 25-Feb-2010 8:48:56

I need to buy a new air conditioner and have heard now they all come with remote controls. Anybody had experience with the newer air conditioners? Mine is 15 years old and is not cooling well. I live in a condo and so far the wash machines and dryers in the basement have textured buttons on the touch screens. I'm really lucky that way but was told if I had trouble with the appliances in the basement, the condo association would have to make reasonable accommodations for me to use the washers and dryers. I dread the new appliances these days.

## Post 21 by Starcannon20 (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Sunday, 28-Feb-2010 2:03:13

as for flat top stoves, my mom has noe and the eyes ares a different texture than the rest of the stove...so if u can get your pan centered before you turn on the stove, they are pretty easy to use...the thing I do not like is the front eye has to different sizes and sometimes you can cook on the outside without the middle cooking and that is the only time I had a problem with the stoves

## Post 22 by Eleni21 (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Sunday, 28-Feb-2010 2:26:10

Interesting topic. Wildebrew, I must agree with you. There's way too many flat tops, touch screens and general nonsense out there. Personally, I just buy everything with dials, knobs, switches and sliders and labl with markings as needed. My stove is normal and I know my microwave so well now (it has a single flat dial not a round one) that I don't even need the markers on it anymore. All I do is set the minutes and walk away until it dings. I have a toaster oven, specifically made for the blind, with tactile markings on the dial and an electric fry pan that's made the same way. But I also have a much larger toaster oven and a Flavor Wave and intend on switching to those. My coffee maker doesn't have anything on it cause you simply add water, add the coffee and put it on the stove. It's technically a demitasse maker but makes a full cup at a time and stops making the boiling sound when the water's done coming up from the bottom so I always know when it's done. But even the electric ones. Why would they need to talk? You just put the coffee in, flip the switch and it starts and stops on it's own. Mom's got touch screen everything and I avoid it like the plague. Her stoves have burners but they're all digital and the washer is like that too. Nasty. I think I'll get a nice small one, with a dial of course, for my place when I can get the money. She also has one of those digital air conditioners but I told her to never bring that up here either. I hardly ever use ac in any case, and keep it only for guests and for if it gets really hot. If I remember correctly, since it's away from the winter, mine has at least two dials on it. The one makes the air hotter or colder and the other clicks as you turn itt. Also, each level sounds different, from fan, to low, to medium to high. The one item I would like that talked or beeped or something is a vacuum. I adore mine, cause it's just got a single switch that you turn on and off. It's very compact and light, but finding dirt or spilled things on the floor is really a challenge.

## Post 23 by bozmagic (The rottie's your best friend if you want him/her to be, lol.) on Tuesday, 02-Mar-2010 7:35:13

I don't really have any especially accessible kitchen appliances, only my Cobalt talking microwave which has just 12 membrane control buttons, different shapes, below an LCD display and small speaker on the right hand side next to the door handle, yes, you just pull the door open on those things and it automatically pauses cooking should you need to open it and stir or shake something after a certain length of time has elapsed. It's also a combination oven, but I don't often use the oven part. Maybe, one day when I don't live at home anymore, I will, but not just now, lol ,since I don't need to, although I have practiced using this microwave as an oven for baked potatoes and things and they turned out pretty good apart from the skins didn't go crispy or anything like they would in mum's horrible touchscreen panasonic microwave which lives above my talking one in this weird cupboard thing she had custom built especially for our microwaves when we had the kitchen knocked through and refitted 6 years ago. We hav e a ceramic flat topped double oven and we've marked the 200 degrees on the dials for the main oven and smaller oven with a braille 2 for 200 degrees which is the most common temperature for baking, roasting or simply just heating through. When I cook anything then, I just have to feel where the pointers on the knobs are in relation to the 200 degree braille, then I just quickly flick the knob round to that setting, ready for the food to go in about half an hour later once the oven's hot. There are different knobs on our oven, both for turning it on and setting the correct temperature and the knobs to turn both ovens on, both click round once for the small oven, twice for the big main oven, so I know how far to turn the dials by the possition and number of clicks round. We've marked up the front right hand ring of the hob on top with a Brailled FR, for front right, so I know which dial to click if I want to heat something or cook something on top as oppose to in the main ovens below. I just feel for the heat when I turn that ring on, since those flat tops give off quite a lot of heat until you have your pots and pans on them. As for other accessible appliances, I just get reccomendations from various websites, podcasts Etc where I know something's accessible and I grab it, for example, my Skygnome receiver and DAB Sonus 1XT radio are both accessible if I want to listen to the radio or Sky TV if I'm not in the living room, where more often than not, audio description's set to on during the day so I can watch the downstairs TV during the day.
Jen.

## Post 24 by shea (number one pulse checking chicky) on Tuesday, 02-Mar-2010 16:31:42

the air conditioners are fine to use. just put a dot on the buttons and different sizes if you need to mark more than one. most of them the buttons are a bit raised. and thee's no big deal using the remote. it's like any other remote, you just learn the buttons. I quite liked the remote for the air conditioner we had when we lived in an apartment. because the air conditioner was behind our couch, so it was easier to just use the remote.

## Post 25 by Eleni21 (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Tuesday, 02-Mar-2010 17:32:26

People make things needlessly complicated these days. It's like normal dials have become offensive or something. I mean, okay, I don't want one on my computer, except for volume or something, but there's no reason why they can't be on my stove, microwave, dish washer, washer/dryer or even on my ac.

## Post 26 by CrazyMusician (If I don't post to your topic, it's cuz I don't give a rip about it!) on Sunday, 05-Sep-2010 23:25:59

I have made my old microwave, washer and dryer accessible by using tape or other adhesives to mark various places. My stove is a gas stove with a flat pannel that was a dream to put braille labels on; you REALLY have to push the buttons to get it to turn on, so labeling it was easy.
GE has braille labels for most of their appliances except the gas ranges (go figure). When I found that out I called them and was quite ademant at the poor call center agent that we wouldn't need braill labels if the pannels weren't touch screens... DUH?

## Post 27 by AgateRain (Believe it or not, everything on me and about me is real!) on Monday, 06-Sep-2010 0:56:11

I like the flat top stoves because you can feel the heat better if you've moved the pan out the wrong area.

## Post 28 by Eleni21 (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Tuesday, 07-Sep-2010 12:49:14

Flat top stoves worry me and I would feel very unsafe using one. I prefer a normal gas burner that I could easily handle. Also, some stores, like Seers, still have normal stoves with dials and they're really marked down in price when compared with the digital ones. So if anyone is looking for a new stove without the nonsense, they're still available. The more of us who buy them the more they'll keep them on the market... They are also decent microwaves out there but those are extremely difficult to find. The only thing is that, for some reason, the microwaves with the dials seem to be lower wattage than the touch screen ones.

## Post 29 by rat (star trek rules!) on Tuesday, 07-Sep-2010 13:40:53

i really don't like the flat top stoves myself, our house has one and i'm scared to go near it if mom is cooking on it