User Friendly Microwave

User Friendly Microwave

Wherefore Art Thou,

User-Friendly Microwave?

by Jim Aldrich

Reprinted from the Autumn, 1995, issue of The Observer,

the newsletter of the Montana affiliate of the National

Federation of the Blind.

Editor's Note: The following articles give a personal glimpse

into a subject--access for the blind to consumer electronic

appliances, equipment, and devices--which is becoming more and

more of a problem for hundreds of blind people around the

country. Loss of access because of poor engineering design can

lead to more than frustration, it can result in decreased

personal independence and even loss of jobs or job

opportunities. The National Federation of the Blind is

aggressively seeking solutions to this problem through the on-

going work of technology committees and special initiatives.

The recent U.S./Canada Conference on Technology for the Blind

(convened and hosted by the National Federation of the Blind)

is one of the most important initiatives to date. This

conference (the third of its kind) brought together the

decision makers of all of the major organizations of and for

the blind and of the major vendors of technology in the field

to discuss common problems. The meeting was also significant

because of the exchange of information and the decisions

concerning technology which came out of it. It was not

coincidence that the first panel topic of the conference was

"Access for as Many as Possible."

Here, now, is what Jim Aldrich and Timothy Hendel have to

say about their personal experiences with access to the

everyday technology in modern life.

From The Observer Editor: Have you been shopping for a stereo

lately? Or a home appliance? I have been, and so has

Yellowstone chapter member, Jim Aldrich. Many new advances in

technology are causing us blind people some problems. We need

to be smart shoppers, and express ourselves to the makers of

these products. Jim has written a piece on getting some new

appliances, and we follow that with a quick piece from a

recent magazine I found at our local library.

While on a routine shopping trip last summer, I passed a

Sears sidewalk sale which was about to end. That is where it

all began. I had concerns about the condition of some of the

appliances in my present home, so I bought a new refrigerator.

The delivery men from the store set the temperature, and I had

little difficulty altering their settings to my liking.

I later got a new range, and the rounded knobs on the panel

made it impossible for me to determine whether I had the range

set to a given function or temperature. A friend of mine

helped me mark the controls of my new range which enables me

to cook with relative ease. Setting the clock and using the

self-cleaning feature will likely require sighted assistance,

but this is not such a big deal to me.

Shopping for a new microwave oven turned out to be more

of a challenge than shopping for a new range or refrigerator.

I was pleased to learn how they have dropped in price since I

had last shopped for one. That was where the good news ended.

My enthusiasm quickly became a feeling of dismay when I saw

how one is dependent upon a visual display to operate these

newer models. Many of these ovens use pop-up menus which are

generally inaccessible for most blind persons. I couldn't see

how I would know or have control over which menu would pop up.

The touch pad was hidden somewhere in the glass. I couldn't

locate it. I heard a beeping then I pressed a control, but I

had no idea which function I had selected or what I should do

next, if anything. I needed to know what was on that screen

and I didn't have a way to independently access that

information. This was very bad news indeed.

Rather than reinventing the wheel for myself, I was

determined to find a manufacturer who had already done so. As

I phoned the major microwave oven manufacturers, I came to the

conclusion that more companies were producing accessible

microwave ovens ten years ago than do today. Amana no longer

has Braille controls or overlays for its ovens. Neither Maytag

nor Sears have Braille overlays. I learned that Tappan farms

out its overlays to an agency for the blind in Ohio. When I

contacted that agency they indicated that Tappan had not sent

them any updated information about the ovens needed to produce

the overlays. They didn't know if or when they would be

producing overlays for Tappan.

I was glad to learn that General Electric and Sharp do

have overlays with their microwave ovens. I chose to get a GE

microwave oven (Model JE1240), since I could actually access

the touch pad through the glass. Their card of clear Braille

labels reached me in a week or less after requesting it from

their convenient 800 number. The labels were free for the

asking. A sighted person helped paste the labels to the

appropriate function. Each label displays the touch pad

function by employing two-letter abbreviations. A chart

accompanies the label card with the meaning for each

abbreviation. I wrote some abbreviations of my own, using the

extra labels accompanying the set.

The choices for various menu options were easy to

memorize, especially those I use often. I have been pleased so

far with this oven. Most choices can be easily selected. I'm

hopeful that General Electric will continue to keep the needs

of the blind and visually impaired in mind when they design

newer models of microwave ovens. I couldn't help wondering how

the manufacturers of home appliances ignore or somehow seem to

get around the provisions of the Americans with Disabilites

Act (ADA).

I'm thankful to have found home appliances that I can and

will operate, I hope, for quite some time. Those inaccessible

screens likely will appear on more and more home appliances.

But don't give up your search, and ask lots of questions.

That's how I found out what I needed. Happy shopping through

the holidays and beyond.