FELLOW BLIND AND/OR DISABLED FOLKS: Please comment your experiences with appliances, what you've found is more accessible to you, and any other information you think could be helpful for others to know.
Now, not a large appliance, but I have EDS so I have a lot of joint issues. My favourite purchase ever is my food processor. Like, it means I can just throw stuff into it and dont need to spend a bunch of time/energy chopping.
I am legally blind and I am on the same boat as you in terms of inaccessibility. I normally rely on bump dots or in most cases whatever I can see and if that doesn't work then I ask my husband who is also legally blind. I love air fryers but I hate the touch sensory part of it and sure there are ones with knobs but you can't cook a large portion size with the ones we have. I'm honestly afraid when my husband and I live on our own how we will be able to use certain appliances especially washer and dryer if it's modernized.
While I personally have not faced this issue - I know my dad, who is severely color blind and has a handful of other eye and vision issues - really struggles with anything that has a colored indicator light or red lights/text on any kind of screen.
I dread having to get new appliances! The ones in my flat are like 12 years old and still have buttons, except for the stovetop that is touch. But I have enough sight to be able to operate it. I got a new washing machine when I moved in, and the way I use that is I've learned what "time" to set the dial to to pick programme, and then there is a touch button for temperature but each temperature has its own little light, so I've learned which light is which temp. But without the sight I do have it would have been more or less impossible. My nearest grocery store has in the past year (I have lived here over three years) learned that for the post/kiosk quoe to work for me they have to call out which number is up. Great! Except they recently switched out the number dispenser for one with a touch screen! Like a quarter of the screen is actually used to get your number. The rest is just... decorative. SO FRUSTRATING!
as an autistic person, the biggest appliance issues I face is noise. I understand that anything with moving parts is going to make some level of noise, but I really would appreciate being able to turn the beeps off.
This is exactly why we need a Molly Burke appliance line!!! As someone who is legally blind, I can understand to an extent what you are going through. It is so difficult to pay for accessible items that are extremely overpriced on a low income. Thank you so much Molly for using your voice to speak up! I struggle so much, especially with seeing the labels on my stove which is behind the burners. I tend to either burn or undercooked things because I can't see and I will accidentally set my stove on the wrong setting.
+HevanCathey *For the OMS Japanese Christian appliance-upgrade project, I'm demanding **_front-mounted controls_** on **_every_** candidate for ranges and the microwave hood.* I won't accept appliances with unreasonable peril of burns or scalds - we've school-age _Kinder_ among the congregants.
I fully agree with you completely I have trouble with my own stove and oven and my microwave but luckily I have the old style stuff that’s a little easier but now I’m afraid what’s gonna happen when I go shopping now for a new stove and refrigerator and oven let alone a brand new washer and dryer but I buy used right now because the cost of new stuff it’s just so high and expensive being on low income Social Security I’m pretty much out of luck not counting the accessibility issues as well
This is why I’m looking into becoming a universal design specialist. I personally have had the hardest time finding a vacuum that is lightweight and clean handle the fur from 8 different pets
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
I’m a wheelchair user and because of that I have had many vacuum cleaners the only one I have found is the Hettie cleaner the sister vacuum cleaner to the Henry cleaner both I find easy to use with my power chair it cleans pet/human hair up yes it is a bagged vacuum cleaner I find it cleaner to empty, I chose hettie over Henry because she was pink and looked so cute for female user and pink is my favourite colour Molly you inspire everyone to be the best they can be and you are a credit to your parents too. 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐕🦺🐕🦺
As a former working architect who has a disability, this sounds like a dream job to me! Thank you for taking an interest in such an important area of design.
A I just did a few videos about this very topic. I am 64 years old and have cooked independently since about age 18. My tiny RU-vid channel is currently featuring Accessible appliances, aesthetic kitchen design, placement and spatial concepts, adapted small appliances and techniques for blind cooks. I am just an ordinary blind consumer wanting my own custom kitchen and found that so much research and hands on exploration of each and every appliance, was absolutely necessary. There don’t seem to be any experts although it’s difficult for sales people to admit that they really aren’t sure about what may or may not work. You must be your own expert and it is so very frustrating and I found your honesty Molly, to be the essence of what we, in the blonde community feel so often. Thanks for speaking out so strongly about some thing that should just not be an issue in the 21st century.
11:31 “When we don’t talk about the challenges, we can’t talk about solutions” That quote is going down in history Molly. That might be my favorite thing you’ve ever said. You truly are an inspirational speaker 🔈 I love you 💖💛💙 (Sorry had to change the time stamp)
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Honestly, from a sighted person, touch everything may look fancy, but I really loathe it. There are thousands of glitches within touch appliances and gadgets that it really doesn't make anyone's lives a whole lot easier, but isn't that supposed to be the point?
Agreed if the screen on a touch screen breaks you can’t use the appliance but if it has physical buttons and one of the button breaks you can usually still use it (unless it’s the power button and it was off) you just have to adapt. I also prefer physical movies and games because you actually own it (a lot of people don’t realize that you don’t own digital games or movie you just have a license to play or watch them) and if you lose the device, lose access to the account or it glitches and deletes everything on your account you still have access to the thing you paid for unlike with digital stuff. Also I’m sorry this is so long I thought of stuff when I was writing this.
I agree. My stovetop has a touch screen, that is actually just touch buttons. They won't work when its wet or my fingers are slightly damp. So if I stir a pot of something boiling, and get steam on my hand, I need to use my other hand to take down the power. Or if something boils over, I need to make sure my hands and the button is perfectly dry before i can turn of the stove. Other models do work better with a slight dampness, but most struggle with actually wet fingers.
Wow I am a sighted person and I literally never really thought about how touch screens are not accessible for blind people. I am also annoyed because I think especially in the kitchen Touchscreens really are not having another benefit than just aesthetics. But thinking about how blind people can just simply not use these things at all… wow Thanks for educating me on that. Even though I can’t make a change because I’m not in a position where I can I am thankful for being aware of it. And if I am maybe and hopefully someone in the right position is going to be aware of this.
Touch screen and electronics in the kitchen are also a good way to have appliances die faster (and so sell more), electronics do not like water and heat.
Touch screens are also a bigger safety risk, especially on the stoves. Many have experienced that the lock function malfunctions, and something has turned the burners on, creating fires. One woman in Denmark almost had jer apartments burn down, because her cat walked over the stoved, and had turned on a burner. Which caught on fire after a while. The lock had malfunctioned almost from the day she moved in, the landlord and her had agreed it wasn't important enough to change the entire thing for... Well... Touch screens are not a very bright idea in the kitxhen really
I have a touchscreen glass induction cooktop and I love it. It's super easy to clean. It has a lock button and the burners turn off after 30 seconds if they don't sense a pan, so it's safe. It's definitely not accessible, but the touchscreen makes it better for sure.
I took a disability studies course this past semester and it really opened my eyes to the need for accessibility. We had to pick one of the buildings on campus and then go through a checklist to determine if the building was ADA compliant. Not a single building on campus (even the brand new ones) were entirely compliant. It was shocking. We then wrote letters to the campus coordinator detailing the top 5 issues we had with the buildings in question and received a response back that lacked accountability, to say the least. It just really made me aware to the need for accessible buildings, appliances, spaces, schools, homes, etc.
Wow I never really thought about this but I will now! You’ve inspired me to create a video on this topic and I’ll be combing through the comments section looking for tips or insights from your lovely community to share! I’m grateful that you’ve educated me on this Molly. 🙏
Hey Molly! I am actually a computer science student and I am specializing in accessible technology design partially because of all the content you have shared and the work you have done to educate. I am autistic and have ADHD which are not disabilities typically discussed within conversations about accessibility but my cognitive differences do impact the way that I use technology. A kitchen accommodation that I have is no glass or ceramic bowls or plates because I can't stand the sound of them clanging together and my ADHD makes me prone to getting distracted and leaving breakable glass balanced on the edge of counters. If I am cooking on a bad brain day (high distraction unable to focus on anything) and I have to cut anything I will wear steel mesh gloves to prevent myself from cutting my finger off because I got distracted. If you look up steel mesh gloves for cutting you can find a ton of options in a variety of sizes. I also wear gloves when handling any dishes with food residue on them because that is a sensory nightmare. I hope this helps! Thank you so much for continuing to bring attention to inaccessible tech and for educating the public on the importance of it. Your content is super helpful as a student in this space trying to figure out ways to help the disabled community.
Hey Kayla, I am not autistic but I love how you worded the food residue on plates because for me, it is a sensory nightmare also. I will borrow your description because it sounds reasonable and makes it more palatable to people when you are trying to explain it to people. Thanks.
Hey I'm also a computer science student with the same goals! I also have adhd and autism too and I'm useless in the kitchen so your comment about the gloves is really helpful. :)
I am a visually impaired massage therapist. At my work we do laundry constantly. We just replaced a washer dryer and, even though we added raised stickers where the important buttons are, it is so touch-sensitive that if I touch anywhere on the pad other than the exact spot I can inadvertently change the cycle. Even my cited coworkers are struggling with some of the buttons. There seems to be no logic in the planning of these appliances. It is so important that we advocate for ourselves and make these issues known. Thank you so much!
Yes, this touch screen is called a static screen and it works off of static electricity in your body. I had an oven installed, researched and checked out all the showroom floor, but when it was installed, I could not use it as high must use my fingers to locate the braille dots. They electronics technician explained that most appliances are static screen rather than presser screen. I ended up exchanging the nicer, more expensive oven with a cheaper brand and model just to get a presser screen. So Molly is absolutely correct and it’s ludicrous that we should be having this issue in the 21st-century. Good luck with your phenomenal career!
My mum's washing machine has touch buttons and it drives me mad. There are cupboards above the washing machine and it's impossible to get something out of them without accidentally pausing the wash cycle... 🤦♀️
Not related to appliances but I am in college trying to become a graphic designer. In our courses specifically ones about web design there is a component of making it as accessible possible. I love hearing what Molly says about the push for things to become more accessible. It really inspires me to try my best to make things as accessible as possible!
+{UC8IVUQZ82j4thtqpZp6B5dQ} *For kitchen and galley appliances, I recommend designing OTTO®, or at least CHERRY® MX Green™, momentary pushes into every project.*
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Yes that's so important, i have been in school to become a designer for a while but in the last year I have and am losing sight. While I used to be fully sighed before I sadly am not anymore. And this made me push to design universal and accessible, it has been a dream of mine for a while but is never did it because I could see and I was afraid I would do it wrong or not the right person. But I realised the need for it first hand myself and I want to do more. So currently I make every graphic design accessible for the visual impaired and the blind bij adding braille and also raised symbols. And by working with different textures and making lines and other illustrations raised and tactile too. I just recently got to make my own font and the letters are made from organic shapes like a leaf for the A or my cat's tail curved for the J. And I have put braille dots on top of each letter and adjusted the spacing and stuff for the braille alphabet, so now the font is dark green with fulled in light purple dots over it. I hope in the future to design for everybody because everybody should be able to enjoy design, but because of how large that is I at the moment focus on the people who don't see very well, have trouble seeing or are blind. Just keep doing what you do is what I wanted to say, and don't doubt the course because you are the right person, and the reason why is because you want to do it, you feel the passion for it and you are doing it.
I have MS and at 48 I'm now in a wheelchair.....people just don't understand just how inaccessible this world really IS still. I'm chronically frustrated. You're an amazing voice for the voiceless.
RE hacking: if the appliances have different apps make sure you use unique strong passwords for each one. The email isn’t as important as your WiFi. Secure your network, change the default router password, and hide your IP and Wi-Fi name from being publicly displayed. Keep your software and firmware up to date. Could also use a VPN to obfuscate your IP address. Source: I’m a cybersecurity engineer
I personally don't deal with vision loss or blindness but I'm autistic and the sadness and frustration you feel over people in your community not being able to reach their full potential because of the way society works is so relatable for me and hits me hard. The autism community also has a high unemployment rate and as someone who has been burnt out and out of a job for almost two years, I have these fears for my own future as well. I'm determined to get back on my feet again when I'm ready and I'm sure as disabled people we all try to make the best of it but sometimes we have to just allow ourselves to feel all the feelings about how unfair life can be. Sending you lots of love and hugs xx
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Same here. I was denied an education because I'm autistic and have been told to "get over" and "overcome" my disability so they don't have to make accommodations for me
This is true, I have Aspergers Social anxiety, Generalized anxiety, depression and other issues. I told them that I would need a job in where I would be able to have a few days off whenever needed to recuperate as going into public places is extremely stressful to me and my anxiety can kick in randomly and I become extremely unwell due to it, extremely unwell being I have no energy and am physically sick. I also would need help getting to and from the job, either by them giving me the taxi money to get there and back or for the company to find someone that can pick me up and bring me home due to my anxiety using public transport. They told me that obviously I cannot work as "the world doesn't work like that" and put me on benefits. It's literally brought me to tears sometimes and has even ruined relationships in my past. I feel as though I will never be able to be independent in my life as the world simply does not give any leeway to people with health issues. I feel as though I am not good enough and I'm even ashamed to tell people about my health issues now when looking for a new relationship or a new friend as I feel that I will be judged and won't be good enough for them. Even going to college was hard as they said I was too old to be accepted for travel expenses, so getting there and back I had to rely on friends and family members, and when those friends and family members couldn't take me in that day I got warned by the college for not being able to turn up on those days despite me being caught up on all my work and more. When I did go into college I worked twice as hard as everyone else in the class and even towards the end I was tasked with helping other students with their work. The world is extremely unfair to those with disabilities and other health issues.
@@GemzaStar09 so awesome that you managed to get a college degree, you must've worked really hard and I hope you're able to be super proud of yourself for that! 💪🏼 It is ridiculous that we're expected to live like neuro typicals because that's just "how the world works". I've realised we need to use our cleverness to think of ways to bend the system to our own capabilities. I don't know what you studied but perhaps there is a way you can work from home a few days a week? Or maybe there is a way you can start your own small business so you can be self employed? I think I will end up going in the direction of self employment because I need a lot of flexibility as well and would prefer working from home and being my own boss. It's really tough to keep going when nothing seems to be working with you but try to remember that there's ways around the "normal" way of doing things and that there's always hope as long as you believe in yourself. Your life is worth living and you're capable of being happy and content in your life. That's not to diminish the challenges we face because living life as an autistic can be difficult af. But I'm rooting for you 💪🏼
We need more accessibility in the world, I'm so happy that you are trying to find things like this so that other people can have things in their future. You inspire me and make me smile everyday Molly! I love you so much 🥰
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Look into whirlpool dishwashers, they have tactile buttons, GE stoves, and Hamilton Beach has a talking microwave. GE has a braille overlay for washer and dryers. For sure you'd want an induction cooktop. I know I've seen them with knobs.
But I've also seen induction stovetops that have a magnetic thing you lay ontop of it. And it lights up in a certain way. Really confusing and not intuïtieve.
I cried at the beginning of this video because things are so hard for those of us who are disabled and it often feels like nobody cares. We struggle constantly with very little help from the outside world. I'm not blind, but I am chronically ill so I know how frustrating it is when able bodied people don't take the time to consider us and our well being. It's definitely something that needs to change.
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
I've been sharing your videos with the head of the interior design department at the University I graduated from. She's been sharing them with students in the universal design course as well as kitchen design and space planning courses. You're staying conversations that need to be had. Universal Design was my favorite subject and my passion. It's my first thought when I go into people's homes. I'm so glad you are bringing more eyes to this issue.
My heart goes out to you. My husband and I are in wheelchairs ( I have spina bifida and hubby has Cerebel palsy) and can understand to a point what your feeling. My husband does work but I don't. We live in a house we got built but the company who built this home wasnt easy to work with . They really didnt want to change the sizes of doors. Lower things etc. They "tried" to find applications that we would use. Things we didnt want but we have learned. We will never use them again. We love watching your video's. Thank you for all you do. ❤
Molly I am so happy I found your account years ago and am aware of your struggles. I was on the train a few days ago and had a blind lady sitting a few seats away. At one point she though she missed her stop and asked a guy if she missed it, he answered “no” and I though “why on earth are you not telling her that it is 3 stops to go? It’s clearly hard for her to check?!” Then other people started to pack their stuff around her luggage and when she politely asked about her bag, they brushed her off. I saw her face and how she started to get really worried, so I got up asked her if I should put her bag closer to her and told her how many stops till she had to get off. The guy who brushed her off was really weird about me getting her bag and I told him that she could not reach/see her bag with all his stuff in front… It is so weird to me that people are so unaware, but I also realize, that you played a huge role to sensitive me about struggles blind people face! So thank you! I was so happy when she got off the train happy and with the right bag!
I'm not finished watching, but I'm thinking companies should just take "dumb" appliances and make them slightly smart. Like, put braille or something tactile on the stove to know where to turn it on and how to change the temperature. Then, as you are changing the temperature, a voice could read the temperatures out loud. I feel this would be more reliable than depending on technology to work, both the apps and the appliance itself.
Providing a tactile sticker to put over the controls would be such a long way to go for the blind community. Heck I had a French sticker to put over the English controls for my dishwasher because they were only in English on the appliance and this is Canada so they have to provide French. Making it Braille too would not be asking for the Moon.
Amazon has a braille overlay for their smart oven for only a few dollars, as do some other companies, but generally it is pretty simple to design your own custom braille overlays and bump dots on appliances, as long as they don't have 47 steps to each function. I'm a vision rehabilitation therapist, so a big part of my job is making regular appliances accessible.
I really hope this video gets to the right people, and make accessible appliances become much more available. It’s so frustrating to see those who need it most, can’t get it and/or it comes with an outrageous piece tag!
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
I took an interior design class where we learned about designing and decorating a room and how accessibility is taken into account for small details such as the shape of doorknobs and sink faucets. But I don't remember learning anything or have never really thought about the accessibility of appliances and how touchscreen things are not accessible. Thank you Molly for making a video about it and sharing your struggles! I can't wait to see part 2 and am planning on sharing both parts with my interior design professor. I also want to share them with the heads of the design and the construction management departments at my university.
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Hello Fresh has been sponsoring a lot of content creators lately, which is great, and it has me wondering if they're listening to your message here about accessibility and universal design. Does Hello Fresh offer accessible instructions and labels, like using braille with their packages? Is their website and ordering process accessible as well? It would be great if so! As for the tech difficulties and accessibility, I fully agree that physical, non-touchscreen buttons should remain in circulation on products!
I know she did a review video when they first sponsored her where she said that she wouldn't be able to use it independently. Having said that, I know that she's careful with her sponsors and if they aren't accessible then they have to agree to an accessibility consultation. Hello Fresh could have a QR code in a consistent place on each recipe card and packet that linked to a screen reader friendly app, so that even those that can't read braille could use their products.
I know with EasyPlate (which is a sub company of HelloFresh) you can also view each week's recipes on their app which would support using a screen reader. The difficult part would then be identifying the prepackaged ingredients, which you would most likely need a separate service like Be My Eyes to read the labels to you.
I'm a software engineering student and for one of my classes we had to debate on the statement "the advancement of technology makes the world a better place". Thanks to the documentation of your renovation journey, I knew I had to mention how some new technologies are made in a way that is inaccessible despite us having all the skills and knowledge to make them accessible. I'm very grateful to have found you and to be learning about these issues that are so important but barely discussed in my classes. I hope I'll be able to continue on this subject in my future career.
You are an incredible person for being so emotionally raw for us. Allowing us to see how you struggle with things sighted people take for granted, really makes me value accessibility more than ever before. Thank you for showing us everything you do.
I’ve been searching for a washer and dryer for the last few months as an able bodied person, and found that LG makes washer/dryers specifically for accessible for blind people including having the setting in braille. I was shocked when I stumbled across it and instantly thought of you.
A tear ran down my eye when you shared your sadness and frustration at the beginning of this video. We’re all in this together and we all have the same pain and concerns about this topic. Thanks for being a wonderful advocate for us all and God bless you.
I had to stop and comment at 5:10. Molly, I just want to give you a massive hug. You make me want to get in there and somehow help to make a difference for our disabled community, no matter the condition. Everyone should have access to items that can assist to help them identify products and how they are used. when it comes to appliances too, you should have things you feel safe using. The big brands have so much money behind them, it baffles me that they dont put in the effort across the board to make life better for everyone.... I just wish I knew where to start.
Hey Molly, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you showing vulnerability when it comes to making change. You are heard and I’d happily be part of change💕 I’ll do what I can at my own scale to make others feel included, thank you! Your kindness, honesty and courage make you a powerful and inspiring woman🐝 Wish you well on your journey🙏🏽
I am so privileged to live in Australia during a time where they have implemented a public national disability insurance scheme (NDIS), that's unlike almost anything else in the world. That means that all those expensive things you need to purchase to make everything in your life accessible can be funded for you by the government. There is still a bit of struggle for many people with chronic illness to get access the scheme (lots of disability/medical admin!), but it has made a big difference to a lot of lives!
Molly, you have changed my life in terms of increasing my awareness of my own mental health and why I am such an empath to others (because that was never modeled for me growing up). It's why I gravitate toward your content, brand and your message. The work you do is beyond important- it's necessary and you make the world a far far better place to be in. The help you give to others is thankless. You make such a difference in the lives of your viewers (I've been watching for 3 years now) and by the time we are 85 it is going to for sure be a different world in terms of how much more people are willing to be real about mental health and how many more solutions will be in place for people who struggle. This is thanks in part to you for the effort you put in each day to have solidarity fall into other people's laps and propel them forward. I hope to see big brands and tech companies really push themselves beyond what they think is capable and offer more seamless accessibility sooner for more people! I used to think that being disabled with something so invisible was going to shatter me to pieces without anyone getting it. You have help me connect to so many people different from myself by being more of a self advocate and an advocate for those around me. At the same time trengthening my self image.
Other than kitchen appliances, I have had A LOT of trouble getting accessibility at school. Since I don't look like I have a learning disability, the special ed coordinator denied my accomodations. I have had to exaggerate my ADHD and anxiety just to get extra time on a test. They gave into 15 minutes, but I needed more time than that (it takes me over half the time neurotypicals take to finish a test). Thankfully, this year I got an hour extra time on my 504 plan!
I’m so sorry you had such a difficult time Molly. You are making such an important impact though. I’ve been watching your videos for years and I can say with confidence that my awareness of accessible design has greatly increased because of you. I find myself thinking “wow what an inaccessible design” frequently when I’m out and about in daily life. I’ve used examples from your videos countless times to educate friends and family. I’m also a software engineer and your videos have increased my awareness in my career too. So thank you for doing what you do. It truly does have a huge impact.
Your feelings are the feelings of an entire community. I am autistic and I have chronic pain (currently trying to get a diagnosis) and for me, accessible gadgets are the ones I can use without hurting myself (hypermobility issues as well), without leaving me exhausted and in a lot of pain, that I can use when I'm in a low muscular tonus day, and that is easy and doesn't have too many steps. Most of my solutions aren't perfect, they look more like improvisation, but that's what I could find in my budget (also in brazil it's even harder to find anything, but the good thing is that a lot of stuff aren't touchscreen yet, so it's good for blind people)
Molly a minute in and I’m crying my eyes out! I just recently went trough surgery and had to use an electric shopping cart, it was terrible! I rather walk slow than having to struggle with people who just don’t care. One use, one day an a guy ended up crashing with me cause he was looking at his phone. I admire and love you so so so much, more than I already did. You are an angel in this world and keep speaking up!! Never give up!
Thank you so much for sharing videos like these Molly. I'm a designer in the making, and videos like these are eye openers to sighted people such as myself. Because of videos like these I've began studying ways to make my work more accessible, and I aim to start working with blind people (or people with other disabilities) to step by step design for a more accessible world for everyone. Please keep doing what you do! You're super strong, and seeing you use your voice with your platform is very inspiring!
Thank you SO MUCH Molly for bringing awareness about this and speaking up about what you’re going through in the process of creating your own home as a blind person. I am deaf myself and it isn’t easy finding items for the house to make it accessible for me on my own for my specific deafness. I hope to one day live in an accessible home to call my own as an independent person. I hope the same for you soon ❤️
Regarding smart devices being hacked, I hear a good security measure is to have a secondary wireless router in your home with its own security and password protection so that hackers have to pass through two levels of in-home network instead of just the modem/router provided by your internet company.
I highly suggest that you hire an IT professional to setup your home wireless network with a firewall, VPN, changing default names/passwords on modems and routers, a separate network for all the smart appliances, etc. While having additional security on the wireless network doesn't prevent all cyber attacks, it can deter lazy hackers that are just looking for an easy win.
your experiences are so eye opening. i am sighted and have never ever been using my over and wondered if someone who was blind or disabled could use it as well until today. thank you for that.
My husband has RP and my goal when we built our home several years ago, my vision in our design was/is to allow him to maintain his independence while our daughters or myself are not home. We are in the market for a new microwave and in the past few years there has been a shift from knobs/buttons (to where we could put the bumps on) are disappearing. When we purchased a new fridge, I had the sales associates turn appliances on just so he could see if this was something that he would be able to see. This sudden shift is worrisome- thank-you for bringing this to light.
I love watching the Epicurious videos in the "well equipped" playlist. I don't know where they find all those tools and I'm aware that not all of the tools are for disabled people (let alone for the same disability), but if anybody needs any inspiration for what's out there and what could help them, that guy is great at reviewing all the tools in a way that's actually helpful. I don't think he ever did smart appliances, let alone seeing if they're accessible for the blind, but if you want to cook you might also need things like a pan that has a lid that allows for draining without worrying about spilling or a tool that allows you to cut things in cubes without having any knife skills. Smart devices are both a blessing and a curse and wherever I don't feel like it would add any benefit I don't want to buy it. I don't see how a smart washing machine, smart fridge or smart freezer would add anything to my life, so as long as there are "dumb" ones out there I don't want a smart one. Just out of curiosity I decided to look online what current day microwaves and induction stovetops look like and they look to me like the kind of "touch screen" that you can make accessible with tactile buttons and simply remember what all the buttons are for. But since I'm living in the Netherlands I have no idea if the same goes for anybody living in Canada and/or the USA, so I hope Molly will find all the stuff she needs so her kitchen works in the way Molly wants and needs it to be.
Something that is super helpful for mobility issues is to get a oven with a compatible gliding / sliding rack. It is a oven rack that has tiny wheels on it and rolls out similar to a dishwasher rack. It makes getting items in and out of the oven much easier for me. I hope this helps someone.
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
I totally agree the pricing on disability/mobility items is outrageous and very unfair on us people that need them, and I find it just morally wrong!!!
Not only pricing but I saw people attacking the creation of those apple location tags, saying why would they even want to create something like that and they should be banned. Like, I use my Tile all the time because I have memory issues and need to be able to find stuff that I out down and don't remember when/where I last had it.
It’s so hard because, as someone in science, the people that make the accessible devices or disability and mobility items deserve to get paid for their work. They’re doing amazing things, and we have to put money into that to get more amazing inventions. However, it’s also not feasible for disabled people to pay for them. It’s not an easy thing, and most non-disabled people ignore it since it doesn’t affect them.
As a completely able bodied person myself, I don't understand how we're still so behind on accessibility for all. It's almost as if society as a whole thinks that the disabled community just relies on everyone else to do things for them when that's not the case. You would think with all of the technology we do have, accessibility wouldn't still be such a problem. I can only imagine how anyone effected by these issues would feel, especially as someone who also doesn't like depending on other people.
Follow the money. It’s always about if they can market it enough to those who will buy it. Look at gluten free food for celiacs.(I have celiac disease). The food market has barely caught up to cater to us and they charge us double what the same food costs with gluten. It’s sad.
There's a blind lawyer in Ontario, I forget his name, But he has written arrticles (And occasional video) about certian accessibilty options. Like despite the fact he and others told Toronto's TTC that a new subway station NEEDS to have a wall to help(?) people like him, that they build it without the wall. And at some station between the main station and Pearson Airport, that the Presto card reader is not only is/was it hidden behind either a pillar or behind part of the ramp for a station but another problem is there's no braille or there's no place to plug in headphone for a blind person
@@ricerocks08 Consider doing your own gluten free foods. When you have the time, consider checking out this lady. ru-vid.com/show-UCKDsP1ezw4DrX_g1h4EeUQQ. She's all about gluten free and healthy.
𝐒͠𝐩͠𝐞͠𝐜͠𝐢͠𝐚͠𝐥͠ 𝐝͠𝐚͠𝐭͠𝐢͠𝐧͠𝐠͠ 𝐟͠𝐨͠𝐫͠ 𝐲͠𝐨͠𝐮͠➺ sexy-nudegirls.host Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
Sadly big business runs everything and unless there are laws enforced by the government to make them improve accessibility they just wont do it. It’s all about money to them and maximising profit. I feel awful for people like Molly who have to deal with this, especially those who don’t have the financial means to buy appliances that are accessible. As a society we should be doing more.
I've been trying to find accessible kitchen appliances for my blind partner and I completely understand your frustration, we have to buy tactile machines and he has to learn how many "clicks" or "beeps" until he gets the right settings or I have to use braille stickers but he shouldn't have to live like that, if someone like Samsung can make a fancy touch screen washing machine which is stupidly over priced they can make one that's tactile and talks, it would literally give them stupid amounts of profile but also do so much for those who can't see and even those with dyslexia who may struggle to read settings on a machine
I will be showing this video to my dad. He is a team leader at GE Appliances in the refrigeration department where they work to design and develop the new models. Hopefully he can at least get them to start thinking about how their current and future designs will affect blind and disabled users.
Idk if you have heard about this rice cooker but emmymade is another RU-vidr and she mentioned that this brand called cuckoo is a rice cooker/ pressure cooker that also has voice. I was thinking about you when I watched Emmy’s video recently about the rice cooker. Take a look at her most recent video if you are interested.
When I went to the Braille Institute to take classes I learned that one of the remedies of being blind or legally blind for finding what area to touch is this puffy paint. They sold it in the institute’s store.
My grandma put stick-on earrings to Mark her microwave, washer and dryer. I'm guessing you could use stick-on face drools and nail stickers as well. Just a tactile tip that's inexpensive and cute. Please remember you are not alone. Life isn't fair. But by remembering what we do have annoying it could be worse helps to find Joy. Don't forget to pray! You are so loved!💖
I started watching your channel a few years ago and then last year I started losing my vision. I'm so thankful for you channel because you are the only Blind voice in my life.
Videos like this make me realize how much I want to become an industrial designer who focuses on accessibility, thank you for informing us about this issue (even though you shouldn’t have to) and hopefully one day I can design products that can be truly accessible to everyone
I cherish your content Molly. 💗 Thank you for being so open and honest and sharing this info so that we can make sure we are fighting for accessibility. This info is invaluable to both the users and creators of these appliances. Much love. 💗
something that really helps me in the kitchen is recipes and appliances that allow me to make one-pot meals. dealing with a million different dishes and steps and having to clean it all and keep track of multiple processes at once is nice to avoid. i’ve personally found a simple rice cooker to be my most used kitchen appliance because i can make really diverse rice bowls using preprepared or minimal effort ingredients
I am so thankful you’re sharing your journey, because I don’t know a single blind person. I never would’ve thought of any of these things, but now it’s like duh of course these things absolutely need to be accessible and affordable.
I really like when you share these stories where we get to truly sympathize with your struggles. Whether it's something small that many of us can do like adding Alt text and creator-submitted closed captions or if we work in a large company and can influence change in broader ways, I think every step forward is a move in the right direction.
Molly, wanted to share with you that I began watching your videos a long time ago because I wanted to learn more about blindness and those that are blind. Since then I have changed jobs to work as a case manager for those with all types of disabilities in my community. Seeing you become emotional in this video reminded me that I wanted to share with you that are doing what you set out to do, which is educate and help people. Your videos help so many people in the blind community and those not in the blind community. Learning from your videos has helped me to think outside of the box when trying to help those I serve create solutions to live their best lives. Everyone has a right to live their best life free from obstacles! So thank you and keep sharing!
Hi Molly! Thank you so much for making this video. I am a design student, and I have been interested in accessible design but I have found it difficult to find resources and people to share their first hand experiences. I would definitely encourage you to keep sharing this information so design students like myself can get a better understanding of the struggles of the blind community and design products that will serve everyone.
YOU'RE WEARING TEDDY FRESH! I LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT SWEATSHIRT AHHH. Edit: I finished the video. My bf is blind and we're moving in together, and im super excited to have a kitchen but you're totally right it's so hard to find new appliances that AREN'T touch screen. I think we're gonna stick with an older dryer and washing machine because they actually have knobs, etc. We're trying to find a speaking scale for baking but they're all kinda slow, like it takes a while for them to read off the weights. It's frustrating for sure.
I think it'd be super cool if you collabed with Christine Hà(blind Masterchef winner) on a video where she teaches you how to cook a meal you've never made and you two talk about kitchen accessibility issues, and how she makes her kitchen accessible to her
Thank you for this video. As a sighted teacher with students that are blind, this will be extremely helpful for their families. I appreciate you talking about the unemployment rate among the blind community. One of my students' transition goals is to not have to live off her disability checks. That totally broke my heart.
As a sighted person, I never even considered how hard this would be for the blind community. I can only imagine how hard touch screens are for people who are blind or legally blind. Thank you, Molly, for sharing this. I love hearing other people's perspectives and gaining more ways to hopefully have more compassion and understanding for others who are different from me.
Hi molly, I don't know if you'll see this. I'm only 2 minutes in but I felt I needed to say thank you. For being so open, raw, honest and sometimes vulnerable about your struggles. I agree it's so important to educate people but also let someone such as myself know that it's okay to be you. I have had severe mental health issues since the age of 5 or 6 and I'm now 25. Only within the last 3 or 4 months through alot of meditation, soul searching and manifestation have I learnt my true potential, worth and have a clear enough mind and enough strength to really fight to change my situation. I now will not allow my own suffering at the hands or organisations created to help me, to continue. I have followed you for years and have seen you grow into the amazing woman you are today. Mind body and soul. It is you that gives power and strength to people around the world that otherwise wouild have not seen themselves worthy enough of said change. Together we are stronger May you be blessed with white light, love and support. And may your battles become adventures and oppertunities for change. Most of all may not not suffer anymore as you have. All the love and light in the world! Beblessed and stay safe 🤍🙏🤍☮️🕉️
Buying and renovating (or building) a home is stressful enough without having to deal with things like this! I’m sorry this was such a hard journey for you! Sending love and hugs from Australia!
I am a legally blind 68 year old who has been used to doing things for myself I became legally blind in 2012 and I am in a rental home and one day my stove went out and my washing machine went out my wonderful sweet helpful landlord thought he was going to make my life a little easier he purchased me two new appliances a digital touchscreen stove and a digital touchscreen washing machine and now I have to have someone else do all of my cooking and all of my laundry because neither appliance is accessible to me neither one of them have apps that I could use so I can’t see the black screens to figure out what function I need to be using this is indeed extremely frustrating and upsetting I am very glad to know that there are accessible appliances out there for blind or otherwise visually impaired people thank you so much for sharing your experience I really appreciate it and I really appreciate your videos I’ve actually learned quite a few things from watching your videos thank you so much
I'm here early, and have nothing to say. But I'm the kind of person who hugs someone when they're upset/struggling, so here's my internet hug to help you through the struggles you're going through! Thank you for being such a positive influence on the world.
So I got diagnosed at 26 in 2020 with ADHD. Now that I'm 29 I'm realizing that I am part of the disabled community. It's been a journey that your videos have helped me with so much. I'm trying to learn how to make my life easier, at least at home, and it's overwhelming. I think these corporations can and should hire disabled people to understand our needs, because they are so vastly different. I need to be able to see everything so I remember it exists and you need to be able to use an oven with voice over features. I feel like they can add these to the touch screens and it would be so much better!
Hearing you talk about these struggles you and those in your community face every day is one of the main reasons why I went back to school for user experience (UX) design. Hopefully we will have a fully accessible world in our lifetimes, and I want to be a part of that change!
You definitely opened my eyes & I hope you can reach the people that can make a change for all people who need more eccessability in all day to day items. I'm sorry for anyone who has to stress over things that shouldn't be an issue in 2022.
My disability is new to me and its an invisible disability and i dont even know what i need for accessibility yet. I feel hopeless because i can’t advocate for myself or ask for what i need if i dont know. Hearing you say you looked into accessibility for mobility issues makes me feel seen and im so happy to have a starting point on what to look at.
I feel you, Molly. The struggle to find stuff that works is SO REAL...some thoughts on appliances. I have cerebral palsy and use a power wheelchair. I love, love my "ADA-approved" Fridigaire oven because it opens right to left..But the buttons aren't tactile. They are at least separated in physical space. So, it would probably be amenable to sticky dots and braille labels to help orient. It also beeps whenever you push any button. So pretty good as far as being universally accessible...but expensive, of course. Sigh. Glad my housing co-op bought it. I also have an Electrolux glass cooktop that really like because all of the elements are arranged in a way that makes them easy to reach. There's no heat transfer across the surface. It only gets hot when there's something sitting on top of the element...fantastic for avoiding burns, easy to clean etc. But it's a touchscreen. And you need vision to even know where the elements are. Again, outrageously expensive...I definitely cried spending the money. But it's worth it if dexterity / co-ordination are your main concerns. Probably hard pass if your blind though, especially if you don't have any remaining vision.
Molly I'm so glad I found your channel because this has truly showed me how people with disabilities are an afterthought in so many fields. We're supposed to progress for *everybody* , so why am I still seeing products without any tangible identification? why are certain every day items only useful for those who can see? those without mobility issues? I call companies out now. I'm aware that I'm living in a world that's been adapted for me, or for people like me, and I hate it. I want it to be adapted for *everyone* .
Gosh this video really pulled at my heart strings. As an able bodied person I take so many things for granite. I don’t personally know anyone with vision loss, but my dad has hearing loss and my mom has mobility issues. I found this video very interesting and I can’t wait for part 2.
as an able bodied person, I have privilege, I never thought about touch screens etc being a problem. That's why I watch your videos. I learn about things I would have gone my life being so uneducated on. The world needs to be more accessible, and what your doing an is incredible way of spreading the word! I hope that one day the world can be better at simple things. Because of you I have been thinking about helping the disabled community in making things more accessible, or at least doing what I can. Love your content!
