I'm VI and use an espresso machine for coffee, cappuccinos, lattes and making cream for tea.

I don't remember what brand I have, but it was pretty cheap. When I was researching I found a similar one on Amazon for about $70. I ended up getting mine at a local brick and mortar store.

Things you'll want:

- a removable water tank she can tell how much water is in it by weight

- tactile buttons; no touch screens or capacitive buttons

- a steamer wand

Basic operation:

1. Check there's enough water, refill if necessary
2. Turn on the boiler
3. Load espresso ground coffee into basket and that into portafilter
4. Tamp down coffee
5. Attach the portafilter
6. Once the water is boiled, a light will come on and there should be a difference in sound - usually a click from the boiler turning off
7. Pull a shot by pressing the appropriate button. This can be timed, usually at around 20 seconds
8. Turn the boiler back on, possibly with a different button for the steamer node
9. Once again, wait for the boiler to stop
10. Get cold milk in a metal cup and raise it under the steamer wand so it's in the milk
11. Turn the steamer knob to steam the milk. I don't know how to check this is done without looking, but the while process is noisy and the noise changes depending on what's happening. A combination of practice, listening carefully and timing should work.
12. Poor the cream over the coffee
13. Enjoy!

I like the whole process (including grinding my own beans), but a lot of people don't.

There are Nespresso machines that make cappuccinos and they are *far* easier to use. You get the regular coffee pod and an extra cream pod. No frills, same result every time. You can get different flavors too.

The cost per cup is higher, but it's a lot more accessible.

You can check out /r/coffee for other suggestions.

I’d consider a Moka Pot from Bialetti. It’s a stovetop espresso maker. You just put water in the bottom chamber, coffee in the funnel, and espresso comes out the top. It gurgles when it’s finished. The only control is on your stove. The only caution I have is to order the big one, it measures cups as two once’s, so a three ounce pot makes about one cup of coffee at a time.

Don't know about any specific models but pretty much any kitchen appliance within the price range of a typical consumer will have membrane or tactile switches. Unfortunately they will most likely need somebody to run them through what each button does at least once. Good thing is that you can add bump dots to the buttons to help them find their way. Just make sure the appliance isn't using capacitive buttons.