Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Microwaves with tactile buttons? (self.Blind)
submitted by mehgcap
Hey all,
I'm in the U.S. I need a new microwave, and would love one with tactile buttons. I've not found much so far. There's a Panasonic with buttons I'm told are more or less tactile, but it's much too large for where it will be going. Amazon Basics has their Alexa-enabled microwave, which can be sold with a braille overlay. However, that unit is not only out of stock, but it's much too small. The only other suggestion I've gotten is to find one with dials, but no one in the house wants to deal with dials and how finiky they can be.
Does anyone know of any options for the U.S. market? I don't need tons of fancy functions, but it does have to be around 1000w and have physical, or at least tactile, buttons. Thanks for any ideas.
EDIT: thanks for the comments and links to adhesive labels. I've used both braille labels/raised symbols and puffy paint in the past. Both fall off after a while, and make cleaning the touch surface rather annoying. I'm hoping to find a microwave with tactile buttons to avoid having to use stick-on options, both because of the maintenance and because of the initial setup needing so much sighted help.
I'm in the U.S. I need a new microwave, and would love one with tactile buttons. I've not found much so far. There's a Panasonic with buttons I'm told are more or less tactile, but it's much too large for where it will be going. Amazon Basics has their Alexa-enabled microwave, which can be sold with a braille overlay. However, that unit is not only out of stock, but it's much too small. The only other suggestion I've gotten is to find one with dials, but no one in the house wants to deal with dials and how finiky they can be.
Does anyone know of any options for the U.S. market? I don't need tons of fancy functions, but it does have to be around 1000w and have physical, or at least tactile, buttons. Thanks for any ideas.
EDIT: thanks for the comments and links to adhesive labels. I've used both braille labels/raised symbols and puffy paint in the past. Both fall off after a while, and make cleaning the touch surface rather annoying. I'm hoping to find a microwave with tactile buttons to avoid having to use stick-on options, both because of the maintenance and because of the initial setup needing so much sighted help.
vawael 5 points 1y ago
Possibly it would easier to find a microwave on which you can attach tactile stickers like these ones: https://independentliving.com/halos-tactile-microwave-stickers-2-sets-per-pack/
mehgcap [OP] 3 points 1y ago
Thanks for the link, but I've used those before. They work, but have their own drawbacks. Before I go that route again, I wanted to see if there are microwaves out there that have real buttons so I can avoid the stickers entirely.
Blind-bigfoot 2 points 1y ago
I do something like this for me
thatawkwardcosplayer 3 points 1y ago
https://myconsciouseating.com/microwave-for-the-blind/
Here you go! It lists five different types of microwaves that are blind friendly from regular tactile to Alexa to Braille!
Here you go! It lists five different types of microwaves that are blind friendly from regular tactile to Alexa to Braille!
mehgcap [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Thank you! The Panasonic one with the braille touchpad seems perfect. I want to see if I can find it in a larger capacity.
thatawkwardcosplayer 2 points 1y ago
Might be a worth a shot to call customer service! They might be able to let you order over the phone for it
BaBaBroke 2 points 1y ago
Independentliving.com also has a magic chef talking microwave oven II in their catalog for about $370 plus 35 shipping. 1000 watts, 1 cubic foot.
bradley22 2 points 1y ago
Can you get a talking microwave? they might be a bit more expensive, but they work.
TechnicalPragmatist 2 points 1y ago
I think it would be easier to get dots or dimo tape and stick them on a regular one.
mehgcap [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Possibly, but stick-on solutions have their own problems. I'd rather find a microwave with real buttons if I can, so I don't have to worry about labels at all.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
Interesting well I hope you find it I have done it for many years and haven’t had many problems.
PurpleButterfly30 1 points 1y ago
It’s not tactile, but have you looked into the magic chef talking microwave I have it and I love it
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 1y ago
I’m going to reply to your edit. I have bump dots on my microwave which have yet to fall off. The trick is to thoroughly clean the surface before hand with isopropyl alcohol. Get rid of all the dirt, all the oils, all the crap that builds up. I have bump dots stuck onto my stove and exposed to heat, but they remain stuck on
Shadowwynd 1 points 1y ago
Here’s what I do for my clients with vision impairment regarding microwaves:
1) As a good rule, you don’t need most of the buttons. Most microwaves have buttons for fish and potatoes and popcorn and warming up leftovers or coffee or frozen dinners or dingo jerky. Every single microwave I have ever used has done a mediocre job at best using those buttons - you always need to adjust a little.
2) You need a “cancel/clear” button.
3) Most microwaves have a button for +30 seconds that also starts the microwave. If yours doesn’t have this get one that does.
4). Mark those two buttons. I usually use tactile foam marker dots, but I have used puff paint or adhesive Velcro or hot glue or small slices of sandpaper glued in place (Due to sensitivity issues in the fingers).
And that’s all. Always start by pushing the clear button. Do you want your coffee warmed up? Push the +30 button once. Poached egg? Crack the egg into a greased ramekin and push the +30 button twice. Plate of leftovers? Push the +30 button four times. If it isn’t sufficiently hot, close the door and heat in 30 second intervals until it is (Which is the same way that everybody actually uses the microwave regardless of whether you can see or not). Doughnut? Push the +30 button, count to seven in your head, hit clear. Microwave ovens vary so dramatically that all cooking times (regardless who gives them) are not rules but suggestions.
Doing it this way has been a lot easier to teach than marking all the buttons. I have taught microwaves with all the buttons marked, and with the “5” marked for dialing in specific times. This way has been by far the easiest. Doing this way, always starting with clear and then entering your time in multiples of 30, each with a distinct button press, means that someone cant accidentally start the microwave for 18 minutes or something like that. Can you count by halves? Can you find two buttons? If yes, then this works well.
1) As a good rule, you don’t need most of the buttons. Most microwaves have buttons for fish and potatoes and popcorn and warming up leftovers or coffee or frozen dinners or dingo jerky. Every single microwave I have ever used has done a mediocre job at best using those buttons - you always need to adjust a little.
2) You need a “cancel/clear” button.
3) Most microwaves have a button for +30 seconds that also starts the microwave. If yours doesn’t have this get one that does.
4). Mark those two buttons. I usually use tactile foam marker dots, but I have used puff paint or adhesive Velcro or hot glue or small slices of sandpaper glued in place (Due to sensitivity issues in the fingers).
And that’s all. Always start by pushing the clear button. Do you want your coffee warmed up? Push the +30 button once. Poached egg? Crack the egg into a greased ramekin and push the +30 button twice. Plate of leftovers? Push the +30 button four times. If it isn’t sufficiently hot, close the door and heat in 30 second intervals until it is (Which is the same way that everybody actually uses the microwave regardless of whether you can see or not). Doughnut? Push the +30 button, count to seven in your head, hit clear. Microwave ovens vary so dramatically that all cooking times (regardless who gives them) are not rules but suggestions.
Doing it this way has been a lot easier to teach than marking all the buttons. I have taught microwaves with all the buttons marked, and with the “5” marked for dialing in specific times. This way has been by far the easiest. Doing this way, always starting with clear and then entering your time in multiples of 30, each with a distinct button press, means that someone cant accidentally start the microwave for 18 minutes or something like that. Can you count by halves? Can you find two buttons? If yes, then this works well.
mehgcap [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Thanks for the reply. In my case, I prefer to have the numbers marked, as well as defrost and the manual timer button (my current microwave starts immediately when you push a button, so has a separate button to let you enter a time before it starts). I agree that most of the "specialty mode" options aren't worth using, but I prefer to have more control than just hitting the 30 seconds button a bunch. I've been blind my whole life, so I'm not stranger to adapting this kind of applliance. I just hoped to find something that meant I didn't have to adapt it at all.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 1y ago
The headache of finding an accessible microwave is not worth it. I've tried.
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Get yourself a nice microwave and have somebody with vision help you stick bump dots onto it. Much, much, much more sensible and less insanity-inducing. Oh, don't bother with microwaves that use dials or encoder wheels. They'll start skipping numbers after a while so they become unreliable.
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Get yourself a nice microwave and have somebody with vision help you stick bump dots onto it. Much, much, much more sensible and less insanity-inducing. Oh, don't bother with microwaves that use dials or encoder wheels. They'll start skipping numbers after a while so they become unreliable.
DHamlinMusic 1 points 1y ago
Yeah wish the landlord had done this when my house got rebuilt, despite saying no smart crap we have a touch panel whirlpool built in range hood one that's almost unuseable, buttons turn off at random, have context specific function, and are too sensitive to place dots on or even near cause finding them hits others in the process. Also the numbers are in a row across the face above the other menu options so it's near impossible to not hit random stuff even if you have an idea of where to touch… Cannot replace it and have no space for a countertop unit.
flawr 1 points 1y ago
Just as an alternative option if *buttons* are not a must: Is there something you don't like about the simple "mechanical" 2-knob microwaves - the ones with one for the timer, one for the power setting?
mehgcap [OP] 1 points 1y ago
I've never used one, but others in the house have. They don't like how inexact the dials are, and how hard it is to see where the dial is set. Seeing it wouldn't be a problem for me, but getting it to the right place might be. Plus, we do use the defrost option on our current microwave rather often, so having that would be good. As I understand it, the dial ones don't have such an option.
flawr 1 points 1y ago
Thanks for the reply! The ones I've used seen & used I think all had a defrost setting as well as the combined grill setting (but in my opinon often useless) with just some fixed very tactile positions. But the time dial is indeed usually not very accurate, so now I understand why you'd want one with buttons!
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