While some accessibility needs to be considered, most tasks about the home simply require knowledge and practice in combination with a healthy dose of self-discipline and positive reinforcement. In other words, encouragement and support from family and friends. Although her mother is not blind, Anita remembers as a child, how she appreciated it when someone remarked on how nice her clean floors looked. Believing in ourselves is important, but it is motivating when someone else believes in our abilities as well. While there will be many people who fear for our safety and have not learned blind people are capable, there are people who know we are capable and who will support are efforts. There are also those who will appreciate are efforts. It is ok to need someone to say "You can do it" or "Thank you!" and genuinely mean it, regardless of our level of vision. When we take care of ourselves and our homes, we are also taking care of others and, whether intentional or not, sending a message about the capabilities of blind people to those who stop by for a visit.
Now, let's look at some examples of how people who are blind can clean, cook, and so forth safely and efficiently. Part of the answer to this is to learn blindness kills and techniques from formalized blindness training, from others, and through experimentation. Another part is organization. For example, if we put something away after using it, then it will be there when we need it again. Time, energy and patience will not be lost in the looking for that particular item. A barcode scanner, such as the app called DigitEyes or a physical talking barcode scanner can help us to identify anything in our homes that contains a barcode, such as canned and boxed foods, cleaning products, medications, and even skeins of yarn still in their packaging. Braille labels or braille written directly on a print piece of paperwork can inform us what it is when a sighted person is not there. An app such as the KNFB reader, which takes a picture of the text and then reads it aloud can also be used to identify printed material. Braille color tags can be sown on our clothes. Or other nifty tricks can be implemented, such as a safety pin to hold together matching socks. Notice here, different items have unique features, for example, the smooth feel of Herbal Essence shampoo vs. the rougher feel of its conditioner bottle. Salt and pepper have different smells, but also one is slightly heavier than the other; can you figure out which one? How about the heat as you fill up your cup with coffee in combination with its weight so you know when your cup is full enough? When pouring for ourselves, we will place our fingers inside the cup near the top so we know to stop pouring when the liquid reaches our finger. Tactile markings, such as a bump dot on a washer to mark start, can be useful for identifying settings on appliances. A piece of velcro might be all we need to mark the popcorn button on our microwave, but Anita also added some other tactile markings on hers so she knows where stop, start, and other buttons are located. When cooking, the smell and feel of food can tell us when it is done. Try sticking a fork in a raw piece of meat and then in a done piece of meat. There is definitely a difference. Timing and listening to the sounds of food can also help us to determine when it is done.
Anita’s favorite kitchen appliance is her air fryer, which is not only safer since grease does not pop out at her, but is also healthier since grease does not need to be added to most foods. She also loves cooking in her crockpot, but keep in mind that a crockpot and a slow cooker are different in that one cooks much faster than the other. She has written down the setting selections for her slow cookers and crockpot, (yes, she has several), so she knows which setting she has it on. As she moves the knob, it bumps as it moves to the next setting.
We caution you that you will want to reference your notes if you take the valuable time to make them. While making a roast for Easter dinner, Anita set her slow cooker on high for a few hours and then turned it to low, or assumed she turned it to low. Consequently, Easter dinner took longer to cook than she planned. “Now,” she says, “Terry who took the time to help me make these notes over FaceTime, will be glad to know that I check those notes most of the time, and I've learned from my very tasty, yet extra marinated roast, to always check to confirm I know what I am doing when it comes to setting my slow cooker's temperature.” :)
S. J. Wells has written an entire post called “Do’s and Don’ts in the Kitchen” on her blog, and you can find it here.
There are many ways of adapting our homes to make what we need or want to do accessible for us. There is no right way to make these adaptations. The key is consistency. While a talking money identifier app or device is great for identifying our money, it is also okay if all we use is a folding system that remains consistent. It is important to fold our money in the privacy of our home with a talking identifier or with someone we trust. It is better to tactually identify our money by sliding our fingers inside our purse or wallet when in a store rather than to have it out as we use our talking money identifier where someone with selfish motives could steal it.
While on the subject of spending money, let's talk about some ways to pay bills and do our shopping. There are several methods. Anita has the Schwan's app on her iPhone, and she can order food from this company to be delivered to her door. We can also use a shopping assistant when at a store. Simply walk to the customer service desk and inform them that you need someone to assist you as you shop. Sometimes, you will need to be assertive if they say they are too busy. Inform them you have the right to shop in their store, just like everyone else. Consider this from Anita.
Once, at a convenience store in my town, the clerk was assisting other customers. She told me she needed to wait on five people before she could assist me. I was ok enough with that plan. But she continued assisting other customers after the fifth person. I spoke up and suggested I needed to get in line. She said she was busy. I said if I could wait, then other customers could also wait. She stopped assisting other customers and helped me and then returned to the other customers, who, by the way, were fine with waiting for their turns. Most of the time, the people at customer service are happy to assist me. Most of the time, I am fine with waiting a few minutes until someone is available to walk through the store with me. It is my job to tell the helper how to help me, in other words, I tell them I will hold the handle of the buggy and for them to pull it from the other end. I feel each item I request so I know it is the size I am expecting. Also, Some items are detectable by touch, and I know I am getting what I intended.
Author’s note: a “buggy” is a shopping cart from WV. :)
Sometimes, we shop with a family member or friend. Other times, we order products from the web. We browse websites, such as amazon.com and walmart.com using a screenreader, a talking program that reads aloud text on a computer screen. The iPhone has a free screenreader built in called VoiceOver that comes installed from the factory. If you have an iDevice, you also have this option as well as several other accessibility options. Check them out by going to settings, general, accessibility. Note your iDevice will work differently, depending on your accessibility choices.
Let's get back on topic and talk a little about paying bills. Some bills can be paid over the phone. You can braille out your account information ahead of time. Then, it will be accessible whenever you are ready for it. Some bills, such as a water bill, can be paid at the office. You could ask a family member, friend or an employee at a bank to help in filling out money orders or checks. You could ask the folks at your local Post Office to assist with addressing envelopes. If you are comfortable on the internet, another option is paying bills online.
This post may have not covered everything there is to cover about independently taking care of our homes and finances. The key is to remember that independence is knowing how to get a job done safely and effectively by either doing it ourselves or by asking for assistence if it is needed. People with vision also need help sometimes, and so just because we ask for help does not mean we aren't independent. But be cautious about asking for assistance when you can do it on your own. If we rely too heavily on others, they will not want to hang around us. As people who are blind, we also need to give back by helping others. I might need a ride to the store from someone with vision, but can I do something in return, like babysit his kids or bake him a chocolate cake? Remember, formal training, practice, experimentation, and a positive blindness philosophy will help us to successfully and independently take care of our homes and families.
Have a question about anything mentioned here today? Please feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form on this blog. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Be blessed, and have a fantastic weekend.
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