AccessWorld Appliance Accessibility Guide Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the AFB AccessWorld Appliance Accessibility Guide. The information contained in this Guide has been compiled by AccessWorld staff, and is based on research conducted in the AFB TECH labs as well as a program of on-going accessibility observations for major home appliances. This information is offered as a framework against which you can compare your experience as a consumer. We make every attempt to keep all information, including brands and models, up to date. We can not always anticipate when a model will become unavailable so contacting manufacturers or retail locations is important before deciding on any specific model.

We have organized the information into several broad areas. These include information about the types of controls you will find, and our description of them by category, some thoughts about shopping for, and learning to use an appliance and information about appliances organized by appliance type.

We also provide links to past issues of AccessWorld which contain the original articles which comprise quite a bit of the content in this guide. It is important to note that those articles contain information which is no longer current, and describe appliances and technology which may no longer be available.

We hope that this guide is useful to you, and invite you to let us know how we can improve it. We would like to include more specific data about particular models and offer an opportunity for you to recommend appliances, both of which are in the future.

Accessibility Wash: New, Usable Washers and Dryers Are Released, AccessWorld®, Vol. 8, No. 3, May 2007.

We're Cooking Now: A Guide to the Accessibility of Major Appliances, AccessWorld®, Vol. 7, No. 3, May 2006.

What You Need To Know Before You Buy

The Kinds of Controls You Will Encounter

Stoves

Wall Ovens and Cooktops

Microwave Ovens

Dishwashers

Washers and Dryers