5 Easy Tips to Make Your Kitchen Accessible
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photo of a google home sitting on a ledge with flowers. Beside the image is a blue box with white text “5 easy ways to make your kitchen accessible by world services for the blind”
5 Tips on How to Easily Make Your Kitchen Accessible
For many people who have experienced vision loss, getting back into the kitchen can be extremely intimidating. We wanted to share a few easy tips on how to make your kitchen accessible and safe. Having low vision, or no vision at all doesn’t mean you can’t cook. It just means you need to prepare a few steps ahead to do it safely! We’re bringing you some great tips from our very own Techniques of Daily Living Instructor, Doris!
1. Be Organized
Organization is key when trying to make an easily accessible kitchen! Oftentimes you don’t need anything fancy but a system to know where everything is, so it is readily available. Pen Friends or braille dots can help keep things organized. With those tools, you can keep items labeled and know exactly where everything is in your kitchen.
2. Fire Safety
Cooking with fire can be an intimidating experience for those who have lost their sight. One tip is to use the back burner of the stove, so it is more difficult to get too close to burn yourself. A crucial tip for fire safety is to know where your fire extinguisher is and to keep one on hand.
3. Google Home is your friend
Google Home can be an incredibly useful and accessible tool in the kitchen. It can tell you the time, start a timer, tell you the next step in a recipe, and so much more! They can also be fairly inexpensive, especially the mini version.
4. Use convenient appliances
Most people probably don’t realize that appliances like Keurigs and induction cooktops are extremely useful for the blind and visually impaired. Using single-serving coffeemakers or induction cooktops can let you have the freedom of cooking or making a cup of coffee without the worry that you’ll burn yourself. If you are worried about things spilling or need help with steadying items, there are even bowls that grip to the table! Talking microwaves are another great option and we even did a review of talking microwaves you can watch below:
5. Plan ahead
Planning ahead is crucial when you’re getting back in the kitchen. Before you even get started cooking, make sure you have everything you need within easy access (going back to our first point!). Set up any bowls on the counter you might need or set up the pots on the stove before starting the burner.
If you feel like you or someone you know would benefit from some Techniques of Daily Living training, be sure to check out our Life Skills training programs page! WSB offers comprehensive life skills and vocational training on-campus and online!