Dishwasher reviews

08.Accessibility

The Independent Living Centre, NSW, provided us with the following general guidelines on what to look for in a dishwasher for use by someone with a disability.

Problems with hands or strength

Look for:

• light doors with latches that are easy to open and close
• controls that are easy to turn and press
• baskets that slide in and out easily
• large, raised dials with a crossbar, but note that dials can be more difficult to use than buttons or keypads if you lack hand strength
• buttons and keypads that require only a soft touch to activate
• filters that can easily be removed, cleaned and replaced.

For poor vision

Look for:

• controls that are easy to read - large, well spaced and with good contrast, and well labelled
• positive feedback such as lights and/or beeps, and other tactile, audio and visual feedback is helpful
• well-defined baskets - in a contrasting colour.

For someone with dementia

Look for:

• an audible end-of-cycle signal and fault alarm.