One of the questions we who’ve been blind for quite some time is: Where do I start when adapting my home for my blind child? My blind husband or wife? My parent who has low-vision? It’s a good question since blindness affects and is interwoven into every fabric of our lives.
One of the first areas I’d sugges is the kitchen. That’s because it’s a convenient and relatively simple space where someone can begin regaining their footing after a major wave of vision loss.
We’ve covered the use of bump dots for navigating appliances like toasters, microwaves, and crockpots. Another handy low-tech friend will be your liquid measurer. Many companies make them but the design across the board is very similar. Two little prongs stick over the edge of the cup or glass you are using and they connect to a small battery pack either exposed or inside a plastic case.
These wires sense when your coffee or soda or water gets close to the top. Some older models let out a shrill alarm while others play a more pleasant tone to let you know to stop pouring.
Now if you’re like me, it takes a bit of time to stop sticking your fingertip over the glass’s edge. Nevertheless, with this little device, you can help family members or visiting guests trust that you’ll hand them their drink without having overflowed its edges. The more you get comfortable using the liquid measurer the less you’ll find yourself needing to clean the counter top when preparing drinks for dinner.
Of course, a liquid measurer will need cleaned and then kept dry until the next time you use it. That way, its sensor will not detect even the slightest dampness when you want to measure your next drink. The first wet sensation it should get is the liquid in your glass or cup, not the remainder of the last one or water from the faucet used when cleaning the wires’ ends.
Check out a demonstration of the liquid measurer on a video about methods for pouring liquid produced by The Blind Life here.
Boldly Blind 