kitchen equipment for the deaf

[get in my belly]

i work with a dude whos compleatly deaf . we pound on the floor with our feet to get his attention and he never hears the timers, obviously i was wondering if there is a good website of store that sells hearing impared kitchen equipment . he would appritiate it so much to feel like hes not burdening us with his work even tho its not a burden . i dont know like timers that vibrate or something . thank you much -belly please also give advice for other situations youve been in just want the day to be a little smoother

[KatieLoeb]

A very quick search yielded THIS handy timer that beeps, flashes and vibrates so you can set it any way you'd like.

Interestingly, when I was looking at the products for the deaf I realized that there are so many things I don't even think about. For instance, what does a deaf person use for an alarm clock??? They make devices that vibrate the whole bed or smaller ones for under the pillow to awaken folks that can't hear an alarm clock.

[FistFullaRoux]

I know there are phones and add-ons for phones that flash... Which strikes me as a bit odd, until I remembered TDD... The Silent Call stuff that Katie found may be the best bet, though it is expensive...

There is this, (The Vibra Light watches on the last half of the page)which may work. This one may work as well.

It shouldn't take too much to create something like that. At the minimum, it should be fairly simple to write a bit of software to run on a laptop or PDA. The screen itself should blink, but there should also be a way to connect an external light bulb/LED assembly to allow it to be placed remotely.

[foodie52]

I have a deaf friend. She has large mirrors both in her workplace and at home.

In her home kitchen, the mirror is propped behind the sink so that she can see behind her and watch everyone else. At work ( she works a lot at a computer ) she has a mirror propped against the wall right behind her monitor so that she can see who is coming in and out of her work space.

If your coworker has a specific station, you might think about asking if management would buy a large mirror: at least 36 by 36, to prop up at his station.

Would that help?

[andiesenji]

I have a couple of deaf friends and they both have "Hearing-Ear" dogs that let them know when timers sound.

[get in my belly]

thanks so much good people for your time and concideration , this is also something compleatly new to me very fun learning sign as well the timer you showed katie is perfect i think he could just stick it in his pocket ........and the price is right as well thnx again all and much love -belly.also finding out that he has a hard time wrighting english for asl is a different launguage . interestging i have a passion for launguage so this is way fun for me also that mirror idea is great but hes all over the kitchen so wouldnt help him much . hes a baker so the timer is the most important . we just throw stuff at each other to get attention i grapes he peices of dough.......good times hahahahahaaha

[msphoebe]

Hey belly, thanks for the laugh this morning. I can just picture the ongoing "food fight"...

[LaurieB]

(In addition to food) language is a big interest of mine. I have to admit, I never thought of how ASL would be written. Is it? Just curious.

Edited September 19, 2004 by LaurieB (log)

[get in my belly]

this http://www.kith.org/logos/words/upper3/GGGo.html is a great read . yeah that rat bastard will peg me hard with that dough hehehehe

[skrattypants]

asl can be written as signed (sentence structure strikes me as being very similar to german), but many words are eliminated. "i'm going to the store now" might be signed "i-store-go-now". more often, deaf read plain old written english if they mainstream.

a deaf friend once worked in food prep and was oblivious to everything going on around him, until the day the joint blew up. he couldn't hear the alarms and sirens, but figured something was up when he smelled 100# of butter becoming uber-ghee.

[hillvalley]

(In addition to food)  language is a big interest of mine.  I have to admit, I never thought of how ASL would be written.  Is it?  Just curious.

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Just a bit more on the ASL thing. ASL is its own language just as English, French or Japanese are. Actually, the deaf are the only disabled group with it's own culture, but that's another story.

When deaf people learn to read, they speak in one language and read and write in another. They also miss a lot of symantics the hearing world picks up.

A food example:

A few years ago I had a student who was completely deaf. The year I had him he was just learning to read. One day while food shopping with his mother he finally read the name of the rolls that often held his favorite food.

He turned to his mother in horror, shrieking loudly.

He thought he had been eating cooked dog all these years.

Edited September 24, 2004 by hillvalley (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Cool! Glad I could help. As I said, there's so much we fortunate souls all take for granted, this was really an interesting subject to think about.

[lovebenton0]

i work with a dude whos compleatly deaf . we pound on the floor with our feet to get his attention and he never hears the timers, obviously    i was wondering if there is a good website of store that sells hearing impared kitchen equipment . he would appritiate it so much to feel like hes not burdening us with his work even tho its not a burden . i dont know  like timers that vibrate or something . thank you much -belly please also give advice for other situations youve been in just want the day to be a little smoother 

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You can check out the EGCI Cooking with Disabilities course for more links to equipment for deaf and HOH people and other resources.

In particular:

Assistance devices are available for the hard of hearing (HOH) and deaf, i.e., light flash response for timers and alarms, similar to the phone or doorbell alerts. There are also vibration alerts; I have even used my pager and my cell phone set on vibrate as timers.

I have a couple of deaf friends and they both have "Hearing-Ear" dogs that let them know when timers sound.

Waiting for my Hearing/Balance Dog to arrive within several months. A furry kitchen timer for me too!

Edited September 27, 2004 by lovebenton0 (log)

[andiesenji]

Waiting for my Hearing/Balance Dog to arrive within several months. A furry kitchen timer for me too! 

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More and more animal "assistants" are being added to the list of helpers.

A very dear friend who has Parkinson's and has the typical hesitation gait, where his left foot seems to become stuck to the ground while he is walking and he simply cannot proceed. He now has an assist dog that puts his paw on Dean's foot when it gets "stuck" and that pressure interrupts the effect and he can resume walking. He also alerts if Dean has an episode of "freezing" while eating or just sitting and puts his paws on Dean's chest and pushes against him and again, this enables him to resume his activities.

One of our patient's, who is an epileptic, now has her second "warning" dog who senses when she is going to have a seizure so she can get into a safe position with her mouthpiece in place. She got her first one when she was twelve and she is now 21 and her old dog is living with her mom.

I recently saw a segment on one of the cable shows that showed a monkey helping a wheelchair-bound girl as she attended school, did her homework and fixed a snack in the kitchen. Just amazing.

[lovebenton0]

I had no idea when I contacted THSD in Austin about a Hearing Dog that they could also balance-train a dog for me. In the process of introducing myself and my medical situation I told my contact about deafness (with a cochlear implant/ "CI") as well as the vertigo and permanent vestibular damage. She snapped on that immediately and was the one to suggest to me that I was a perfect candidate for a Balance/Hearing Dog.

I'm unable to hear certain ranges of sounds even with the CI and a bit of distance or almost any background noise can mask sounds. I'm looking forward to being able to set the kitchen timer when I cook. Not to mention knowing when there's water running. Having the dog to support me when I'm in the kitchen will also allow me to do some tasks with two hands again.