In March 2023 the Accessible World Tek Talk team reached out to Debra Erickson, executive chef and founder of The Blind Kitchen, to request an interview to discuss adaptive culinary tools and cooking strategies for people with vision loss. Debra has significant vision loss due to Retinitis Pigmentosa and was the only blind student in… Continue reading Tek Talk Interview with Debra Erickson
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Speaking Out for the Blind
It was a pleasure talking with Brian McCallen host of the Speaking Out for the Blind show. He was so warm and funny and put me at ease almost immediately. Take a listen to learn a bit more about the journey and evolution of The Blind Kitchen and be sure to listen to Brian’s other… Continue reading Speaking Out for the Blind
Labeling clothing
Chef Debra has over 30 chef coats in various colors and styles! Q) How is she able to select the one she wants if she can’t see them? A) She uses WayAround to label clothing and many other things as well. Debra can quickly, confidently, and independently know exactly which chef coat is which using… Continue reading Labeling clothing
Grand opening success!
The Grand Opening of The Blind Kitchen was a big success! Held where all The Blind Kitchen videos are shot, Willamette Falls Studios, the grand opening featured a plethora of delicious food prepared by the chefs from Debra’s culinary school alma mater. The food looked almost too beautiful to eat – but we found a… Continue reading Grand opening success!
Using bump dots to label bottles and jars
The quickest way to identify what is inside a jar or a bottle is to read the label. If that is not an option for you because of vision loss, the next quickest way is to read a Braille label that identifies the contents. But many visually impaired people do not read braille. There are a… Continue reading Using bump dots to label bottles and jars
Cooking with tea bags
Do you know there are literally thousands of tea bag flavors including herbs and spices? Some, like lavender and mint teas you are probably familiar with but there are so many more! I use flavored teabags to infuse flavor when I am boiling, simmering, and poaching. Some of the lesser-known tea flavors are oregano, thyme, star anise,… Continue reading Cooking with tea bags
Use rubber bands to shop
When shopping in person in a store, having a stash of rubber bands on your wrist can be very helpful. You can quickly slip a rubber band onto a can or box to help you to differentiate between items that are the same shape and size. For example, if I am buying 3 cans of soup:… Continue reading Use rubber bands to shop
How to sweep your floor
Sweeping a floor is necessary for any kitchen. People with vision loss cannot glance and see if there is any dirt on the floor. We have to assume there is dirt on every portion of the floor and there are no shortcuts, unfortunately. How to sweep I like to use a large dustpan so that I have… Continue reading How to sweep your floor
Let Google Assistant get and read recipes
Handsfree recipe assistance from Google is helpful and easy to use. You can find and read recipes using only your voice with a Google Assistant. For example, just say “Hey Google. Get me a recipe for buttermilk biscuits.” She will suggest a recipe and the website she found it. She will say something like, “Best Buttermilk… Continue reading Let Google Assistant get and read recipes
Befriend your lazy Susan
An organized kitchen and pantry helps to make cooking a pleasure. One of my best friends is Lazy Susan! If you don’t know what a Lazy Susan is, it is a round cabinet organizer that rotates on its own rotating platform allowing the cook to access items in the back of the cupboard without reaching over… Continue reading Befriend your lazy Susan