Kitchen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired:
Last Updated March 23rd, 2026. Included in this website page are the following sections. Kitchen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired. Kitchen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired Resources. Online Stores with Adaptive Kitchen Products. Kitchen Safety Techniques. Pouring Techniques. Dishwashing Techniques. Use a Tray to Prepare Food. Using the Microwave. Grilling and BBQ. Recipe Management. Using Measuring Cups and Spoons. Knife Techniques. Peeling Techniques. Stovetop Techniques. Oven Techniques. Meat Doneness Techniques. Seasoning Techniques. End of list.
Kitchen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired:
Maximize the use of vision with lighting and magnification.
Use other senses.
Use kitchen products for the visually impaired.
Adapt appliances with tactile labels such as bump dots, loc dots, and braille stickers.
Label kitchen items with adaptive labeling methods.
Use a smartphone or tablet alarm to keep track of the time.
Use magnification, text-to-speech, and talking camera app options for reading as well as identifying kitchen items.
Kitchen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired Resources:
Online Stores with Adaptive Kitchen Products:
Kitchen Safety Techniques:
Follow instructions listed on the container.
Use oven mitts when using the microwave, stovetop, and oven.
Do not leave the kitchen while appliances are in use.
Check that appliances are off before leaving the kitchen.
Have a safety plan in place in the event that a fire would occur.
Wash your hands before preparing and cooking any food.
Clean surfaces after preparing and cooking food.
Clean dishware after preparing and cooking food.
Pouring Techniques:
Put the container in a sink before pouring to prevent spilling liquid on counters or tables.
Wrap one or more fingers around the rim of the container to feel for the temperature change when the liquid gets to that level.
Listen for the sound the liquid makes when it reaches the top of the container.
Hold a container against something like a kitchen cabinet to create contrast to assist in seeing the liquid.
Place an empty container on a flat surface at the edge closest towards oneself. Hold the container of liquid so that the top of the container is at the same height as the top of the empty container. Then move the container of liquid right up against the side of the empty container. Line up the opening to the container with the top of the rim of the empty container. Tilt the container of liquid towards the empty container.
Use a tray with raised edges or a bowl.
Use a funnel.
Use a Liquid Level Indicator.
Use a talking kitchen scale.
Dishwashing Techniques:
Use a headlight so you can use light without getting a flashlight or lamp wet.
Use a knife cleaning brush when cleaning knives.
Adapt dishwasher buttons with bump dots, loc dots, or braille stickers.
Use a liquid level indicator and a funnel to assist in pouring dishwasher liquid.
Use dishwasher pods.
Use a dishwasher clean dirty magnet.
Fill a dishwasher from back to front.
Fill the dishwasher by touch.
Fill the dishwasher in an organized way where certain dishes go in certain parts of the dishwasher.
Use a Tray to Prepare Food:
Use a tray with raised edges to prepare food.
Use a black tray if a dark background creates better contrast.
Use a gray or white tray if a light background creates better contrast.
The raised edges keep everything on the tray, stay on the tray.
It also helps with organization.
Using the Microwave:
Adapt the buttons used with bump dots, loc dots, or braille stickers.
For a microwave with a handle, it can be used as a reference location to find the buttons that have been adapted with bump dots.
Use a cool caddy, cafeteria tray, and oven gloves. Use the gloves whenever holding the hot dishware. Use the caddy and/or tray to assist with moving the hot dishware.
Recipe Management:
Writing recipes on paper with a marker.
Writing recipes in a bold lined notebook.
Create audio recordings.
Accessible recipes from The Blind Kitchen website page link.
Listen to recipes online using a screen reader.
Use a recipe management app such as Paprika Recipe Manager 3 or Umami - Recipe Manager.
Using Measuring Cups and Spoons:
Place a finger inside the cup to feel when the cup is almost full.
Use a liquid level indicator to feel and/or hear when the liquid is near the top of the cup.
Scrap excess food off of the top using the back of a knife.
High contrast between the color of the food or liquid and the color of the measuring cup or spoon.
Place the measuring cup or spoon in a container such as a bowl or tray with raised edges to catch any spilled food or liquid.
Use a talking kitchen scale.
Knife Techniques:
Pinch the blade tightly between your thumb and index finger on the sides of the blade at the lowest part just above the knife handle. Curl your other three fingers safely around the handle of the knife.
Use a tray with raised edges to keep everything together in one place and for easier cleanup. Use a non-slip mat underneath trays and cutting boards to prevent them from sliding around while in use.
Use a reversible black and white cutting board so that dark colored foods can be on the white side and light colored foods can be on the black side.
Use a container as the discard container to keep it all together for easier cleanup and to keep your space more organized.
Use a grate guard to hold the food in place. Use the grate guard to hold the food on each side with the closed part at the top so that the edges shield fingers.
When you’re done using a knife, place it in a specific spot so that you know where it is. Keep knives in a tray with raised edges separate from other utensils when preparing food and when storing them in a drawer.
The Rocking Method. Rock the knife blade back and forth on top of the food to cut it. There are specific knives for this called rocking knives.
The Claw Method. Hold the blade of the knife with your thumb on one side and your pointer finger on the opposite side. The three other fingers can be loosely curled around the handle. Hold the food with your non-cutting hand with your fingers curled inwards and the thumb behind the other fingers. Then your fingers can act as a guide for the knife blade.
The Bridge Method:
This method is best for cutting large round pieces of food in half.
Step One: Holding the food between your thumb and fingertips guide the tip of your knife safely under the bridge formed by your hand and fingers and place on top of the food to be cut.
Step Two: Have your non-dominant hand form a bridge shape, with your four fingers slightly apart to accommodate the food to be cut with all four of your fingertips touching the cutting board on one side of the food. Your palm should be facing downward as you now place your thumb with the tip of your thumb touching the cutting surface on the other side of the food. Your thumb side of the bridge should be closest to your body with the fingertips on the other side. Your hand will naturally form a “bridge” over the food.
Step Three: Gently bring your finger tips and thumb tip towards each other so that the food is now trapped between your fingertips and thumb tip, but still in contact with the cutting surface.
Step Four: Guide the tip of your knife safely under the bridge and place the blade where you want it on top of the food to be cut. For example, if you are cutting a potato, remember the first goal is to cut it in half so you will have a flat surface on both halves of the potato to work with. Maneuver your non-dominant hand to be able to hold the food firmly so it cannot roll.
Step Five Part One: Once the food is firmly secured, place pressure on the handle to push the knife forward keeping the blade in constant contact with the food. You will not push straight down as it is much easier to push forward with a bit of downward pressure, rather than muscling the knife blade straight downward which is never a safe strategy.
Step Five Part Two: When the blade runs out and the fingers that are gripping the knife handle and the back of the blade come close to the food, you can safely draw the knife backward, keeping it in the slit you have cut while keeping a gentle downward pressure to continue the cutting. Repeat this step until the food is halved.
Step Six: Now you can safely lift your non-dominant hand straight up into the air away from the food and the knife blade.
The Corral Method:
Step One: Place the clean and trimmed food you want to cut into a pile on your cutting surface.
Step Two: Hold the knife firmly by the handle in your dominant hand taking care to pinch the blade of the knife blade closest to the handle between your index finger and thumb, while the other three fingers are wrapped safely around the handle ensuring safe spin-free control of the knife.
Step Three: Locate the center of the section of food to be cut and place the tip of your knife blade to the side of that portion of food. You will not lift the tip of your knife off of the board when performing this cutting method. Instead, the tip knife will serve as your anchor point and will not be lifted for this method. Place the index finger of your non-dominant hand on the back of the blade so it is pressing the tip of the knife firmly to the cutting surface. Now you will use that anchor point as a focus for the next steps.
Step Four: Lower the handle of the knife through the food until it reaches the cutting surface making one cut through the food. Do not release the tension in your non-dominant index finger that is holding the point of the knife to the cutting surface.
Step Five: Lift the knife handle, while holding the tip of the blade in the same spot and rotate the knife a very short distance, maintaining your anchor, and once again lower the handle of the knife causing the blade to cut through a second section of the food. Your blade tip should still be held to the same anchor point.
Step Six: Repeat Step Six until you have cut through all of the food in that section one time. Check the food to see if it is the size you desire.
Step Seven: If you would like to cut the food into smaller pieces you need to “corral” or gather the partially cut food into a pile on your cutting surface. Again, anchor the tip of the knife blade to the cutting surface roughly at the center point to one side of the pile and do the rotating cuts from one side of the pile to the other. Repeat this until the pieces are as small as you desire.
Peeling Techniques:
Peel away from your body at a 45 degree angle.
Start with half of the vegetable to keep your working surface area easier to manage.
Use a small paring knife.
Use a palm peeler.
Stovetop Techniques:
Adapt buttons and dials with tactile labels such as bump dots, loc dots, or braille labels.
Place a strip of textured tape or a mat in front of the stove to let you know where it is in the kitchen.
Center a pot or a pan on the burner while the burner is off so that you can check by feel if it is in place.
Keep pan and pot handles facing to the left or right away from the center of the stovetop.
Check that the burners are off before using the stove.
Orient yourself to the stovetop by feel while wearing hand protection.
Feel above each burner to check if it’s on by holding your hand out shoulder height and slowly lower your hand to feel for the heat coming from the burner.
Wear goggles to protect from cooking liquid splatter.
Oven Techniques:
Adapt buttons and dials with tactile labels such as bump dots, loc dots, or braille labels.
Move dishes in and out of the oven while on the side of the oven door.
Wear a headlight to increase the lighting inside the oven.
Meat Doneness Techniques:
Use a talking kitchen thermometer, or a bluetooth meat thermometer that connects to an app, to check that the meat is cooked to the proper temperature.
Touch the meat to check if it feels done.
Seasoning Techniques:
Identify seasonings by shaking the containers to hear the differences between the seasonings as well as the different smells.
Organizing seasoning containers by type.
Label seasoning containers with adaptive labels such as large print labels, bump dots, and rubber bands.
Prepare seasoning in a container such as a small bowl.
Use a funnel to add seasoning.
To control the flow, shake a small amount into your palm first, pinch out desired amount or place palm down and fingers spread over your plate and sprinkle over hand.