What can I do to make my home more adaptable?

Hello, ! We are so glad you're here, and what a great question! If you click on the menu tab at the top of your screen, you will find a wonderful selection of ideas to help make your home more adaptable under 'Living with MD'. If you have any other questions, please reach out, we are here for you!
-Andrea, MacularDegeneration.net Team Member

Hey Jan,
Our home is fairly well adapted for my legally blind husband. It didn't take much efford or money to do and from an outsider perspective, it's barely noticeable.

Some things we have done:
1)We keep a nice arm chair very close to our television, my husband can pull it right in front of the tv when he wants to watch it.
2) We have bump dots on the knobs and controls of many of our appliances. If you aren't familiar, bump dots are small raised stickers. We buy inconspicuous clear round ones. My husband places them on microwave buttons, washer and dryer controls, some light switches, oven etc. Anywhere that my husband needs help distinquishing between buttons or switches.
3) My husband makes videos regularly so a good computer monitor is essential. He uses a 40inch tv as his computer monitor and it is mounted to the wall with an adjustable arm. He often uses this not just as his monitor, but also as his tv. He can pull it close to him and not have to hunch over to watch movies.
4) We've added inexpensive lighting under our kitchen cabinets, in closets and pantries, etc.
5) Probably the most important thing is that our family knows that there is a place for everything and everything has it's place. We do our best to not leave shoes around that my husband can trip on. We have our pantry organzed well so that he knows within a pretty narrow area where to find what he's looking for. Same goes for our refrigerator.
6) We keep our dishes simple. Plain, white, or at least solid colored plates work best. If there is a pattern on the dishes my husband can either "lose" his food in the design or think the design is food. We also use mainly non-breakable glasses. He often "misses" clear glasses, which means they will get knocked over and spilled or broken.

I hope this helps. Also, keep your eyes open for videos on this site from my husband Sam, as he will surely be highlighting how we've made our home accessible.