Brewing For The Visually Impaired

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Great News. Sounds like he will have minimal difficulty with it in the end.
ATOMT

 

[PistolPatch]

Another thread I haven't noticed and I should have as I'm blind in one eye - seriously. Often wory about if I lost the sight in my other eye...

Bindi, you are a champion!

I was just thinking that if he joins AHB and does a brew day every fortnight that there might be enough brewers up your way to help on the day. Nothing like sharing a brew day! And, he won't even notice how much beer you steal from his fridge! (That joke could possibly be in bad taste but I'm sure your friend would enjoy it - he's a brewer!) I hope there's enough brewers your way to make that happen as it would be an enjoyable solution.

Great idea of yours with the dip stick with notches.

Cheers
PP

EDIT: Just removed some irrelevant ramble made whilst forumming under the influence!

 

[Jens-Kristian]

Brilliant!

I was reading this thread earlier and was thinking how great it is that you got together over that brew. I'm glad it went well and before I read your report on the day I was thinking that it would. I don't see why being visually impaired should really make brewing impossible by any means. More obstacles to get past, sure, but it doesn't mean it can't be done.

I was just thinking - ATOMT mentioned that it might be worthwhile to put together a guide to brewing for visually impaired people? Personally I think that's a stellar idea. Getting together as many ideas and as much experience as possible, perhaps especially from the guy you helped brew, could be a really valuable resource.

After all, we never know when Pistol Patch's other eye gets wonky.

I just think that, as has been mentioned before in this thread, brewing is a hobby where you could really say that visually impaired people would lose relatively little of the enjoyment of the process of brewing due to their inability, and they will no doubt enjoy the outcome just as much as the rest of us. There are a lot of hobbies it simply isn't possible to do in that situation whereas brewing certainly is!

If anyone would be up for putting together such a guide, I would love to take part in it. I'm sure there are associations that might be interested in adding knowledge, too.

Cheers,

Jens-Kristian

 

[bindi]

Good news our new brewer has a new house mate to share the rent, now this is the GOOD part, he is a K@K kit brewing Uni student and will be able help as well I will help both to inprove their kits Win Win.

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

If anyone would be up for putting together such a guide, I would love to take part in it. I'm sure there are associations that might be interested in adding knowledge, too.

[post="129555"][/post]​

Look what you have started Bindi....

From little things BIG things grow.

HK, I am not sure whether Bindi had envisaged quite putting a manual together as much as just giving a mate a hand(Bindi?), but I am a sucker for such things.

Maybe after his first session Bindi doesnt think it is actually needed?

In any case, since finding Bindi's thread, I have been thinking of all sorts of modifications that could help someone to brew with little or no vision.

eg - Below is a wee design for a device and method for determining when the Wort volume is correct by touch



Just for starters.

Bindi. Since you started this, what are your thoughts on a "guide to brewing for the visually impaired"?

Any thoughts?.....anyone?

ATOMT B)

 

[TidalPete]

He is joining this site soon and the new Sunshine Coaest Craft Brew Club and will be at our first meeting coming up, likes a beer has no need to drive.

Bindi,

I applaud your endevours in helping & encouraging this young man to start brewing & I make him welcome to AHB & to our proposed meeting to form a club on the Sunshine coast. :super:

But (Sorry if this is off-topic). --- Nobody should put a name to the proposed club before we actually have one & everyone at the meeting has a say on it (The name of the club-to-be, that is). We should wait until the meeting when we all can discuss this and make a decision in a democratic manner rather than have something pushed through that we may, or may not want. See! The in-fighting has started already. :lol:

:beer:

 

[bindi]

But (Sorry if this is off-topic). --- Nobody should put a name to the proposed club before we actually have one & everyone at the meeting has a say on it (The name of the club-to-be, that is). We should wait until the meeting when we all can discuss this and make a decision in a democratic manner rather than have something pushed through that we may, or may not want. See! The in-fighting has started already.

[post="129649"][/post]​

[/quote]

What :angry: I know how it works I have been a founding [and charter] member of two clubs [ A lot more intense then any brewing culb, and that's understating big time] the name above IS "NOT a given
", you, we anybody can call it what they like . but the name will be decided at the first meeting, if we have one.
Back on topic Angle tears I have save that image good idea and will pass it on.

 

[Jens-Kristian]

Whoops! Hadn't noticed there had been more activity in the thread. I'm still trying to get my head around all the forums!

Angel Tears, I'm definitely still up for it and I think your invention there looks brilliant! :beer:

But aside from that, what might be a good idea is to try to figure out a format for the guide. CD, written out in Braille - both?

I won't pretend I'm very proficient in either medium, but someone here might be. I'm not even that experienced a brewer, but since I started it's taken a hold on me and the more who do brewing the better!

Cheers,

Jens-Kristian

 

[bindi]

But aside from that, what might be a good idea is to try to figure out a format for the guide. CD, written out in Braille - both?

Another great idea the interest in this has topic has been bigger then I thought, not everyone posts here, they send emails others phone [some know me] <_<
Thanks Guys.
Bob

 

[Stuster]

Excellent work, Bindi. Should be much easier to have for this guy if he has a brewing buddy.

Congrats on the 500th post too.

J-K, just click on 'View all new posts' under the latest posts to see all the posts since you were last here.

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

But aside from that, what might be a good idea is to try to figure out a format for the guide. CD, written out in Braille - both?

[post="129963"][/post]​

Personally I think the order of development should be as follows;

Version 1 - Witten.
Version 2 - CD.
Version 3 - Braille.

ie 1st things first. The manual needs to be developed first (i.e lots of editing required) and the obvious format for that is written. No use developing it in braille or even CD first.

Once the process and steps have been compiled and tested so that we feel weve captured the procedures and we know they are good (excuse the pun but ......so that even a blind man could follow them. (Im such an ass)). Then a written manual is produced.

Next easiest step (and possibly the only one we may need to take.) is to produce a CD version of the manual. Pretty straight forward to do and each step could be a "track" so that by using the "next track" and "previous track" buttons, the user can move through the steps at their leisure. Each track is announced first...."Step 5 - blah blah blah".

With technology the way it is these days, most visually impaired people would probably prefer to use an ipod to a braille manual. But then maybe someone who is both visually impaired and deaf may want to brew as well... I imagine that might be the case.

(Hey! Grasshopper mind me......we could produce it as a series of "mpg" files for downloading on an ipod. We could even have different programs or groupings for partials etc.)

Anyway. As I say. First things first.

Task 1 - List all steps involved in a basic K+K.
Task 2 - identify visually impaired challenging steps.
Task 3 - Develop work-arounds for those steps.

So.......Who's going to compile the first version of a list of steps. Any volunteers?

If we post them in this thread, I volunteer to compile and manage the process.

Any comments?
Who's in?

regards
ATOMT

 

[bindi]

Bump <_< I will help with the above where I can, I can't spell, type [slow] etc but I can lift heavy beers.
But I do have some ideas about Brewing For The Visually Impaired.

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Bump <_<

?

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Hi all.

No sign of a list, but I reckon the hydrometer is one of the items that will present a visual challenge.

So heres my next design.....



By setting a repeatable level in the sample tube, the SG can be read off the top of the tube, by touch.

By elongating the whole setup, the differences in SG would be amplified Vertically.

It would take some practice, but I guess thats to be expected.

Obviously it would all have to be completely custom made but there you go.

cheers for now

ATOMT

 

[Jens-Kristian]

I agree with the comments so far. It's true - it makes most sense to compile the 'problems' first.

I think the matter with the customisation of the equipment is certainly a valid point, but also an issue that is actually workable. In most cases the changes needed to be made are not necessarily that complicated.

Your idea with the hydrometer is just brilliant. It's easy to do, too. All you really need is to drill a small hole in a test tube.

As for the hydrometer itsels, well, as you say it must be readable to a reasonable extent. I was thinking that it would be possible basically to 'burn' on some little plastic nobs? It might be difficult to hit the balance between being clearly discernible and being accurate, but I suppose it may be reasonable enough to accept that a reading might be a little bit off in this. After all, it's not like it is all *that* important whether OG is 1042 or 1045. Basically, I'd suggest a system of simply 'counting the dots.'

I'm very sure there must be measuring cups and other vessels made for blind people for cooking and such, and certainly many of these could come in handy. Bindi, did you notice any such equipment at your friend's place or could you just ask him? I'm thinking about the pragmatic and cost-efficient side to it all, too. If a lot of equipment is already present in the household then that is certainly a help. It might also jog our imagination and find places where it'd make sense to apply them. In some cases, possibly instead of modifying brewing equipment. Money is an issue to most people. I know it certainly is to me.

As for who does what. I'm happy to put together the guide in a good layout. I know that might not directly be very helpful to the blind person himself, but it might be an idea to have a visual as well - if nothing else then for those who will of course have to be there to help initially or along the way - be that family, friend etc. I work with layout in a publishing house, so it's fairly easy for me to do that part. I'm also fine with doing some writing as I do a bit of that here and there, too.

Oh, and thanks for letting me know how to work the 'latest threads' list. :beer:

Cheers,

Jens-Kristian

 

[bindi]

Another good idea is there any thermometers that give off a audio [beep, whatever] that can be pre set for say, pitching temps and mash temps? Can't find anything to do the job doing a Google search so far, but found some good gear here . Plus the talking kitchen scales

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Scales are great bindi.

I had a look at some of the VI equipment suppliers. (Searched VI Thermometers) and they had talking thermometers but not with a probe ( for haning in the wort) as far as I could see. I reckon with the talking Thermometer, we just need to have a chat to one of the suppliers of VI equipment and they could quickly tell us if they are available.

Dependant on the Level of VI, a stick on thermometer with enlarged numbers , more clearly visible may do the trick, but not for everyone.

HK. I agree, there are a lot of things that are possibly just a case of finding a better way to read it.

As you say, adding dots or grooves to the hydrometer is going to put out the calibration. I had thought of this too. Unless the dots were already on the tube (all of them) prior to calibration (they could be stick-on). Then it would be a case of moving them into position during calibration. Then the main problem is them coming off....

Also, the whole hydrometer would need to be elongated to amplify the movement. ie, the hydrometer and the tube would need to be longer AND thinner. Therefore it would not really be as simple as drilling a hole. But it should work.

Bindi, I tried to PM you and either you inbox is full or it is "Off".

I thought you could start with a basic list of steps as followed by you and the fella you did the two brews with. Certainly you are in a much better position to do this as you actually have where as I have not. You will be able to identify steps where you had problems.

Once we get things coming together and identify completed steps, HK can do the layout. Probably if the Volume guage and Hydrometer are to be used, we would need to either make one or work out how best to do so. Thats going to be the real bummer. Maybe someone would fund that side???? but thats a way ahead now.

gotta get back to trying to get a real job, so bye for now.

cheers,

ATOMT.

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Hey Bindi. I checked out your link. They had liquid level indicators. I reckon they would be a pinch to modify for brewing. They are crackers..

Then we go forget about the "Tactile volume guage".

ATOMT

 

[bindi]

This new VI brewer is receiving all this info and more from the emails sent by the members here, I have his dad lurking on this site now also. B)

 

[Tseay]

Bindi,

it's just a thought but, when it comes to hydrometers , maybe the answer is to rely on taste. After all, a hydrometer is measuring a reduction in sugar content of the wort. As your friends other senses develop an alternative answer may be to provide him with a set of wort solutions say from 1050 to 1010 and see if he can tell the difference. He could then use these to taste the maltose conversion. the samples would have to be kept in the fridge. It's a low cost way that might work.

T