LG commits to making home appliances more accessible to physically challenged

As part of this commitment, LG's new vertical laundry solution - WashTower - will be the first appliance to include audio instructions and braille overlays. Starting with the enhanced WashTower and CordZero M9 robot vacuum cleaner, the company will increase the number of more accessible home appliance products and markets.

LG Electronics has pledged to make its everyday home appliances more accessible to the physically challenged. The commitment is part of the company's new ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives covering human rights.

"Most everyone agrees that technology and innovation have made our lives immensely easier and more productive. Two decades ago, working and studying from home was an entirely different experience without broadband, smartphones or Zoom. But there has been a need to make such technological innovation more accessible to everyone," the South Korean technology giant said on Friday.

As part of this commitment, LG's new vertical laundry solution - WashTower - will be the first appliance to include audio instructions and braille overlays. Starting with the enhanced WashTower and CordZero M9 robot vacuum cleaner, the company will increase the number of more accessible home appliance products and markets.

With the addition of voice instructions in LG WashTower and CordZero M9 vacuum cleaner, customers with visual impairment will be able to easily access the appliance's many advanced features via audio prompts alone. Additional tones will be implemented throughout the washing machine to better guide the user in selecting the correct function and options.

Further, with the integration of braille overlays, navigating LG WashTower's Center Control for visually impaired customers will be infinitely more convenient.

LG said that accessibility enhancements for additional company products such as robot vacuums, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and air conditioners are in the works.

Commenting on this development, Donna Danielewski of the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), said, "LG's U.S. accessibility council activities are particularly noteworthy; global teams from LG come together to host nearly a dozen leading U.S. accessibility experts and disability advocacy organization leaders. Our team in NCAM is always grateful for the opportunity to learn from the council participants (as well as representatives from all levels of LG) while also bringing our own expertise to the table."