I’ve written quite a bit about accessibility and mobility changes in the older adults. It might be helpful to talk about how certain parts of product packaging can be accessible. Of course, not every accessibility feature will work for all disabilities, so this cannot be an exhaustive list. I will try to describe the relevant This will cover a wide array of different consumer product packaging that may be in people’s homes.
Lids
In terms of products like moisturizers, or food or cleaning products that come in a tub, pop-off lids may be more accessible than twist off lids. This will be true of people who have low hand strength or ability to make a twist. People with those difficulties could open lids like these themselves. The one thing I must caution people on is if you’re using chemicals with these kinds of lids (I’m thinking particularly of Lysol wipes) that you should keep them out of reach of children.
Sprays
So for spray nozzles, like perfume or sprayed cleaners, there are a couple of considerations for accessibility. One is a nozzle that can be clearly felt or otherwise indicated on the packaging, like in this video by blind content creator Molly Burke reviewing the new accessible perfume packaging by the company Rare Beauty. She notes, “I know exactly where the spray nozzle is because it’s the direct reverse of where this divot is” while pointing to a divot in the perfume top’s packaging.
Once again, this post got way longer than I intended, so there will be a second part to this post coming tomorrow.
Written by Brigid Coffey
