Relatively new, blind CPAP user.

I wonder if the numbers have been collected for numbers of blind cpap users.
Perhaps they need to find one another: power in numbers!

PaulKTF wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:23 pm

Sometimes the best solution is simply to ask someone else to help you make the adjustments you want to make to the machine's settings. Like others have said, you won't have to change the settings every night once you've figured out the pressure settings you want to set it to and the small handful of other settings you might want to change. I do wish all the CPAP machine manufacturers would make their machines accessible though- that would be fantastic.

Hi, that is not the actual point! I have just as much of a right to be able to change my settings when I wish, read the sleep report when I turn my machine off in the morning, etc. I can and have in the past asked for help, and got it, no issue there. However help is not always available, since my wife is also, like myself totally blind.

Janknitz wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:39 pm

Write the CEO of Fisher Paykel, his name is Lewis Gradon, and maybe cc it to Andrew Somervale who is Fisher Paykel's Vice President of products and technology https://www.fphcare.com/us/our-company/ ... anagement/ and tell them what you need and why.

You might be able to get FP to share the clinical software with you, or at least put them on notice that it is the manufacturer's responsibility under ADA to make this HEALTHCARE equipment accessible to all users.

I would honestly love to do just that, however finding an email address, or in this case, addresses, seems to be almost impossible.

Maybe you can contact the American Sleep Apnea Association-
These are their general contact information from their website:
Email is asaa@sleepapnea.org
Phone number is 888-293-3650

Here is their Mission Statement:
The mission of the American Sleep Apnea Association is to improve the lives of sleep apnea patients. We accomplish this mission through education, services, peer-support, research, and advocacy.

beautifuldreamer wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:57 am

Maybe you can contact the American Sleep Apnea Association-
These are their general contact information from their website:
Email is asaa@sleepapnea.org
Phone number is 888-293-3650

Here is their Mission Statement:
The mission of the American Sleep Apnea Association is to improve the lives of sleep apnea patients. We accomplish this mission through education, services, peer-support, research, and advocacy.

+1

and wish i'd thought of it.

brandtsteenkamp wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:50 am

I have just as much of a right to be able to change my settings when I wish, read the sleep report when I turn my machine off in the morning, etc.

Yes!

All the best to you in finding solutions.

I don't know how much clout the ASAA will have in South Africa but maybe there is a similar organization in OP's area.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:08 pm

I don't know how much clout the ASAA will have in South Africa but maybe there is a similar organization in OP's area.

Thanks Pugsy - I didn't realize the OP was in South Africa, but if the ASAA is made aware there is a need to have CPAP devices friendly for all users (even blind), maybe they can get some wheels rolling to go forward with informing manufacturers . . .

From this page: https://www.fphcare.com/us/our-company/ ... s/offices/, there doesn't appear to be a legal entity for F&P in South Africa, but you could start with the International headquarters:

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited
15 Maurice Paykel Place
East Tamaki, Auckland 2013
PO Box 14 348
Panmure, Auckland 1741
New Zealand

Phone: +64 9 574 0100 | Fax: +64 9 574 0158

Or the US headquarters

United States:
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Inc
173 Technology Drive, Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92618
United States of America

1800 446 3908 or +1 949 453 4000

+1 949 453 4001

I did find the distributor for South Africa here:

Respiratory Care Africa
Address: 449 Granite Drive, Kya Sands Business Park, Kya Sands, 2169 Johannesburg
Country: South Africa
Phone+27 11 708 3926
Fax+27 11 708 3936
Website

And there's always this trick: The email standard for F&P appears to be @fphcare.com. So you can try adding names in front of it, e.g. "lewisgraden@fphcare.com; lewis_graden@fphcare.com; lgraden@fphcare.com; graden_lewis@fph.com" and see if anything gets through.

Do you know the laws in your country as far as accessibility? You might bring that up (briefly and non-threateningly) in your correspondence if there is a requirement that such items be accessible.