A young Perkins student sits at a festive table and works on a holiday craft.
Guide

Gifts for people who are blind and the people who love them

Here's a few ideas for holiday giving this year, with a special focus on small businesses and visually impaired entrepreneurs.

The holiday season is here! To help you in your search for gifts for people who are blind or visually impaired, we’ve created this gift guide that’s full of ideas to help bring you and your loved ones closer together, while supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs who are blind!

Put a special finishing touch on your gift by sending along a custom large print or braille greeting card! As you shop from this list or your own, don’t forget to check with locally-owned toy stores about the avenues they have to provide you with accessible toys.

Give a gift that gives back.

Have your gift go the extra mile. Donate to Perkins today and help us further our mission of creating a more inclusive, accessible world.

Our recommended gifts for kids and adults who are blind

Our best piece of advice is to focus on the person first and then go from there! Are they interested in the latest tech gadgets or fans of classic board games? If they’re asking for new clothes then keep in mind different textures and fabric! Check our recommendations below.

Among young children, Pop It!, has risen in popularity. Now, the company has developed an accessible, educational twist on the popular toy that offers a fun way to learn braille letters and numbers.

Packaging for a white Pop It! braille! toy.

For the techie

Dot Watch, a braille watch in silver with braille clock face and mesh strap

For the fashionista

A gray sweater with braille on the collar and sleeve

For the classic board game lover

Since we’re now on devices more than ever with remote learning and zoom meetings, wouldn’t it be nice to have some fun playing tactile classic board games and card games? There are many accessible options available in large print and braille so the entire family can play. You’ll find Monopoly, Scrabble, Go Fish, Braille UNO, tactile dice, traditional playing cards in braille and large print and many more! Who’s ready to make game night fun for everyone? 

We also love this guide created by the Masters Traditional Games Shop! They verified the accessibility of many classic board games and assembled an quick and easy list for the general public to use when purchasing games for people who are blind or visually impaired.

For the athlete (or budding athlete) in your life

The Braille Bookstore carries accessible sporting goods such as audible soccer, disc soccer, football, basketball … as long as that ball beeps, that blind or visually impaired child can compete! There’s even a talking pedometer for those who count their daily steps.

For the foodie

Help create an accessible kitchen and make meal-prep a family activity. We found lots of easy to implement (and cost-effective) gifts for kids and adults who are blind.

Cover of the book "Stir It Up! Recipes & Techniques for Young Blind Cooks." Underneath the Title and subtitle is a teal circle underneath a cartoon style yellow mixing bowl filled with white yogurt, chocolate chips, strawberries, blueberries, and a starfruit. Underneath this image is "National Braille Press"

For the music aficionado

Music is always a great gift for someone who’s visually impaired! Help them get a start on a new record collection. Or, encourage their creative talents by getting them an instrument. People with visual impairments can play instruments just like any other. Though if you’re looking for some guidance on instrumental adaptations specifically for people with disabilities, check out the Augmented Instruments Labratory!

For the book lover

The Lux + Louise multilingual songbook for blind children exposes them to Dutch, English, French, and German from an early age and allows them to explore this world independently. The songs have been recorded and are available on YouTube and Spotify. The creator of the book, Laura Steinbusch of Lux + Louise, was inspired by her young son Enzo, who was born with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and loved learning other languages through songs.

You’ll receive 1 book containing:

DK Braille Books are also inclusive for the young braille readers and the entire family with braille, print, as well as tactile images. You’ll find selections featuring topics such as fun facts, animals, shapes, counting, and transportation. 

For more audiobook resources, check out this resource from VisionAware.

Know another small business we should add to this list?

Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page!

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