Guide
2024 Holiday Gift Guide for all: Embrace the spirit of inclusion
Explore Perkins’ official holiday gift guide for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have other disabilities. Find over 50 empowering and inclusive gift ideas that bring you closer to your loved ones while supporting small businesses.
The 2024 holiday season is upon us! To make your search for the perfect gifts for people who are blind, visually impaired, or disabled a breeze, we’ve put together a thoughtful holiday gift guide. This list is brimming with gift ideas to foster connections and support small businesses and entrepreneurs within the disability community.
A gift that gives back
Give something truly unique by making a gift to Perkins in your loved one’s honor! Your gift will help us further our mission to create a more inclusive, accessible world.
Holiday gift guide for kids and adults: Putting the person first
Our top advice is to focus on the individual’s preferences. Whether they love tech gadgets, classic toys, or new clothes, consider their unique needs and interests. Then, put a special finishing touch on your gift with a custom large print or braille greeting card!
As you shop, remember to stop by locally-owned toy stores and ask about their selections of inclusive and accessible toys.
For your fashionable friends
As the weather turns colder, consider gifting warm adaptive clothing. There are many small businesses that cater to different needs.
- Etsy creators like ElaineSearer and MBCozyCapes offer a range of cape options for all ages.
- We’re big fans of No Limbits wheelchair pants and their unlimbited collection!
- Silverts Adaptive clothing and footwear online store can be filtered by needs, like limited mobility and others.
- Authored is another adaptive clothing online shop that offers comfortable, stylish, and functional garments.
For something extra special, explore customized braille jewelry, such as:
- Puppy love gifts for guide dog lovers
- Dots.for All, a small business based out of Greece, celebrates inclusion for all and offers customized braille jewelry and sign language pieces. (Bonus tip: Folks in Special Education or Mental Health services receive an extra discount, so include that at checkout!)
- Cane charms and accessories from Elegant Insights
And let’s not forget the most iconic fashionista of them all: Barbie! In 2024, Mattel and the American Federation for the Blind released “Blind Barbie” which has been celebrated worldwide.
Many staff members from Perkins purchased their own doll and we, of course, shared the love on social media.
Thoughtful toys for all ages, especially kids
Children with disabilities love to play, especially with toys suited to their needs. Here are some of our top gifts for the child in your life this holiday season:
For kids who love cause-and-effect toys
kids who love sensory toys
Those who love music and sounds
- Tonies
- Yoto
- B Brand Musical Symphony
- Drums
- A keyboard
Thanks to the CVINow team for helping us create this list! For CVI-focused gifts ideas, be sure to read our gift guide for children with CVI.
For the aspiring chef and food lover
Transform the kitchen into an accessible haven with these thoughtful gifts:
- This vegetable peeler from AdaptAbilities is switch powered, making it simple for people with physical or cognitive disabilities.
- You can find braille measuring cups, spoons and cookbooks from the Braille Bookstore’s Kitchen Corner.
- Browse National Braille Press gift selections for ideas like the Stir It Up! Recipes & Techniques for Young Blind Cooks.
- A practical, yet cool, gift for a person who is visually impaired would definitely be this high contrast and tactile coaster. (We’ve seen this everywhere on social media!)
- Pair the tactile coaster with a Liquid level indicator so that the person in your life always knows how much is left in their tea or coffee. Our team at Life Launch has a few of these in their kitchen!
- John Furniss (also known as The Blind Woodsman) is a woodworker who is blind and makes incredible bowls, pots, and more.
- Lake Geneva Coffee Roastery is owned and run by Jeremiah Fox. Because Jeremiah is legally blind, he uses his keen sense of smell, hearing, and taste to create his roast profiles using the assistance of talking timers and tactile points on his machine’s controls so he can adjust the temperature and airflow.
- iGrill 3 is an app-connected thermometer that monitors the doneness of up to four cuts of meat and notifies you once the food has reached the perfect temperature. (Although the digital display on the thermometer itself is not accessible, it can be read using the free iGrill app on a smartphone.)
For the bookworm
Our guide to holiday gifts for book lovers promotes inclusive products for all ages! Feed their love for reading with options like:
- Say goodbye to boring stationary and hello to inclusive sticky notes! Your bookworm will love a braille embossed sticky note collection from Tandem Designs Co. Their Rainbow Collection is on sale right now!
- Hello, My World: A High-Contrast Board Book helps visual development in newborns and babies.
- We highly recommend, Magic Eyes — a book written by a Perkins parent inspired by her son, Brick who has Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), the current leading cause of childhood blindness.
- DK Braille Books are inclusive for 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.
- Hayley at Dotty About Braille makes beautiful and bright braille stationery, perfect for lovers of books and all things stationery! Check out her online shop
- Trevor at Inclusive Dinos makes dinosaur stickers that are inclusive and represent a wide range of disabilities. Sometimes, books and stickers go together. Redbubble shop
Inclusive board games for the classic gamer!
Regardless of age, board games are always a great holiday gift. People who are blind or have other disabilities do need customizations to the classic board games we all know and love. We’re listing some of our favorites.
For the techie or video-gamer
Sometimes, all people want for the holidays are latest tech and gadgets! Explore cutting-edge tech options that prioritize accessibility:
- These noise cancelling headphones are kid-friendly and suitable for children with autism. They come in different colors and under $15!
- Feelif is a tablet with a special tactile grid for a multi-sensory experience.
- Video gamers with limited mobility will love this 8Bitdo Lite controller.
For fans of all things winter and holiday-themed
Celebrate their love for winter or specific holidays with these festive ideas:
- Winter Holidays Braille Book List
- Poppit fidget Hanukkah Dreidel Menorah toy set
- Poppit fidget gingerbread man, Christmas tree, and Santa Claus toy set
- Holidays around the world sensory art activities
- Braille dreidel
- Krista at Blind Love Woodburning makes all kinds of decorations and accessories like ornaments, keychains, art pieces, and more!
- High-end, 100% soy-wax candles from Hotel Lobby Candles for a cozy home.
For fans of Perkins School for the Blind
If nothing else on this list strikes your interest, consider gifting a special shirt, hat, or bag from Shop Perkins! Our very own merch store allows you to support Perkins and show off an important message! We’re still not over this adorable baby onesie.
Remember, gift-giving is a meaningful way to show you care. This 2024 holiday gift guide is simply that: a guide. Your thoughtful choices will be a lasting reminder of your kindness. Wishing you a joyous holiday season!
Help us create a more inclusive, accessible world
This holiday season, support our mission by making a gift today.
