Our loved ones deserve the best gifts. Some of the best gifts are not only “pretty” but serve a practical purpose. So, when shopping for presents for blind and visually impaired loved ones, you have to be extra considerate. Ordinary tasks get complicated for those with poor, low, or no vision.
If you’re looking for aids that will make things easier for them, you can check out these gift ideas for inspiration:
Board games with large print or Braille
Most tabletop games are extremely visual. Without seeing the pieces and the board, players are unable to get the full experience a board game has to offer, which can be quite frustrating for people who are blind or visually impaired. Fortunately, many popular board games now have versions that are accessible to the blind and visually impaired, either using very large prints or Braille.
Classic tabletop games like chess, checkers, Scrabble and playing cards are now available in formats that are friendly for people who are blind or have low vision. Popular games, such as Monopoly, Uno, Cluedo and Bananagrams have also been adapted for the visually impaired and blind. Being able to play these games gives them access to social and recreational activities they can share with people who have 20/20 vision.
Large number and voice command alarm clocks
When your alarm clock blares in the morning, it’ll stop with one quick glance and a tap. The blind and visually impaired don’t have it easy. In fact, merely keeping track of time is more complicated for them, compared to us who only need to glance at the clock.
Gift your loved ones with a low vision clock that has huge, glowing numbers that are visible during the day and in the middle of the night. When it goes off, they can control it entirely by speaking. These clocks also respond to commands such as telling the current date and time, setting an alarm time and, sometimes, even the current temperature. Most low vision clocks have great customisation options that allow users to change its background colour and some also provide a selection of different voices.
Smart glasses
Common glasses are the usual solutions for those with low vision. Give your loved one with low vision a much better option with groundbreaking assistive technology for visually impaired people in the form of smart glasses. These glasses make the most of the wearer’s central vision by giving them a wider image of their surroundings.
Smart glasses for the visually impaired are normally equipped with powerful cameras that stream a live feed into a pair of HD video displays, which are projected onto the user’s area of usable vision. However, they tend to have a delay of around 180ms, which is unnoticeable and faster than the blink of an eye.
Item trackers
Misplacing items around the house is already cumbersome for us with good vision; imagine what it’s like for the blind and visually impaired.
Nowadays, there are plenty of affordable trackers that can be attached to phones, keys, wallets and other important items. Users can track them on their computers or using an app and there are also models that beep intermittently, making the item easy to locate. Gifting item trackers to your blind and visually impaired loved ones can be a huge life-saver.
For the blind and visually impaired, and basically anyone with a disability, the best kind of gift is something that can change their day-to-day living. These gifts may not be easy to think of, but your loved ones will surely enjoy it and will improve their quality of life. The next time you go gift shopping, keep an eye out for these products.