Gift Ideas for the Visually Impaired

If you have a visually impaired friend or family member it is always difficult to find the right gift. Wanting to find something special you spend hours trying to come up with the perfect gift and then finally out of frustration you wind up getting another cd or audio book. There are many places online to find specialty gifts such as color identifiers, talking scales, tactile dice, and talking clocks. Independent Living aids and Maxi aids are two of the most well known companies that deal in low vision aids.

Talking products such as clocks calculators and watches can be found easily in places like Radio shack and Spencer’s gifts.

âÂ?¢ Some gift items can be easily adapted or used right out of the box. By the visually impaired. A rival Crockpot only has three settings, not very hard to remember. A Nesco Roaster can either be labeled with high marks (a labeling substance that comes in a tube) or you can just remember that 300 dgs is at 12 o’clock.

Companies like general Electric provide Braille labeling overlays for their appliances free of charge. Check with the company before buying a specific item such as a microwave to make sure an overlay for the model you want is available.

The appliances these days that have a flat keypad such as Televisions, radios and other devices such as DVD players will need to be labeled by hand. Not difficult with some dimo tape and patience. Some will to be honest be completely inaccessible to those who have little or no sight Some products can be adapted with the edition of software such as mp3 players and cell phones. A visually impaired friend or family member will benefit from your help in describing a remote control layout. Or the buttons on a new phone.

Let your friend find the button and then tell them what function it performs. This way your friend will have a good idea of the particular layout of each control. If you just place their finger on each button and tell what it is all the buttons will feel alike without the edge of the remote or bottom of the phone to serve as a landmark.

There is a wonderful world of gift ideas awaiting you online and in your local mall. I love nothing better then a soft and fuzzy blanket or robe. Some things just feel good to the touch. Give it a try before buying that new stylish skirt. Close your eyes and feel of it. Does it feel scratchy or sticky? Is it soft or silky? Maybe a little bumpy but soft too? Some things might look really good but feel completely awful.

If your friend works with a service animal. You might want to purchase one of the many gifts from GDUI.org. (Guide Dog users INC). They have a wonderful selection of products for the handler and the dog.

If your friend has a computer with speech access a software upgrade would most certainly be appreciated. Or maybe even new software for scanning or a Braille display. Check out Freedom Scientific and GW Micro for the latest access technology.

What sort of hobby does your friend have? Crochet? Woodworking? Cooking? Anything that goes along with their hobby is a good gift idea. Some containers that can be labeled in Braille will make it easier to find the right color of yarn or other craft supplies.

Use your imagination and maybe this year you won’t end up with another audio book. That is unless your friend mentions that he/she wants the new Harry Potter or Stephen King. If this is the case try Barns and Noble. They have a great selection of Audio books.