Graduation is upon us. If you have a friend who is graduating who happens to be blind, you might feel overwhelmed when trying to think of a gift. While money and gift cards are always nice, you might want to be a bit more personal in your gift giving. Some people have wondered what gifts to get a blind person. After all, MP3players and iPods are rarely accessible, laptops need additional other specific software and it is sometimes difficult to find an unabridged book for graduates on cassette or CD. There are many gifts that would resonate with your blind graduate.
The first thing that you must do is to figure out what the person likes. Blind people are as diverse as sighted people are. some like to read, some like sports, some like history, some like to cook and so on. Make a list of the person’s interests. Think about what you might get the person if they were sighted. Why can’t you get them this gift? Is there a reason that it would not be applicable? If so, you might check some of the businesses that cater to the blind. There is a listing of websites at the end of this article. Many of these businesses make their products accessible. These products might cost a bit more than the standard, but companies are working diligently to reduce prices so that it can be affordable for the average person. Examine what was done to make the product accessible. I would suggest visiting more than one website so that you can get an idea of the different products and price ranges. For example, if you have decided to buy a Braille watch, you should compare the different watches and their prices. Look at the reviews, if there are any and be a smart shopper.
There are many Braille and large print transcription companies. They can put Braille on just about anything from shirts, to bags to plaques. In many cases, the print accompanies the Braille so that everyone can read the shirt or plaque. While we are discussing Braille, it is a bit more difficult to obtain writing utensils if you are a Braille user. If you lose your stylus, you can’t just go to the local department store and pick up a couple more. You usually can’t turn to the person beside you and ask if they have an extra. Granted, Braille equipment is a bit more durable than a pencil or pen. However, if the blind person writes lots of Braille, purchasing some helpful writing aids and/or paper is always appreciated.
If the person has a guide dog, take a look at the school that he or she graduated from. Many guide dog schools have catalogs to order products for the handler and the dog. An extra feeding bowl or leash might be quite helpful if the handler and the dog are going off to college.
Subscriptions and gift certificates are always nice, as long as you check out the site to make sure that the blind person can use the site and/or read the electronic text of a subscription. There are some sites such as bookshare.org and audible.org that have e-text and audible materials. You must subscribe to have access to their services, though. There are also descriptive video services offered by wgbh.org which gives audio descriptions of movies and television shows. A descriptive video of a favorite movie is a nice gift.
Technology is expensive, but it can be quite helpful. There are accessible Bipods, mp3players, note takers and laptops. Cell phones can be made accessible. The best recommendation will come from other blind cell phone users. a Speaking cell phone does not automatically mean that it is accessible. It might speak the numbers when they are pushed, but does it speak the menus and their choices. If you Google “Accessible cell phones,” you can get a crash course in what is truly accessible and what is not.
Buying a gift for a blind person is similar to buying a gift for a sighted person. Certainly, you must see if the gift can be used and/or appreciated by the blind person. However, there are many companies that will be happy to help you modify the gift. There are also companies that have already modified the gift and most sell it at a reasonable price.
Sources:
www.aph.org
www.thebraillebookstore.org
www.independentliving.com
