It's the time of the year when we revisit one of AccessWorld's annual traditions. As the holidays approach, each year AccessWorld endeavors to offer a smorgasbord of gift giving options to its readers in the form of the holiday gift guide. For the past several years, I've had the privilege of writing for Blind Bargains, a website that includes deals and shopping advice year-round. In this article, I hope to bring you some of the hottest items we've featured on the site as well as other popular gift ideas for that special someone on your list.
Some General Background
I should preface this article by stating that shopping for a person who is blind or visually impaired should be a similar experience to shopping for anyone else. Growing up, I was just as excited as the next guy to get a new CD, a box of chocolates, or a gift card to my favorite store. Below, I've attempted to highlight some of the areas where you may wish to take some additional considerations. Electronics, for example, is a category to pay attention to because many electronic items are equipped with inaccessible touch screens. That being said, many stereos, televisions, and other electronics include buttons that can be learned or memorized. If you're unsure, purchase your item from a merchant that offers a post-holiday return policy.
Stocking Stuffers
Although the price or budget may be small, many inexpensive gifts can be quite valuable to the recipient, allowing you to get a lot of bang for your buck. Consider a bulk pack of AA or AAA batteries to power all of those electronic gadgets. These can be had for around $10–15 online. If your recipient is a gadget hound, a thumb drive or memory card is almost certainly a welcome gift. The price of 32-gigabyte flash drives has fallen tremendously over the past year, and you should expect to pay under $20 for a drive of this size. When buying a memory card, remember that several different sizes and formats exist, so attempt to figure out the types of cards your recipient uses before making a purchase. If you are buying for an Apple lover, an iTunes gift card is usually a safe bet. These can be used to purchase iPhone apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books among other items, and even a card in a small denomination, such as $10 or $20, can prove to be quite useful as many items can be had for $0.99.
Many kitchen gadgets can also act as excellent stocking stuffers. Blind Mice Mart offers sets of braille measuring cups and spoons for $27. These feature braille markings on each piece, allowing for easy identification of the size of each spoon or cup. For the baker in your life, the Slice Solutions Brownie Pans can save time and give you perfectly cut desserts every time. Simply pour the batter into the pan, and your edibles will be precut once cooked by the metallic bars inside the pan. Blind Mice Mart also offers one of the largest selections of braille cookbooks, many available for under $25. If you're not sure, double check to make sure your recipient is a braille reader as not all people who are blind or visually impaired read braille.
Apple Stuff
You may be familiar with accessibility features on Apple's iPhone, but many other Apple devices also include features designed for the blind. The latest generation Apple TV units ($99) offer the ability to play many types of media through your television, including Netflix and Youtube content as well as Major League Baseball and other live sports games. Plus, if your recipient already owns another iOS device, he or she can wirelessly send content to their Apple TV units using AirPlay.
On the lower end of the spectrum, the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano offer VoiceOver controls similar to their more popular and more expensive brethren. Users are told the name of the current song and can navigate audible menus with ease. Most models produced in the past couple of years include these features, but be sure to check for VoiceOver support if purchasing an older model.
If you are buying for someone who is craving the Apple experience but doesn't wish to pony up for an expensive data plan for a new phone, the latest (5th generation) iPod Touch offers practically all of the features of the iPhone without the cell phone feature. The iPod Touch is available in sizes all the way up to 64GB and starts at around $200.
Other Electronics
When it comes to electronics, Apple isn't the only game in town, however. If you know someone who is just looking for a basic music player, many affordable options are available with simple controls. Players enhanced with the Rockbox software, which adds talking menus and other accessibility features to portable media devices, are also available. While setting up a player with Rockbox is simple, Accessible Electronics takes care of the grunt work for you and offers models specifically configured and tested with this software ($70 to $100).
The Google Nexus 7 is a budget tablet running the latest version of the Android operating system. At $199, it's a potentially affordable way to dive into the world of tablet computing. While not all features and apps are accessible, they can be used to browse the Web, check e-mail, or listen to music among many other tasks. AccessWorld evaluates these features in-depth in the October 2012 issue.
If someone on your list loves chatting online, consider a USB headset microphone. These are great for online games, Skype, or just chatting with a group of friends. Logitech offers several reasonably priced models for under $50. For the audiophile, consider the Blue Yeti USB microphone, which can be had for around $100. The Blue Yeti features higher sound quality and can also be used to produce podcasts or other professional audio content.
Some Other Ideas
One-cup coffee makers have become all the rage in recent years, and models by Tassimo and Keurig are mostly accessible. Many feature one-button operation, making it simple to brew a tasty beverage. A few models also feature a touch screen, so check this before making a purchase. The Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewing System ($125) features raised buttons for each cup size and a dedicated "On/Off"s switch. Some advanced features, such as brewing a beverage at a specific time, may require assistance.
Blind Adrenaline offers an online gaming platform for those serious about card and parlor games. A monthly subscription starting at under $6 gives access to several adaptations of popular titles, including Texas Hold'em, Hearts, and Spades. The site also features regularly-scheduled tournaments, offering lots of opportunities to play against friends and win prizes.
For the book lover, consider a subscription to Bookshare ($75 new members, $50 renewals). Bookshare offers over 100,000 titles in accessible formats that cover virtually any subject. Titles can also be downloaded and played on iPhone and Android phones and most popular accessible digital book players. Note that Bookshare memberships are free for students. Alternatively, Audible.com offers a large collection of titles in audio book form as well as accessible apps for a variety of platforms. A monthly subscription gives the user credits he or she can use to listen to the latest titles as they become available.
Shopping Tips
As the holidays approach, there are several things you can do to ensure you get exactly the items you're looking for and at the best price. Many websites, such as Black Friday Ads, offer a sneak peak into the deals available on Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Many of these deals will also be available online though you may need to be quick to snag the item you are looking for. Some items sell out in a matter of a few minutes.
We also track some of the best holiday deals with a focus on accessible merchandise at Blind Bargains. Pay special attention to our annual holiday shipping guide, which tells you when to order that gift so that you receive it before Christmas. Blind Bargains apps for iPhone and Android are also available. Accessible World, an online voice chat community, produces two stocking stuffer shows each November that present a variety of merchants talking about their latest offerings. Indeed, it's quite possible to do all of your holiday shopping online and avoid the crowded store aisles completely. To that end, be sure to check out Janet Ingber's companion article on the accessibility of online store websites, found in this issue.
In summary, shopping for a relative or friend who is blind or visually impaired may seem like a daunting experience. However, thinking of them as you would think of anyone else on your list will go a long way to ensuring a happy holiday season for all. I hope this article serves to give you some ideas and starting points for your shopping.
