As the holiday season approaches, many of us find ourselves looking for gifts for family and friends that are thoughtful, meaningful, and useful. For people with parents on their gift lists, we want to get something that will make their lives easier or allow them precious moments of self-care. For sighted people who have a parent who is blind or has low vision on their list, choosing the perfect gift can be particularly confusing.

The holidays are just around the corner, so I know the Information Center will be receiving inquiries from people concerned about giving appropriate toys to children with vision loss. Being visually impaired since birth, and having received my fair share of good and bad gifts, I wanted to offer advice on what to buy and what to avoid.

The holiday gift-giving season is upon us. This time of year is filled with the opportunity to share traditions, both old and new. Among the newer traditions here at AccessWorld is this annual list of gift ideas from the AFB TECH group. While AFB TECH folks don't work at the "Home Office," aka the North Pole, they do telecommute from Huntington, WV. Here are our ideas for 2011.

Stocking Stuffers, $10 to $50

It may be true that the best things come in small packages.