Monday, December 6, 1998
Buying suitable gifts for disabled
BY DEBORAH KENDRICK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Buying gifts for friends and loved ones is always a challenge, but when those you love are acquiring age-related disabilities, the challenge is even greater.
A few guidelines might be helpful this holiday season.
Focus on tastes and abilities, but don't forget about the disabling conditions. No matter how much your grandmother enjoys crossword puzzles, getting her a book of puzzles requiring a close look for even the youngest eyes is no treat. And if hearing is diminishing, think about the volume on that new alarm clock you were going to buy. If arthritis becomes an increasing fact of life, tools for hobbies requiring delicate fine motor skills might stir up more frustration than delight.
Check local retailers for possibilities.
Look for large print books in most local book sellers. And don't forget to check out the audio book collections. Elderly bibliophiles with failing vision will find these a godsend.
For cooks, check gourmet and specialty kitchen shops for a variety of utensils with large rubber handles for gripping. (Oxo, carried by Williams-Sonoma is one brand.)
Many retailers carry telephones with volume controls and larger buttons with easy-to-see numerals. Make sure any phone you buy is hearing-aid compatible.
Consider a gift of tickets to an outing for you and your gift recipient.
A growing number of performances and facilities are rendering themselves accessible to all customers - with space for wheelchair seating, listening devices, signed performances for the deaf, and audio described performances for visually impaired participants.
In the Tristate, Playhouse in the Park, Broadway Series, Cincinnati Ballet, and Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati are among those that regularly include one audio described performance (informing visually impaired audience members of the visual elements of the show) and one performance signed for the deaf in each show. Check with individual theaters for specific dates and times.
Shop specialty catalogs and stores.
The Cincinnati Association for the Blind (221-8558) and Clovernook Center for the Blind (522-3860) offer a small collection of items for people with vision loss. Large print address books and calendars, kitchen timers and watches that talk, and a talking thermometer are among the items available from these agencies.
Consider the ColorTest, a talking device that announces color when its electronic eye is pressed against an article of clothing or other object. (ColorTest, $600, is available from the American Printing House for the Blind, 800-223-1839.)
The Cincinnati Speech and Hearing Center (221-0527) is a great source of information for purchasing a variety of listening devices to amplify conversations, television listening or telephone conversations.
For catalog shopping, try Ann Morris Enterprises Inc., offering hundreds of products for the independence of people with vision loss, (800) 454-3175, or the Web site at http: - - www.annmorris.com.
For people with physical and mobility related disabilities, try Independent Living Aids, (800) 537-2118, or http: - - www.independentliving.com.
Deborah Kendrick, a Cincinnati free-lance writer, is a nationally recognized advocate for people with disabilities. Write: Deborah Kendrick, Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; e-mail: 71340.473@compuserve.com.
KENDRICK ARCHIVE
