Playing games can be a great way for families and friends to enjoy the holidays. Many people like to gather around a table and play card, logic or board games. This is a great way to relax and spend quality time together. There are many games out on the market that allow a person who is blind or visually-impaired to participate in the family fun. We have highlighted a couple of these games in case you are looking for a holiday gift or having a family gathering that includes a night of games.
Maybe you are interested in playing a simple card game like Go Fish that can be played with small children or a more challenging card game like Euchre , which is very popular in the United States (in particular in the Midwest and the Northeast) and Canada. With Low Vision Playing cards someone with low-vision would be able to participate. These playing cards are a universal deck of cards that have a standard size number on the corner but a large 1 1/4″ bold print number is also on the deck and visible when the cards are fanned out in the players hands. They can be purchased on amazon.com and through many assistive technology vendors. They are also available from INDATA’s loan library to borrow for 3o days. Click here if you are interested in borrowing this item.
A popular board game is Scrabble. It has a board that has 225 squares on it. The board has 15 rows and 15 columns. The game can be played with 2 to 4 people. There are 100 tiles with letters on them and a number value that are used to create words on the board. The number represents how much the letter is worth. Players pick 7 tiles that are kept hidden from the other player/players. The first player uses two or more of their tiles to make a word on the board which goes across or down a row on the board. The next player will use the existing letters to create their word on the board. The person with the highest number of points at the end of the game wins the game. For blind users there is a Braille version of Scrabble called Braille Scrabble. There is also a low vision edition that has tiles with high-contrast, bold and extra-large letters.
Other Braille and low vision games we have discovered are: Braille Dice, which are dice that have raised black dots for people who are blind or have low vision; Braille/Low Vision Monopoly, which has a clear plastic Braille overlay and game cards, money, and instructions are in large print and Braille; and Jumbo Braille Dominoes, which are a standard set of dominoes with “raised, tactile black dots”; and Braille Uno.
Games can be a wonderful way to enhance a gathering and create an opportunity for people to bond while having fun and now there are many game options for people who are Blind or visually impaired to be included in these moments. We hope some of these game ideas may inspire you to create a game night for your friends and family! Happy Gaming!