What kind of hobbies or crafts are good for people with limited eyesight?

Question

My mother's eyesight has progressively become worse over the last couple of years due to illness. She's a homebody, and can no longer drive so getting out is difficult. She is legally blind, but can still see to a degree. I want to find ways to keep her spirits up and her mind occupied but don't know what kinds of hobbies or crafts would be easy for her to do?

Answer 1

Hi
I have a student in the same position and also my grand-mother was the same, and both do rubber stamping, something like two step stamping (Stampin Up) is ideal, as it does the colouring in for you and looks fantastic, and everyone always needs cards!! Feel free to contact me and I can show you ome more ideas

Alli

Answer 2

you can find craft's that are for people with poor eye sight at almost any craft store,also you can find it at almost any shopping center,such as Walmart,Shopko,Target,K-Mart,otherwise if you go to the Library they can help you find craft information as well that will give you idea's I hope this help's! Sorry has been so long since I have gotten to you,but I have been very busy recently,and now I am packing for a 3 week vacation leaving tomorrow. I do the Velvet Poster's,Tube Poster's,that is coloring,I love to work with flower's and arrange bouquet's,I make homemade card's,I make Bead Jewlery,I paint on Sweatshirt's,and T-Shirt's,I paint Porceiln faces that you hang on the wall,and other craft idea's so if that help's at all let me know.If you are from Sioux Falls,let me know,maybe we could craft together some time.

Answer 3

There are some ideas for crafts for those with limited vision or even blindness on this page at my site (some are ideas, some are links):
http://glassattic.com/polymer/disabilities.htm
(... click on the category EYESIGHT...)
Most of my site is about polymer clay, so there are lots of ideas for using polymer clay with limited or no vision there as well.

Also, if she can touch type (or learn with one of those software programs) and has a computer with internet access, she can use some of the features that come with Windows for her computer:
....click on the Start button (lower left of screen) > Control Panel > Accessibility Options
...then change some of the Display options (and the Sound options?)


But there are other programs which will "speak" all of the text on a page in various ways that even the blind can use (and which have allowed them to use computers!)...some of the low-vision and blindness groups and associations would have much more info on those (see below).

If she can go online, she can browse to her heart's content on any topic she wants, listen to "podcasts" on virtually any subject or even "listen" to YouTube, and there are lots of web-based or e-mail based groups on virtually any topic she might be interested in (or just in her geographical region, or just for those with low vision who can also help each other with adapting and support, or just for interacting with)... some of those would be found at yahoogroups, for example, and many would be associated with various health associations, etc .

Here's one place, for example:
http://www.visionaware.org
And here's one page there that addresses computers, etc.
http://www.visionaware.org/computers_technology



Best of luck!

Diane B.

Answer 4

Painting would be relatively easy for her. You can work any size canvas, so she can make things big enough that she can see them, and she can do abstract work where details are less essential. As long as she can differentiate color (and speaking as a myopic person, I find color easier that anything else), she's good to go.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

My great aunt at 98 still crochets with the help of a very large magnifier that is on a lamp!! One of her daughters does bead work, age 70, the larger pony bead sizes on leather cording.

There is also a new quilting idea out: With yarn on yarn needle do very large stitches, about half inch, on lap robes of preprinted panels. It is mostly "feel" thing to do, rather than "see" thing.

Get her a magnifying lamp and ask her what she would like to do.

Answer 7

Flower arrangements.
Gardening
Creating a pond outside.
A herb garden inside.

Answer 8

What about basket making, knitting machining or even some kinds of weaving? Obviously nothing with terribly complex coloured patterns, as she won't be able to see them, but she could work with tactile patterns. Perhaps, like when learning braille, she'd need to start off with chunky yarns. As she trained her brain to understand what her fingers were telling her, she'd be able to use smaller ply wool or smaller patterns.

Answer 9

If she used to knit - she still can. I instruct a class for the visually impaired that used to knit but don't think they can now. Some of my ladies haven't knitted for 40 years and now I can't keep up to them. Love the time I spend with them

Answer 10

Cooking, pickling, brewing, and things of that nature. You don't have to see very well to enjoy what you're eating and drinking.