Vistas Store Provides Gifts for Low and Partially Sighted

Voice-activated television remotes, talking watches and devices that tell you the color of the shirt you’re wearing—no, they’re not props from the latest sci-fi movie—they’re some of the newest items at Braille Institute’s Vistas store.

If you’re shopping for someone who is having trouble seeing the numbers on their watch or reading the small print in the daily newspaper, then the mall might not be the best place to find the perfect gift. Braille Institute’s Vistas store offers a welcome alternative for shoppers searching for gifts for someone whose vision isn’t as good as it used to be.

The Vistas store is a one-stop shop for items you would be hard-pressed to find at the local mall, including hundreds of useful adaptive devices such as talking keychains, clocks and scales, special adaptive cooking devices that tell users when a glass is full of liquid and a wireless electronic locator for items that tend to get lost around the house, i.e., keys, glasses or cell phones. For technology-savvy people, the store also offers talking computer software and closed-circuit televisions that enlarge printed material.

All of the adaptive items in the Vistas store are designed to help people who are losing their sight maintain their independence, but many of the items can be useful for sighted people and senior citizens as well. Shoppers can visit any of the four Vistas stores, located inside Braille Institute’s Los Angeles, Orange County, Desert, Santa Barbara or San Diego centers.

The Vistas store headquarters is located at Braille Institute’s Santa Barbara Center, at 2031 De La Vina Street. The store will be open for holiday shopping from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Wednesday, December 24. If you would like more information on the Vistas store or a demonstration of the adaptive items available, please call Courtney Kassel, director of Marketing and PR, at (323) 663-1111, Ext. 3176.

Braille Institute is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. Through educational training, programs and services, Braille Institute helps tens of thousands of people each year regain and maintain their independence. Thanks to generous donations, Braille Institute services are free of charge.