Celebrate the Holidays with 5  Accessible Ways to Send Season Greetings

Greeting cards have been a regular part of my life since childhood. I remember  as a kid coming from the mailbox  sifting through the numerous  envelopes  containing beautiful and colorful  Christmas cards mostly from family members. I can recall the excitement  and curiosity I felt when opening the card  to see  what type of decoration and message it would contain. Plus, discovering money  as a Christmas present was even more thrilling.

After I went blind I continued the tradition with some minor changes. First I got my box of Christmas  greeting cards. Next, I made a list of  people I wanted to send them to on my computer using my screen reader. Next I would print out the list and  solicit a sighted volunteer to help me label each envelope and prepare for mailing. This was a task I enjoyed year after year.

That was many years  ago and today there are several options to send accessible greeting cards. I  will share the most popular methods in this post.

1. Send a braille card.

When I first went blind over 20 years ago I didn’t know much about braille cards. And when I did you had to go through a blind organization  to get them. But today you can find braille cards  at many  greeting card stores. I did a simple internet search and  found braille cards at sites like American Greetings, Amazon and Hallmark.

If like me, you are not a strong braille reader, you can still appreciate a braille greeting card. Most have short messages  that I  found easy to read Along with  tactile designs or embellishments. I have received braille  greeting cards and birthday cards from sighted friends, family and co-workers.

2. Send a large print card.

Along with braille greeting cards you can also send one in large print. Usually these cards have a large bold font  making it easy to read for people who have low vision. They can be found  along with braille cards in your local  greeting card store or online.

3. Send a music card.

Don’t read braille or can’t see large print? Then send a singing or music card. These universal cards are enjoyed  by most people regardless of vision levels. Many of them will play Christmas greetings  with a small message in print.

4. Send an e-greeting card

Electronic cards, also called ecards, digital cards and virtual cards, are becoming more and more popular partly because of their  convenience  and ease of delivery. There is even an observance dedicated to electronic  cards on Wednesday, Nov 29 called National Electronic Greeting Card Day. Websites like American Greetings, Blue Mountain  and Hallmark  will allow you to send a card  directly to  the recipient’s email address. You can even customize the card by adding their name and a special written message.

These types of cards  have popped up in my in box and were a joy to receive, especially when they were  customized  specifically for me. I found them easy to access and read. However, some of the ecards  sites may have some accessibility issues when trying to send one. I read this review from the American Foundation for the Blind  sharing  the challenges sending greetings via three popular ecard sites.

5. Some Alternative Methods to Send Greetings

None of the above  tickle your fancy? Want to be a bit more creative  and unique? Here are some alternative ways to send your holiday greeting to a  person with vision loss.

You can send a personalized video greeting by simply using the camera  and mike on your smartphone.   A singing voice message or one with a  special recited poem can also be accomplished  via smartphone. I remember one Christmas a friend  sent me a greeting card using YouTube. It played festive  holiday music with audio description of the images in the video. I had never received such an artistic  greeting card before  and was  deeply moved by it. Doing a little research on this topic  can provide a host of innovative ideas. The sky is the limit to what type of greeting card you can send.

Regardless of the method you send your holiday greetings  just send one. People with vision loss will appreciate your care and thoughtfulness in wishing them a joyous holiday season.