Great Gifts for Your Friend or Family Member with a Physical Disability

Shopping for someone with a physical disability can seem difficult as this holiday season rolls around. They may not have the same strength or dexterity as other kids and/or adults and each individual is very different in their abilities.

Because of that, we’ve created a quick guide to help inspire gifts that can be enjoyed regardless of physical ability. Most are practical and helpful gift ideas that will help improve the quality of life of your loved one with a physical disability.  

Giraffe bottle

Staying hydrated is important, and this device makes it easy and fun to do while using a wheelchair. It’s a typical water bottle that can be mounted to your chair. A long flexible straw is attached and can bring water directly to your mouth without needing to lift a finger.  

Billy Footwear shoes

These shoes are stylish and practical. A single zipper going down and around the bottom of the shoe makes it extremely easy to put on and take off. It is an adaptive shoe without sacrificing any looks.

Adaptive clothing

Shopping for clothing for someone with a physical disability is difficult. Since they will likely spend a lot of time in their chair, what they wear will need to be designed differently. That’s where these JCPenny jeans come in. They have stretch fabric, a seated rise, pull-on loops, and a side seam opening.   

Tommy Hilfinger also has an adaptive clothing department. It includes a variable selection of shirts, pants, and shorts that are designed with magnetic flys, internal pull up loops, and magnetic closures.  

EazyHold cuff

This nifty device can be attached any toy, marker, water bottle and allows anyone with reduced hand strength to easily grip items of everyday use. (You can get 15% off any EazyHold purchase using the code cureduchenne)

Smart LED lightbulb

Some light switches may be in difficult-to-reach locations for someone using a power wheelchair. The smart LED light bulb can solve that problem by allowing you to control your lighting from your phone. Plus, you can change the color of the light.

Amazon echo

The Amazon Echo is an all-in-one solution, allowing you to control music, lighting, and even locks with your voice. It also detects motion too and will start actions, such as turning on a connected coffee maker, when you roll into a room.

Dragon Anywhere Dictation

Spending long hours at the keyboard typing can be fatiguing for many people with a physical disability. Dragon Dictation is well-known computer software that turns your voice into words on the page. But with the mobile version, you can do it from wherever you’re at.

Xbox Adaptive Controller

This controller was spawned out of Microsoft’s 2015 Ability Summit hack-a-thon, eventually released in 2018. The controller features two large, flat joysticks and a d-pad with 19 3.5mm ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports that each correspond to buttons on a normal Xbox controller. You can plug in your own accessible buttons or switches that require limited strength to any of those ports. It costs $99.99.

8Bitdo Lite SE Controller 

This company is known for creating retro controllers for modern games and systems, but their Lite SE Controller is specifically designed for people with limited mobility. All the buttons and joysticks have less resistance, and a non-slip back allows you to place it on the table without it moving. You can also add macros to the controller, where it can automatically press multiple buttons in rapid succession, especially helpful in fighting games, where combos reign supreme.  

Medical ID bracelet

Peace of mind is sometimes the best gift that you can give. This CureDuchenne branded medical ID bracelet is available for free to individuals in the US. It holds important information about Duchenne muscular dystrophy, what to do in surgery, allergies, and medications. Medical workers and doctors can scan the bracelet QR code on their phone to access that information.

Bundlebean

If your feet ever get cold and/or you can’t wear shoes, this waterproof blanket might be the perfect solution. The bundlebean fits over your legs and wraps snugly around your feet so it doesn’t drag or get caught in your wheels.

RAM tablet holder  

Sometimes it’s nice to have a bigger screen in front of you to watch movies, video chat with friends, or play games. This tablet holder can be mounted on most seat or armrest tracks. The RAM mount is pricey, but it will last you a long time. You can attach it to this arm, sold separately.

RAM phone holder

This phone holder can be mounted anywhere on the chair using an attached arm and still be reachable.  

Wheelchair phone charger

The majority of your wheelchair is one big battery. It can be used to power other devices, like your cell phone. You can buy a Permobil phone charger from the website Build My Wheelchair. You can also find a bunch on Amazon.