February is marked as Low Vision Awareness Month. Low vision affects millions of people, children and adults, and cannot be fixed with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Low vision also makes some activities difficult like reading, writing and cooking. Playing games can be frustrating too. We have put together a list of five board games that have been adapted beautifully for people who are blind and low vision.
 

Deluxe Scrabble Game – Braille Version

There are many reasons why this popular crossword game is such a favourite for people across age groups. Playing scrabble is a great way to build the vocabulary and boost concentration.

This version manufactured by Reizen Inc comes with braille and tactile markings which enable playing by touch.

NH-Spotlight

The box includes 100 letter tiles, four wooden tile racks and a rotating game board. The board size is 13.75 x 14.75 inches and there are printed instructions. The letter tiles are white in colour.
 

Mattel Games UNO Braille

Who doesn’t love a game of Uno? Check out this inclusive version that has Braille symbols on each card. UNO Braille has been developed in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans.

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Every card in the 112-card deck has Braille as does the packaging. This lets people who are visually impaired to know the numbers and shapes. You can learn to play with the help of audible and printable braille instructions at UNOBraille.com.
 

Chess Set for the Blind

This is a game where blind and low vision people are on par with sighted players. There is a special chess board used for blind players where the squares on the braille board are lifted with dots on them to identify particular squares.

NH-Spotlight

This chess set is designed with easily differentiable squares and pieces. The chess boards have raised and recessed squares. The pieces have points or pegs atop one color of chessmen. The 12″ x 12″ design offers 3. 25 inch tall plastic pieces.
 

Checkers Set (Classic) Tactile

The classic checkers game is great for promoting a range of skills including fine motor coordination, tactile discrimination, shape identification, spatial orientation and turn taking. This featured set is great for blind and sighted players.

NH-Spotlight

The set featured here has a wooden checkerboard with elevated white squares. The black squares are recessed and there are holes in the center of squares to hold the pieces in place. The white pieces have raised dots for tactile discrimination.
 

Braille and Low Vision Monopoly

This classic family game is played across the world and has over 1,000 versions! This version has extra-large-sized cards with braille and large print.

NH-Spotlight

This is a 20 inch square game board with a special overlay moulded on to it to enable the player to identify the spaces and the location of the properties. The perimeter of each game space is labelled in braille and in large print, which allows everyone, including people who are blind and with low vision to enjoy the game. The set has a dice, cards, money and game board in braille.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/blind-scrabble-low-vision-monopoly-chess-top-board-games-for-people-with-vision-impairments/