The first thing we need to say is that although someone is disabled they of course want to keep their own sense of style. They still like the same things and appreciate the same gifts as anyone else such as lovely smellies, cool fashion items, jewellery/watches, chocolates, computer games etc.. But if you want some ideas on how to enhance their lives with something different we have the answer in our 2018, Top 10 Christmas gift list (you can see previous lists here):
No.1, The Samantha Bag, a new addition to the inclusive fashion scene, a bag for anyone and has additional clips that attach, very neatly, to a wheelchair, rollator or scooter. It’s been created by Mia Tui in collaboration with actress, disability campaigner and all round lovely person Samantha Renke.
It can be purchased from the Mia Tui website at £40 + £3.99 for the clips. Unfortunately it’s only made in faux leather and there’s no male version yet but you do get a lot for your money, as long as you add the discount code SamX. It includes,
- 1 Matching Clutch bag with wrist strap
- Detachable shoulder strap
- Insulated Bottle Holder
- Internal zipped pocket
- Elasticated key clip
- Phone pocket
- Pen holder
No.2, Ivy Collection Gift Vouchers. Give someone a taste of the celebrity lifestyle at The Ivy Collection brasseries & cafes that are now located in major cities of the UK and Ireland. We’ve reviewed a number and the majority are accessible with disabled toilets (see below). They give you such a special experience, the food is brasserie style and the service is impeccable as they say it’s “sophisticated yet approachable, casual yet polished “, just as you’d expect from the original celeb hang out The Ivy, Covent Garden. The vouchers start at £25 and can be used in any of the restaurants except The Ivy West Street (the original in Covent Garden) and to guarantee delivery in their lovely packaging by Xmas you need to order by 17th December. Book them on this link and this video gives you a taste of what to expect.
We’ve visited The Ivy Kensington, Richmond, Winchester (courtesy of our partner Access Advisr), Market Grill (Henrietta St Covent Garden), Ivy Garden Chelsea and all got 2 – 2.5 BBS Ticks out of a maximum of 3, for style and accessibility. Follow the links to see our detailed reviews. In addition we have gleaned the following basic information from some of the other sites:
The Ivy Clifton, Bristol, has a portable ramp to get in and a disabled toilet. The Ivy On The Square, Edinburgh has flat access and a disabled toilet. The Ivy Harrogate has flat access and a disabled toilet. Dublin has flat access and a lift to a disabled toilet. The Ivy Victoria Quarter, Leeds has a disabled toilet and flat access. Norwich has flat access and a disabled toilet. The Ivy Cambridge has flat access and a disabled toilet, as does Ivy in the Park at Canary Wharf. We would recommend you call in advance to tell them your needs and they always do their best to help. However, make sure you ask to talk to the restaurant direct as the booking line doesn’t always know the restaurant in detail.
No.3, The Sissel Sports Swing Vibrating Exercise Bar for those who want to keep fit but have not a lot of strength (or are just lazy). This an inclusive piece of kit that can be used by anyone. We haven’t tried it yet but we will be making a video of how easy or hard it is to use. It costs £39.95 from designed2enable and they say….
“Getting cardiovascular exercise can be particularly difficult for wheelchair users but the Sports Swing exercise pole can easily be used from a seated position and depending on the intensity, it can create a cardiovascular work-out strengthening core muscles. The bar is designed to be used for improving joint stabilisation and core stability, exercises can be done using little strength but can be significantly increased in intensity”.
Here’s a video of it in action,
No.4, DRINK our very own universal glass holder that attaches to anything – wheelchair, buggy, scooter, rollator, garden chair – and holds most glass sizes including champagne so very handy for a sociable Xmas party. It also holds coffee cartons, beer bottles etc. Sold at £29.99 including the ‘Smart Fixing’ and if you buy before 31.12.18 we’ll give you a 20% discount using the code sunrise20. It’s sturdy without being cumbersome and comes in black, red or blue. It’s the ultimate in hands free socialising!
No.5, Izzywheels that brighten up your wheelchair spokes by covering them in art,
‘Masterpieces for your wheels designed with love by top artists’.
They are £129 a pair and can be bought from their website. They look cool whether you’re an adult or a child wanting to pimp your chair.
No.6, The Able Label Zip Pull is useful for anyone and especially for those little black dresses with back zips. Necessary if you don’t have a partner to help and a great little stocking filler at just £6.
No.7, Scarves are a lovely gift and we’ve chosen 2 – for ladies and gents. This scarf from Cos is really warm and is the new long length that will satisfy any fashionista. I have one and can get by with just a jacket and this scarf even on the coldest day. Extremely soft with a wool/cashmere mix and comes in a variety of colours from lavender to vibrant blue. At £59 it’s a lovely present with a touch of luxury.
Similarly, this mens scarf is an exclusive gift from menswear designers Lou Dalton and John Smedley who have collaborated in this all British production. The painter and ceramicist John Booth has hand-decorated a brightly coloured stripe design to create a printed scarf in 100% Merino Wool. A one off exclusive design for that fashion conscious man. £150 from ADDITI+ON Shop.
No.8, Google Home Mini (£29) may be seen as a gimmicky tech present but recently it saved my life following a fall! I’d been gifted this and until recently only used it to curate my shopping list or play a quiz but I fell in my bathroom without my phone or alarm nearby. I couldn’t move and was panicking at the thought of 24 hours on the floor but I suddenly realised I could call my contacts through Google Home. It worked and help arrived. I now have two to give complete coverage throughout my home. There are of course other things it can do like play music, adjust light, heat etc. and there are other ‘assistants’ available such as Echo Dot (24.99) from Amazon and Apple Home Pod (£319). A good review site for these can be found on TechRadar and John Lewis is a good place to buy, Prices depend on what functionality you need and even in a year prices have reduced dramatically and they are cheaper than using a call alarm service. ‘Technology for good’ is now a reality and who knows what we’ll be using next year – a robot carer would be good!?
No.9, Good Smells & Tastes are great for anyone who’s blind or partially sighted. The Soap Co. produces toiletries from £12 for their hand wash and the ‘soaps are purer than pure and manufactured by less able workers.’ You can buy these from our ADDITI+ON shop website where you can find anything from tasty organic teas by Teministeriet from Sweden (£5.75) to foraged flavour chocolate from Naive(£6.99) – an assault on anyone’s senses.
No.10, For those that are deaf or hard of hearing you can get some funky additions for their earpiece. Hearrings are a beautiful way to decorate your hearing aid at £65/pair. They ‘are jewellery specifically designed to accessorise your hearing aid – turning them from a necessity to a must have accessory!’ Decorated with Swarovski crystal they definitely make a statement.
Other enhancements to a hearing aid or cochlear implant are Lugs . Originally designed so that a little boy could ‘wear his device with pride’, they are really cool and I know some adults who may like these. They range from £8.99-£12.99 a pair.
That’s our gift list for Christmas 2018. If you need further information on anything listed here or if you want to tell us about any other gift ideas please get in touch. Have a good time shopping and have a great Xmas!! xx
I really wish that that drink holder *did* actually fit “any” wheelchair. Alas, my chair has no upright upon which to attach it or any other drink holder I have yet to come across. There’s got to be *some* way to attach one to the arm of my chair, but I have yet to find it. I get so tired of ads and product listings that say they will fit “any” chair when they obviously don’t.
Hi Wendy we actually say it will attach to ‘almost anything’ and not ‘any chair’ as we know some chairs are difficult to fit. However the attachment does rotate through 360 deg. so the post does not have to be upright. It’s been designed to attach to a horizontal arm or tray. If you send a picture of your chair we can assess if it will attach. Please send to fiona@bluebadgestyle.com