Remember the five and dime stores, when items were literally priced 5-10 cents each? Nowadays we enjoy our local dollar store, which used to be $1.00 but are now $1.25. Regardless, it’s still a great deal! Did you know that your local dollar store has amazing products for low vision for a fraction of the cost? Here are a few of our favorites!
Resources on a Dime
Clip Boards – A wonderful tool for stabilizing your written material to hold your paper, article or recipe stable while using your magnifier.
LED Clip Lights & Nightlights – Clip lights clamp to your clipboard or books, enhancing the contrast of printed materials. Nightlights are excellent for bathroom and hallway safety.
LED bulbs – While we prefer 5000K output bulbs, you can find 3000K LED bulbs that provide similar cool daylight tones. 
Large Print Activity Books – From crosswords to sudoku to word searches, you can find multiple books that are in large print for your leisure!
Sticky Contrast – The crafts section is filled with Velcro-type items, raised stickers and puffy paints that can be used as touch indicators for items around the house.
High Contrast Duct Tape – Found in the tools section, you can find different colored duct tape, such as red, yellow or black, to mark stair treads or shower thresholds.
Rubber Bands & Safety Pins – Use bands around bottles and jars for easy identification and mark clothing labels with safety pins to identify colors or matching sets.
Dark Soap Dish – Place a white bar of soap in a dark soap dish for improved contrast.
Contrasting Plates & Placemats – Use a white plate on a dark placement or vice versa and change them depending on the color of food you are eating.
Bold Markers – Have we mentioned contrast yet? Using a bold, thick marker for writing optimizes contrast against white paper. Try printing instead of cursive for optimal clarity!
Neon Sticker & Sticky Notes – Excellent for marking cans, bins and items on shelves for improved home organization. Print with a black sharpie or marker.
Do you have any low vision hacks on a dime? Please share with us so we can learn from you!
We provide training, tools and resources to individuals of all ages who are blind and visually impaired and even offer a full calendar of activities. If you or someone you love is experiencing vision loss and could benefit from our services, please contact Future In Sight at [email protected] or 603-224-4039 today!
About the Author: Christelle Gonzales is an Occupational Therapist at Future In Sight.