With Thanksgiving in the rear view window, the 2019 holiday shopping season is well underway. If you’re reading this, we probably don’t need to remind you to visit Enabling Devices.com to find the best selection of adapted toys, sensory items, electronics, switches, communicators, training products and more.
But if you’re looking for something we don’t sell — say a super-soft, ultra-fashionable T-shirt or polo, or a piece of jewelry that expresses an inspiring message — you might want to consider a gift from Two Blind Brothers.com.
Founded by brothers Bryan and Branford Manley in 2017, Two Blind Brothers sells designer clothing and accessories for men, women and children. The Manley brothers, who both have Stargardt disease, a form of macular degeneration that has robbed them of much of their sight, started the company “to make shopping easier for the visually impaired by creating the best shirts that appeal to everyone.”
As the Two Blind Brothers’ website explains, “a person with a visual impairment can’t just go into a store, spot a shirt they like, and try it on to see how they look. A person with a visual impairment instead has to rely on other factors to determine what they want to buy, such as how the shirt feels, how it forms to their body, how comfortable it is to wear, and what other people have to say about it.”
Like many individuals who are blind, the Manley brothers have highly developed tactile abilities that worked to their advantages when it came to selecting the softest textiles for their apparel. After testing thousands of fabric samples, the Manleys came upon the perfect blend — 66% bamboo, 28% cotton, and 6% spandex — a combination they promise will make Two Blind Brothers shirts your favorites!
Two Blind Brothers also stands out because of its “Shop Blind” website. Designed specifically for blind shoppers and distinct from the company’s website for seeing customers, Shop Blind’s premise is “trust,” say the brothers. “We’re asking you to trust us to get a product we think you will LOVE without ever having seen it, the same way that trust lifts us all up every day.”
Clothing produced by Two Blind Brothers is also distinctive and practical for blind customers because each piece has the garment’s color written in Braille above the right bottom hemline. As the creators note: “this subtle, yet impactful detail is recognizable, stylish and a great conversation starter.” Likewise, necklaces and bracelets with the message “Love is blind” written in Braille help to raise awareness about blindness.
Two Blind Brothers products aren’t inexpensive, yet they’re well-made and support a great cause. In fact, all proceeds from the sale of their products are donated towards research programs developing cures for retinal eye diseases.
For more information, visit twoblindbrothers.com
