EyeSwearApparel

Blindness advocacy with a twist

Georgia, United States 94 Sales On Etsy since 2019

5 out of 5 stars (16)

EyeSwearApparel

Blindness advocacy with a twist

Georgia, United States | 94 Sales

5 out of 5 stars (16)

Shop owner

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94 Sales
54 Admirers
 

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The Owens Family

Contact shop owner

The Owens Family

Announcement    We love our customers. Post a new picture of yourself wearing an EyeSwear apparel shirt, tag us on social media & you’ll be entered to win a free t-shirt of your choice! Drawing on Valentine’s Day. Instagram or Facebook @EyeSwearApparel

Please note: We love to feature our real customers as our models. If you tag us, we will share your post and tag your social media account. 1 entry per picture. Have fun!

(Your pictures will also show up on our social media in the future.)

Announcement

Last updated on Feb 7, 2020

We love our customers. Post a new picture of yourself wearing an EyeSwear apparel shirt, tag us on social media & you’ll be entered to win a free t-shirt of your choice! Drawing on Valentine’s Day. Instagram or Facebook @EyeSwearApparel

Please note: We love to feature our real customers as our models. If you tag us, we will share your post and tag your social media account. 1 entry per picture. Have fun!

(Your pictures will also show up on our social media in the future.)

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(16)

About EyeSwearApparel

Sales 94
On Etsy since 2019
  • Kai's life is the heart & soul of our company. Loves: Skimboarding & Drumming. "Seems pretty rad"
  • Cash is our rock star. Loves: Geology, Climbing & Biking. "Oh Sweet!"
  • Chris sees the humor in life. Loves: Sharks Teeth & Scooters. "Hey y'all watch this."
  • Kim is the advocate of your dreams or nightmares. Loves: Swimming & Watercolors. "Dun Dun Duuuun"
  • The Owens Family. Navigating blindness together with grace, humor and lots of laughter.

Our story.

Hi, we are the Owens family. Our youngest son, Kai, is 17 and is going blind from a retinal disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Some days it’s simply too much to feel like the “blindness ambassador” who has to politely and patiently educate an ignorant public. So, we created these shirts based on our own real-life interactions but with a twist – they include our sarcastic thoughts in braille.

Of course, it’s up to you whether or not you tell people what the braille actually says, because they will assume that it says exactly what is on the top, printed line. The joke is on them!

Families dealing with sight loss have real feelings and are facing real challenges to accessibility and the sappy, inspirational, grade one braille t-shirts on the market did not resonate with us. We hope to educate and change public perceptions of individuals who are blind and VI through the use of mature humor and sarcasm and by utilizing a combination of print and UEB contracted braille. The awareness statement is on the top line in white type font, followed by a "twist of sarcasm" on the bottom line which utilizes UEB contracted braille, black dots on white background. The simulated braille is not raised or tactile because we do not want to encourage unexpected touch. The flattering t-shirts are high-quality, pre-shrunk, 100% ring-spun cotton and are available in Men's/Unisex, Women's and youth styles.

The profits will help send Kai to college. He's dreaming of going to a contemporary music school that is out of state. He's working really hard and we want to help him achieve his goals. He is currently legally blind with about 5 degrees of blurry sight and he's a top-performing student at a mainstream high school. He walks with a white mobility cane and has recently qualified to receive a guide dog. He’s a braille reader and utilizes assistive technology to access his school work. He’s also a drummer in a few local bands and a sponsored skimboarder. He has a twisted sense of humor that we adore. Thank you for your support.

New products will be released seasonally, so check back.

Peace out, The Owens Family

Sharing is Caring! Please share this link with your friends and use the tag #EyeSwearApparel on your Social Media Posts. We are excited to share your pictures on our social media accounts!

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Production partners

  • A high-end print-on-demand studio

    NC, United States

    Hi, thank you for your interest. We create the designs for EyeSwearApparel and when you place an order, our custom printer prints and ships the items directly to you.

Shop policies

More information

Last updated on Dec 10, 2019
Frequently asked questions
Sizing details

We offer unisex & youth t-shirt that have the slogan printed on the front, chest area. We also offer a women's cut which has the slogan printed on the upper back. We have done our best to make everyone happy by choosing top-rated, high-quality, pre-washed, cotton t-shirts. If you are unsure which size to choose please consider that they are classic fit, but some say they run a bit narrow.

Accessibility

Accessibility is super important to us. We took great care to describe our products fully. We tested our shop with screen readers and found that it is most easily accessed with standard smartphone voiceover features. It does work with Jaws, but as with most things online, it's a bit clunky. If you have any trouble placing an order please contact us at contact@eyeswearapparel.com and we will be happy to help.

Is the simulated braille raised/tactile?

Thanks for your interest. No, the simulated braille is simply part of the printed design. It is not raised or tactile. We think this is best because we do not want to encourage unexpected touch.

Custom and personalized orders

Hi, we are a new shop and so thankful for your support. If you are looking for a slogan for your "wife, husband, fiance, mom, dad, aunt, uncle...etc.," please let us know. We will do our best to create a design variation, of an existing slogan, to suit your needs. However, please understand that it may take a bit longer to process and fulfill.

Why is the slogan placement different for women's shirts?

Hi, thanks for asking. The original classic designs were created for everyone, so we chose a comfy unisex shirt and placed the design on the front. (98% of our sales are unisex.)

However, after launching, we were contacted by a woman who wanted the simulated non-tactile braille to be on the back of her shirt. Since we never, ever, want to encourage unexpected touch or make our beloved customers feel uncomfortable we rolled out a women's style with the slogan on the upper back. Please choose the option that is best for you. Please let us know if you have any questions.