Four Deaf and Disability Owned Shops to support this Small Business Saturday
By: Katie Carr
As the holiday season quickly approaches and you rush to find gifts for your loved ones, check out these shops for high quality, inclusive products! From letterboards and books to fidget toys and sweatshirts, this list features four of our favorite Deaf and disability owned shops to support this upcoming Small Business Saturday (and all year long)!
ID 1:Sara Miller takes a selfie against a brick wall as she wears a grey beanie with a colorful and abstract design of the ASL sign for “I love you.” ID 2: Various colorful fidget toys sit scattered across a white surface. ID 3: Otto Lana sits at a table with multiple of his products on it like letter boards, mugs, and shirts. He smiles and waves at the camera while wearing a black shirt that reads ‘Everyone Belongs Here.’ ID 4: Megan DeJarnett wears a white top and dark orange overalls as she sits in her motorized wheelchair. She looks down on the open book on her lap.
1. Language Priority
Founded and owned by Deaf educator Sara Miller, Language Priority spreads awareness about deafness, language acquisition, American Sign Language, and the Deaf community through teaching ASL classes and selling apparel. These unique designs are available on sweatshirts, t-shirts, stickers, beanies, cards, and more! Follow Sara on Instagram @AdventuresInDeafEd and @LanguagePriority and visit her online store here!
2. All Things Sensory Shop
The All Things Sensory Shop is a small business owned and operated by Alissa Merklinger, a self proclaimed creator, writer, and nerd. She creates fidgets “made by a neurodivergent for neurodivergents.” She offers an impressive variety of fidgets ranging from chewlery and worry stones to marble mazes and picking rings. Follow Alissa on Instagram @AllThingsSensoryByAlissa and shop for fidgets here.
3. Otto’s Mottos
Otto’s Mottos is a brand founded by advocate and creative Otto Lana. Otto uses AAC devices and is passionate about everyone having their voice heard, so a lot of his work surrounds the topics of typing and communication. The store includes clothing with the phrase “Everyone belongs here,” durable letterboards, typing merchandise, and more. His letterboards are made from TerraSlate, the world’s best waterproof paper. You can find Otto on Instagram at @Otto_Types and his store here.
4. No Such Thing Co
No Such Thing Co is an inclusive book brand created by author and speaker Megan DeJarnett. Megan’s breakout book “No Such Thing as Normal” was written with the original intention of answering the questions that her sons began asking about her disability. Since then she has expanded her store to include her “You Are So Lovely” board books, an inclusive coloring book, stickers, shirts, buttons, and more! You can follow Megan on Instagram @NoSuchThing.Co and find her shop here.
For more gift ideas, check out our holiday Gifts that Give Back Guide! Every shop listed is donating a portion of their proceeds to The Nora Project. So when you shop, you are also supporting TNP!
About the Author: Katie Carr (she/her/hers) is a neurodivergent woman with a passion for accessibility and utilizing online spaces for advocacy. She joined TNP as the Communications Manager after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Public and Professional Writing.
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