When I was a kid, I didn’t realize that I had low vision— I assumed that everyone around me had vision loss not corrected by glasses as well and that double vision and blurry vision were normal experiences. Instead of going to accessible Easter egg hunts for visually impaired kids or going to low vision/blind Easter egg hunt events hosted by the state unit for visual impairment, my family and I developed a few different strategies for how to make mainstream Easter egg hunts accessible for low vision and creating more inclusive Easter egg hunts for kids with disabilities. Here are my tips for how to make Easter egg hunts accessible for low vision, including strategies that I have used to help organize Easter egg hunts for younger participants.
Use bright colored eggs that provide adequate contrast
One of my biggest tips for how to make Easter egg hunts accessible for visual impairment is to choose bright colored eggs that “pop” against common surfaces. Green eggs in the grass or yellow eggs against a dirt path can be much more challenging to locate, so it helps to choose highly saturated colors that do not blend into their surroundings.
Other options for high contrast Easter eggs can include:
- Glow-in-the-dark plastic eggs
- Shiny or reflective eggs
- Neon Easter eggs
Eggs that have complex patterns or intricate designs may be more challenging for kids with cerebral visual impairment/cortical visual impairment (CVI) to locate independently, so I recommend choosing solid colored eggs when possible.
Related links
- Decorating Easter Eggs With Low Vision
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
Make eggs easier to locate by adding balloons or stems
On the Paths to Technology blog maintained by Perkins School for the Blind, one strategy for making Easter eggs easier to pick up for kids with visual impairments and/or multiple disabilities is to tie a balloon around the eggs so that they can be picked up by the string. Another option is to add a chenille stick (pipe cleaner) “stem” to create Easter egg “flowers”, which can then be placed in the dirt/mulch so they are elevated above the ground and provide adequate contrast.
Related links
- Easter egg hunt for students with visual impairments (Perkins.org)
- How To Create Tactile Images With Everyday Objects
Have participants work with a partner to find eggs
When I was a kid, I would often partner up with my brother or a friend to find Easter eggs, or I would follow other kids to get an idea of where the Easter eggs were located— I figured out this strategy after I noticed I was getting much fewer eggs when searching on my own compared to the other kids because it took me longer to find eggs.
When I was in college, my friend’s student group hosted a partner Easter egg hunt activity, and each team was limited to collecting around 10-12 eggs. My friend was excited to have me as their partner because I could use my blindness cane to help with locating eggs on the ground!
Related links
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
- How Do People With Visual Impairments Guide Each Other?
- School Field Trips And Low Vision
Put eggs at eye level instead of on the ground
One of the Easter egg hunts hosted in my neighborhood took a different approach to hiding Easter eggs that was inclusive of people with low vision. Instead of having eggs hidden on the ground, they hid eggs at eye level in various locations so that the eggs were easier to spot, but still in unexpected locations. Prior to the event, I found one egg on top of a tree/bush while on a walk, a few eggs on top of mailboxes on the street, and sitting in chairs that had been set out specifically for the event, among other locations.
When one of my friends organized an Easter egg hunt at their church, they also hid several eggs hidden indoors so that people would not have to bend over to pick them up or walk around in the bright sunlight. The eggs were in places like couches, classroom desks, on music stands, and even a few resting on the piano. The next year, my friend and I teamed up to tape several eggs to the wall with painter’s tape to provide a vertical option, which was helpful for participants who used wheelchairs or that had visual field neglect.
Related links
Add glow sticks or tea lights inside of plastic eggs
Another option for making Easter egg hunts accessible for low vision is to add glow sticks or tea lights to eggs so that they are brighter and easier to find in low-lighting conditions. When a different friend hosted an Easter egg hunt, they added small glow sticks they had found at the dollar store to the inside of the egg, along with candy, and then hid the eggs in their backyard on a cloudy day for family members to find. The kids still had to look around for the eggs, but they were much easier to find when they were glowing brightly in the grass.
When working with a student that had neurological visual impairment (CVI), we created a blacklight Easter egg hunt that was a huge hit! This was a lot of fun because having the bright eggs made it easier for them to participate without any other modifications. One strategy that did help though was having all participants wear clothing or accessories that would glow under a blacklight, so that the student didn’t run into other participants that were invisible in the dark.
Related links
Label allergens with a colored sticker
Some Easter egg hunts I have observed required that candies with peanut butter, milk, or other common allergens be labeled so that people could avoid eating candy that would trigger a reaction; some labeled the outside of the eggs, while others placed a label on the inside of the eggs. This was also helpful for parents, as they could look in the basket and quickly identify if a candy was not safe to eat, even if the wrapper was otherwise obscured.
Instead of using a written label (which would be hard to read with small print), I worked with the hosts to add colored stickers to the eggs, and had a chart set up to show which color corresponded to a given allergy— red sticker for peanuts, blue sticker for milk, green sticker for coconut, etc.
One of the Easter egg hunt events a friend hosted was set up so kids could collect empty plastic eggs and trade the eggs for candy at the end, which made it easier for families to choose allergy-safe candy options or provide non-food items as a prize. Different prizes/candies were offered for each egg color.
Related links
- Unique Summer Reading Prizes For Print Disabilities
- How To Find Accessible Picture Books For Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Summer Reading Lists For Print Disabilities
- Choosing Stuffed Animals For Kids With Visual Impairment
Check out beeping Easter eggs
Beeping Easter eggs are frequently used at accessible Easter egg hunts for blind and low vision kids, or for practicing orientation and mobility (O&M) strategies. Participants follow the sound of the eggs instead of looking for them visually, though some egg options also light up. Another option is to add a key finder inside of plastic eggs, which involve using a remote and following the sound to find a specific egg.
More tips on organizing accessible easter egg hunts for low vision kids
- Instead of carrying a basket, I find it easier to use a crossbody bag or other hands-free option so I have both of my hands available. As a kid, this kept other participants from stealing eggs from my basket when I wasn’t looking, but it’s also useful for keeping one hand free to use a white cane.
- For another activity in college, my friend and I made a map of where Easter eggs had been hidden within a given area to help participants locate eggs. This also helped volunteers locate eggs that hadn’t been found after the event— my friend started doing this after finding an Easter egg while cleaning the venue in July!
- Looking for ideas on how to decorate Easter eggs? Read Decorating Easter Eggs With Low Vision
Published April 3, 2017. Updated March 2025