INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis nonprofit aims to make the holidays more accessible this season.

According to the BOSMA Center for Visionary Solution, nearly 160,000 people in Indiana are blind or visually impaired.

Marsha Egan, vice president of program services at Bosma Enterprises, says the key to an accessible holiday gathering is safety.

People planning to host this winter should make sure to clear pathways of tripping hazards like loose rugs or decorations that stick out from the wall, ground or ceiling.

It’s also a good idea to close cabinets, push in chairs and keep things off of stairways.

“Those type of things are just common courtesy,” Egan said. “It can help somebody with very low vision or no vision prevent falls or (avoid) things that they might bump into. Other than that, help identify where things are.”

If a potluck or buffet is part of the plan, she suggests labeling dishes with braille and large fonts.

It’s still okay to decorate your house for the season. Egan says to think creatively and engage all of the senses when getting into the holiday spirit.

Bells and textured ornaments are a good place to start.

“Things that might be tactile for the person to experience is good,” Egan said. “The use of colored lights can be really helpful as well, because sometimes people do have some light perception. [They] may be able to see the different colors are changing along the way.”

When it comes to gifts, Egan recommends going for tangible items, like food or accessible games. The person giving the gift should, however, make sure it is easy to unwrap.

“[Any type of] audio type of engagement…there’s cards that have music.” Egan said. “Those are the things that somebody with low vision can really fully experience, along with whoever they’re celebrating with.”

BOSMA suggests labeling gifts with Braille or using a QR Code that’s linked to a voice-to-text app. This step could make gifts easier to find.