- A gift wrapping guide for recipients with limited grip has been viewed 1.8 million times on TikTok.
- Present wrapping hacks have been designed to help toddlers and the elderly over the festive period.
- Tips include making an accessible handle with pieces of ribbon and not using too much tape.
A gift-wrapping tutorial designed to make opening presents more accessible over the holiday period is helping many reconsider how they wrap presents.
The video was posted on December 6 by @techowlpa, the TikTok account of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University in Philadelphia. It included a step-by-step guide to conscientious wrapping, and received more than 1.8 million views and 216,000 likes.
“Everyone deserves the thrill of ripping open a present on the holidays,” the caption read at the end of the video. It featured tips such as attaching a ribbon that works as an accessible opening tab and avoiding excessive use of tape to help anyone with “weak grips or even little toddlers.”
“We created this post because we want to encourage people to consider alternative ways of doing things to make the world more accessible for disabled people, including wrapping presents to ensure everyone can enjoy the simple pleasures of the holidays,” TechOwl told Insider.
The video received a positive response from users who were grateful for the advice. “Did this last year for my dad with ALS after seeing it on your page! He was so pleasantly surprised!!” one comment with over 8,700 likes said.
“I was actually wondering how I could wrap the gifts I got my great grandma without putting them in a boring bag. Thank you!” another comment with over 758 likes said.
In a video posted on December 9, @techowlpa shared a tutorial for “sensory sensitive wrapping” for those who may find “the sound and texture of tearing wrapping paper” to be overstimulating.
Disability educator and chronic illness awareness TikToker @ChronicallyJenni shared a gift wrapping guide to her TikTok account on December 1, designed to help “kids and elderly or disabled loved ones.”
In the video, which was viewed over 307,000 times, she suggested creating an “easily reachable” loop made from ribbon to provide an “easy grip so they can really rip into that present.”
“My condition causes chronic pain, especially in my smaller joints, so opening gifts can be tricky for me,” she told Insider. “It’s important to consider wrapping inclusively because it means everyone can be more independent, have fun and not feel left out or overwhelmed. It’s often a simple change for the person wrapping, which can make a huge impact on the person unwrapping.”
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