LEGO launch Braille Bricks to assist blind children

Posted By: Enable Magazine 24 April 2019

Everyone has experienced the joy of playing with LEGO. Now, even more children will get to share in this joy as the toy manufacturer launches their grassroots project: Braille Bricks.

An exciting initiative from the brains behind The LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group, the Braille Bricks will work to help visually impaired children learn Braille.

EDUCATION

Moulded with the same number of studs used for individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet, the concept was initially introduced back in 2011.

The Danish Association of the Blind first proposed Braille Bricks to the LEGO Foundation with the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind – based in Brazil – re-calling the concept in 2017.

And the people at LEGO also have a personal connection to the Braille Bricks.

PROJECT

LEGO’s art director, Morten Bonde, lives with a genetic eye condition that is gradually impairing his vision and causing increased sight loss. Determined to ensure the bricks were beneficial for the wider visually impaired community, Bonde was a consultant on the project.

Monde said: “Experiencing reactions from both students and teachers to Braille Bricks has been hugely inspirational and reminded me that the only limitations I will meet in life are those I create in my mind.

“The children’s level of engagement and their interest in being independent and included on equal terms in society is so evident. ‘I am moved to see the impact this product has on developing blind and visually impaired children’s academic confidence and curiosity already in its infant days.”

PROGRESS

Braille Bricks will receive feedback from young people and schools will be taken into consideration to further improve the product.

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Introducing #LEGOBrailleBricks! We're proud to have worked with the @lego Foundation on the development of Braille Bricks. Thanks to this innovation, children with vision impairment will be able to learn braille and interact with their classmates in a fun way. The bricks are still in a test phase but we're expecting they'll launch next year in selected countries. Photo 1: A young boy wearing a school uniform in a classroom holding up a silver grey LEGO baseplate with red, yellow, blue and orange Braille Bricks attached to it. Photo 2: A teacher and young girl student in a colourful classroom playing with LEGO Braille Bricks on table. Photo 3: Braille bricks for P (orange), L (yellow), A (red) and Y (green) attached to a silver grey LEGO baseplate. Photo 4: LEGO pieces on top of a cover from the Braille Bricks box, which has the LEGO logo, the text "Braille Bricks" and "The LEGO Foundation" and coloured dots. #VisuallyImpaired #Blind #Blindness #VisualImpairment #VisionImpaired #Braille #Lego #LegoFoundation

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Many charities have been involved with the project, including the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Leonard Cheshire.

Steve Tyler, director of transformation and technology at Leonard Cheshire, has been blind since childhood. From his experiences he was also involved in the creative process of the bricks.

He enthuses: “We at Leonard Cheshire support the entire proposition.  The idea that an organisation like LEGO is taking this seriously and genuinely delivering what will be millions of Euros worth of investment is an astonishing thing.” 

What are your thoughts on LEGO Braille Bricks? Let us know on Twitter and Instagram.

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