LEGO® Unveils Innovative Braille Bricks: Making Learning Inclusive and Fun

In a pioneering move, the LEGO Group is making their groundbreaking LEGO® Braille Bricks available for purchase. This initiative is aimed at not just promoting inclusive play, but also reimagining how braille can be taught in an engaging and enjoyable manner.

Ahead of the World Blind Awareness Month this October, the LEGO Group has brought out the much-anticipated ‘LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille’ set. While this set is ideal for children aged six and up, its design ensures that everyone, irrespective of their vision capability, can interact with it, diving into the world of braille.

Each brick boasts both braille and printed letters, numbers, or symbols. This feature ensures that the learning experience is collaborative, enabling both visually impaired and sighted family members to participate. The product will be available in English and French from September 1st, 2023, with other languages set to join the roster next year.

Martine Abel-Williamson, President of the World Blind Union, expressed her enthusiasm. She emphasized how such initiatives promote braille as a key to independence and inclusion in the world. She believes the universal love for LEGO provides a unique platform for the visually impaired community to foster an interest in braille.

Previously, LEGO Braille Bricks were distributed for free by the LEGO Foundation to specific educational institutions working with visually impaired children. The feedback received post their 2020 launch was overwhelmingly positive. Parents, teachers, and caregivers noted how these bricks revolutionized the way children learned braille.

Lisa Taylor, a mother, shared how LEGO Braille Bricks cultivated a newfound interest in braille for her daughter, Olivia. With this set available for home use, Olivia can playfully introduce braille to her younger sister.

The set consists of 287 bricks in five distinctive colors and includes two baseplates for building. Every brick’s studs are positioned to mirror braille symbols, with the respective printed symbol positioned below. Supporting play starters, available on LEGO.com, further enrich the experience by introducing interactive games.

Rasmus Løgstrup, Lead Designer at the LEGO Group for this project, reflected on the transformative power of play and how LEGO Braille Bricks have been instrumental in inclusive learning.

Adding another feather to their inclusivity hat, LEGO Group has collaborated with the mobile app Be My Eyes. This app connects the visually impaired community with companies to assist in everyday tasks using live video calls.

In conjunction with this, LEGO Group is permanently introducing LEGO® Audio & Braille Building Instructions, inspired by entrepreneur Matthew Shifrin, who is blind. This novel feature provides audio or braille text instructions for selected LEGO sets.

The ‘LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille’ set is priced at 89.99 USD. With its pre-order already started, the set promises to revolutionize how families engage with and understand braille, reaffirming LEGO’s commitment to inclusivity in play.