Ahead of World Blind Awareness Month this October and in response to global demand, the LEGO Group announces LEGO Braille Bricks are available to purchase for the first time through the Online LEGO Shop. The new product – LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille – is aimed at kids aged 6+ and has been designed so that anyone who is curious about Braille, be they blind, partially-sighted, or sighted, can have fun getting to know the Braille system at home with their family members in a playful, inclusive way.
Martine Abel-Williamson, President, World Blind Union, commented: “For blind and partially sighted children, and adults for that matter, it makes all the difference if they can share their journey of learning Braille with the people they love the most. For the blind community, Braille is not just literacy, it’s our entry to independence and inclusion into this world, and to have LEGO Braille Bricks made available for the wider public is a massive step forward to ensuring more children will want to learn Braille in the first place. And because it’s based on a product that so many families already know and love, this is really an invitation for all family members to have fun building tactile skills and getting familiar with Braille using the same tool.”
Until now, LEGO Braille Bricks have only been distributed free of charge by the LEGO Foundation to organizations specializing in the education of children with vision impairment. Since the launch of these educational kits in 2020, feedback from parents, caretakers, grandparents, children, and educators has continually highlighted the positive impact the bricks have and how they transform the way children with vision impairment can learn Braille. This overwhelming response has led to the creation of LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille to give families the opportunity to enjoy the benefits and practice their tactile skills at home.
Lisa Taylor, mum to 7-year-old Olivia and 4-year-old Imogen, commented: “Olivia first discovered LEGO Braille bricks at school and they had such a big impact on her curiosity for Braille. Before then, she found it hard to get started with the symbols but now she’s improving all the time. To have a set at home changes everything. We can play with Braille together as a family and she can introduce Braille to her little sister in a way they both love. LEGO Braille bricks are accessible for her without being really different from other kids, so she gets to play and learn just like every other child. That makes her feel included which is so important, not just to Olivia but any child.”
LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille includes 287 bricks in five colors: white, yellow, green, red, and blue. All bricks are fully compatible with other LEGO products and the studs on each brick are arranged to correspond to the numbers and letters in the Braille system, with the printed version of the symbol or letter situated below the studs.
The set also includes two baseplates to build on and comes in packaging with Braille embossing. To enhance the play experience and support pre-Braille skill development, a series of supporting play starters are available on LEGOBrailleBricks.com and will teach players how to orient, attach, and stack the bricks through well-loved games such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, which all members of the family can take part in.
Rasmus Løgstrup, LEGO Group Lead Designer on LEGO Braille Bricks said: “Play has the power to change lives; when children play, they learn vital life-long skills, so we were thrilled by the reception that LEGO Braille Bricks received in educational settings. We’ve been inundated with thousands of requests to make them more widely available, so we just knew we had to make it happen! It’s been a fantastic journey collaborating with children, families, and experts from around the world to develop the product and online activity packs. Our partners have been instrumental also in advising on what colorways should be used for the bricks, product packaging, and digital experiences to ensure this is optimized for individuals who experience low vision and vision loss. We know this is a strong platform for social inclusion, and can’t wait to see families get creative and have fun playing with Braille together.”
With its ongoing commitment to make its play experiences more inclusive, the LEGO Group has also partnered with the free mobile app Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is a global community that connects people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers or company representatives. On the app, volunteers assist blind and low-vision users through a live video connection and work together to tackle challenges and handle a wide range of tasks. With the Specialized Help feature, blind and low-vision users can connect with company representatives for accessible customer support. The app harnesses the power of generosity, technology, human connection, and artificial intelligence to help blind and low-vision people lead more independent lives. Be My Eyes is accessible in more than 150 countries worldwide and in over 180 languages. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android. As part of the partnership, LEGO Customer Service colleagues will provide confidential, live visual assistance through the app covering support from a wide range of topics from unboxing, to general product support.
Mike Buckley, Chairman and CEO, Be My Eyes, commented: “The fact that the LEGO Group is investing in inclusion is huge because so many people in the blind and low vision community already love and enjoy LEGO products. Be My Eyes is incredibly honored to partner with the LEGO Group to enable and inspire the creativity of blind and low vision builders across the globe.”
The LEGO Group is also pleased to announce that LEGO Audio & Braille Building Instructions will now become a permanent offering. Inspired and co-developed by entrepreneur Matthew Shifrin who is blind, this experience gives builders the option of having select LEGO building instructions available as audio or text for Braille readers.
LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille is priced at 89.99 USD and is now available for pre-order in English and French versions ahead of launch on September 1st, 2023. In early 2024, the set will also be available in Italian, German, and Spanish versions.
The set number for the English version is #40656 LEGO Braille Bricks Play with Braille, and is available in the United Kingdom for 79.99: GBP, Ireland for 89.99 EUR, the United States for 89.99 USD, Canada for 119.99 CAD, Australia for 149.99 AUD, and New Zealand for 169.99 NZD. The set number for the French version is #40655 LEGO Braille Bricks Play with Braille and is available in France for 89.99 EUR, Canada for 119.99 CAD, Switzerland for 109,00 CHF, Luxembourg for 89,99 EUR, and Belgium for 89,99 EUR. The set numbers and prices for the other language versions are not yet known.
The LEGO Foundation will continue to carry out research and distribute LEGO Braille Bricks educational kits free of charge through partnering with national blindness associations and other partnering organizations. If you have any questions or comments about the new set, feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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