The LEGO Group has announced that LEGO Braille Bricks are now available for purchase on their official website. This move comes ahead of World Blind Awareness Month in October and follows a rise in global demand for the product. The Braille Bricks are intended for children aged six and older, and aim to provide an inclusive way to learn braille, serving those who are blind, partially sighted, or fully sighted.
Previously, these specialized LEGO bricks had only been provided free of charge to organizations focused on the education of visually impaired children. These bricks were introduced in 2020, and the feedback from various stakeholders, such as parents and educators, has been overwhelmingly positive, prompting the commercial release of the product for home use.
Martine Abel-Williamson, President of the World Blind Union, emphasized the importance of the product in enhancing braille literacy and independence for the visually impaired. According to Abel-Williamson, the bricks serve as an educational tool that can be used in the home environment, allowing for inclusive learning experiences with family members.
The LEGO Braille Bricks come in a set of 287 bricks, available in five colors: white, yellow, green, red, and blue. These bricks are compatible with existing LEGO sets and feature braille and printed numbers and letters. The set also includes two baseplates and comes in packaging with braille embossing. To help users, a series of instructional games and activities are available on LEGO’s website.
Furthermore, the LEGO Group has partnered with the Be My Eyes mobile app, which connects visually impaired individuals with companies for visual assistance on a variety of tasks. Mike Buckley, Chairman and CEO of Be My Eyes, expressed gratitude for the partnership, acknowledging that it would significantly help the blind and low-vision community.
In addition, LEGO has made its Audio & Braille Building Instructions a permanent feature. This option offers LEGO building instructions in both audio and text for braille readers.
LEGO Braille Bricks are priced at 89.99 USD and are available for pre-order in English and French, with the official launch set for September 1, 2023. The product will also be available in Italian, German, and Spanish in early 2024.
The LEGO Foundation will continue to offer the educational version of the LEGO Braille Bricks for free to organizations working with the blind and visually impaired.