Just in time for Blind Awareness Month, LEGO is launching a new line of bricks that include something a little different —braille.
The LEGO Braille Bricks - Play with Braille product includes 287 bricks in five different colors: red, white, yellow, green, and blue. The studs on each brick are designed to correspond to the letters and numbers in the braille system. A printed version of each braille letter or number is then included below the studs.
While this is the first time braille bricks have been available for purchase, they’re not entirely new. The bricks have been around since 2020, but until now, LEGO has distributed the bricks to organizations that specialize in working with children with visual impairments.
The set is aimed at children ages 6 and above and is made so that both blind and sighted kids can have fun playing with them, and those who don’t know Braille can potentially learn something in the process.
(Credit: LEGO)“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,” Martine Abel-Williamson, President, of the World Blind Union said in a statement. “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.”
Along with bricks, the set comes with two baseplates for kids to build on, there is also a series of play starters available on LEGO.com to help kids learn how to orient, stack, and attach the bricks through games that are accessible for the entire family.
As part of the announcement, LEGO says that both audio and Braille building instructions for its products will now become a permanent offering.
LEGO Braille Bricks will be available in English and French starting September 1, 2023, for $89.99, with pre-orders starting now. The bricks are also expected to ultimately be available in German, Spanish, and Italian in early 2024.