The LEGO Foundation, which is a large-scale platform funded by The LEGO Group to perform outreach initiatives promoting child development and social change, plans to release a system of LEGO bricks to help kids learn braille. The bricks will have a series of studded and flat surfaces positioned to represent every letter of the braille alphabet. The benefits of these bricks could be two-fold. By encouraging learning braille at an early age through interactive tools like LEGO bricks, blind youth may unlock the knowledge they need to achieve success later in life. The real breakthrough, though, is a psychological one. All the bricks will have printed English labels, so both the blind and sighted can read them, allowing kids both blind and with sight to connect on a deeply emotional level with one another through the power of play.
According to The NY Times, “advocates say the product could transform reading for blind and visually impaired children, making the experience of learning Braille more inclusive and helping to combat what has been called a “Braille literacy crisis.”” At a time when the American school system is pushing equal education in classrooms, pushing blind students toward audio learning which has been found less effective at enabling students to achieve higher learning and learn critical thinking skills, many experts see the new LEGO product as a welcome blessing.
The project, officially called LEGO Braille Bricks, began testing phase in 2020, with schools partnering with regional distributors like American Printing House in the US.
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Photos used with permission. ©2019 The LEGO Group.