For years, children have had a love affair with Lego sets. The colorful bricks allow builders of all ages to be creative and to think outside the box. In 2019, Lego partnered with the nonprofit American Printing House for the Blind to create braille bricks and education kits for visually impaired children.
The kits were wildly popular, and as of September 1, the LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille kits are available for purchase on its website.
The braille bricks are meant to help people learn the writing system through inclusive play, regardless of their visual capabilities. The bricks include braille and printed letters, numbers, and symbols, making them attractive to all ages. According to a news release from Lego, the sets launched in English and French, with hopes of more languages following in 2024.
The braille bricks made a huge impact.
Those lucky enough to get their hands on the braille kits loved them, according to the release. Feedback was consistently positive, and Lego knew it was time to bring the kits to market for more users to enjoy.
“Since the launch of these educational kits in 2020, feedback from parents, carers, 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,” the release reads. “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.”
Lego introduced the sets after an 'overwhelming' response to the educational kits.
After the successful education launch in 2020, Lego identified its core market and created a product for purchase to help serve a need. The sets are “aimed at kids aged 6+ and [have] 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,” the release reads.
The braille bricks are fully compatible with other Lego bricks.
The braille kits are meant to be used to create with other Lego bricks. The new sets include 287 bricks that come in blue, green, red, white, and yellow. The studs on the bricks create braille letters and numbers, with the printed image below.
“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 LEGO.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,” the release explains.
The blind community is thrilled.
World Blind Union President Martine Abel-Williamson loves the new sets. She explained in the release the importance of inclusivity in play and how beautifully Lego has stepped in to help.
“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,” she said in the company’s release. “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.”
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Lego lovers can't wait to get their sets.
Many content creators praised the company for the new sets. TikToker Ben, who goes by the handle @bclegos, shared a video about the latest collection and said, “Lego just did something that is absolutely amazing.”
“Honestly, this is awesome, hopefully they have it so you buy a set for a family that might not have the extra funds to buy this set,” a comment reads.
“see it being a very positive thing for Lego to push to be a more educational space,” another person wrote.
“That’s actually so cute,” another TikToker agreed.
TikTok creator KamBam, found at @coolbeanskam, loved the set and said, “It is an incredible thing Lego is doing to be able to represent these underrepresented communities and be more inclusive with their products.”
The Lego Play with Braille sets are available now on the Lego website for $89.99.
