Three years ago, Lego began offering free special building bricks, coded with braille, to schools and services that focused on vision-impaired children. Now the rest of the world will get the chance to play with them.
The toymaker will begin selling sets with the braille-coded bricks at retail for the first time on Sept. 1. The bricks each have a braille version of a letter or number, with the printed version of that character below, in order to help blind and partially sighted children play games and learn to attach and stack the bricks.
The set will come with 287 pieces and cost $89.99 in the U.S.
“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,” said Martine Abel-Williamson, president of the World Blind Union, in a statement.
The bricks in this set are compatible with all other Lego products. They come with two baseplates for kids to build on, and the packaging is embossed in braille as well. The company says this will become a permanent offering in its lineup.
After the U.S. launch, versions will be made available in Italian, Spanish, and German next year.
"We were thrilled by the reception that Lego Braille Bricks received in educational settings," said Rasmus Løgstrup, lead designer on Lego Braille Bricks. "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.”
