First wave of the programme will roll out in partnership with local sight loss organisations to help preschoolers and older children with visual impairment.
LEGO is to officially launch its LEGO Braille Bricks in seven countries – including Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, the UK and the US.
The launch follows on from a successful pilot project in April 2019, with the concept since having been tested across various languages and cultural contexts. It is ready to launch in six languages (including Danish, Norwegian, English, Portuguese, German and French), with a four additional language versions arriving over the next six months.
There is the ambition that the concept will be implemented in a total of 11 languages across 20 countries by early 2021.
LEGO Braille Bricks introduces a fun and engaging way to help children with vision impairment develop tactile skills and learn the braille system. The bricks are moulded so that the studs on top reflect individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet while remaining fully compatible with the LEGO System in Play.
The bricks also feature printed letters, numbers and symbols so that they can be used simultaneously by sighted peers, classmates and teachers in a collaborative and inclusive way.
Each LEGO Braille Bricks toolkit will contain 300+ LEGO Braille Bricks covering the full alphabet in the chosen language, numbers 0-9, plus select mathematical symbols and punctuation marks. It will be available in five LEGO colours and will also include three base plates and a brick separator.
It is accompanied by a pedagogical concept that is based on Learning through Play and includes inspiration for brick-based activities to enhance learning and skill-development. All of the pedagogical materials are available at www.LEGObraillebricks.com, a dedicated website that offers inspiration for pre-braille and braille activities to promote Learning through Play.
“The possibilities for learning through play are endless, and we look forward to seeing how this can inspire children in their journey to learn braille,” said Stine Storm, senior play and health specialist at the LEGO Foundation.
