Danish toy manufacturer Lego (Billund; www.lego.com) and the Lego Foundation have announced that they will introduce blocks with braille writing in 11 languages across six countries by early 2021. The first “Lego Braille Bricks” were sent to stores in Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, the UK and US in August 2020.

The toymaker said the programme was first unveiled as a pilot project in April 2019 during the “Sustainable Brands Conference” in Paris / France, home to Louis Braille, who invented the tactile language for the blind and visually impaired. Since then, the brick concept has been tested across various languages and cultural contexts.

Lego said the bricks proved “a fun and engaging way to help children with vision impairment develop tactile skills and learn the braille system.” The bricks are moulded so the studs on top reflect individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet while remaining fully compatible with the Lego system. The bricks also feature printed letters, numbers and symbols so they can be used simultaneously by sighted peers, classmates and teachers in a collaborative and inclusive way, the company noted.

David Clarke, director of services at the UK’s Royal National Institute of Blind People, said, “With these braille bricks, the Lego Foundation has created a totally new and engaging way for children with vision impairment to learn to read and write.” The institute worked with the company to develop and test the bricks in the UK. “Braille is an important tool, particularly for young people with vision impairment, and these cleverly designed bricks enable children to learn braille creatively while also engaging with their classmates in a fun and interactive way,” Clarke noted.