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The LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group have unveiled a pioneering project to help children who are blind and partially sighted learn braille through play.

The concept behind LEGO Braille Bricks started to be developed in 2011 by the LEGO Foundation, in collaboration with blind associations from Denmark, Brazil, UK and Norway. The first prototypes are now being tested. The final LEGO Braille Bricks kit is expected to launch in 2020 and will contain approximately 250 bricks covering the alphabet, numbers 0-9, select maths symbols and inspiration for teaching and interactive games.

The studs on the bricks represent the dots in braille and will also be fully compatible with other types of LEGO bricks. They will also have the letters and numbers printed on them to inclusive to sighted teachers, students and family members.

Director of Services, David Clarke commented: "At RNIB, our vision is a world without barriers for people with sight loss, but we can’t achieve this alone. We’re proud to have worked with LEGO on the development of these braille bricks which will improve education for children with vision impairment and encourage inclusion.

Thanks to this innovation, children with vision impairment will be able to learn braille and interact with their friends and classmates in a fun way, using play to encourage creativity while learning to read and write. I use braille every day both at work and at home, so I’m excited to see how together, RNIB and LEGO can inspire and support the next generation.”

For more educational toys and games visit RNIB Shop.