In 2020, The LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation collaborated with blind organizations to create and introduce Braille Bricks to schools. Using specially designed LEGO bricks, it served as a tool for educators to teach kids about the braille system.

In 2023, we wanted to bring that joy of learning through play, home.

So we created The LEGO Braille Bricks set for consumers. With a rich digital ecosystem of activities, the set allowed kids to learn braille in wholly unique way.

A significant milestone for the visually-impaired community, it was voted one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023.

Literacy is highly valued worldwide, and learning Braille is crucial for individuals with visual impairments to access information and participate fully in society.

However, traditional methods of teaching Braille can be rigid and less engaging for children. LEGO's decision to develop Braille Bricks recognizes the importance of making Braille learning more interactive and enjoyable, leveraging the cultural significance of play in childhood development.

Moreover, in an increasingly digital world, where screen time often dominates children's activities, the importance of tactile and hands-on learning experiences is being emphasized. By introducing Braille Bricks at this particular moment, LEGO responds to the need for innovative educational tools that cater to diverse learning styles and abilities.

By combining the power of play with the importance of literacy, LEGO demonstrates its commitment to making play and learning accessible to all children, regardless of their abilities.

For the blind community, braille is not just literacy, it’s the entry to independence and inclusion into this world. Only 24% of people who are blind or visually impaired are employed, and of these, the majority have braille skills. However, only an estimated 7% of can read braille.

One thing that is missing to teach Braille is something that young children can start with. This affects the 19 million children globally who are vision impaired.

This is where LEGO® Braille Bricks come in. Since 2020, the LEGO Foundation has distributed LEGO Braille Bricks free of charge to organizations specializing in the education of children with vision impairment.

While this was met with overwhelming and positive response globally, it was not available for purchase to the public. This meant that many children and families who want to learn braille through play lack access to the product.

For blind and partially sighted children, it makes a huge difference to be able to share their journey of learning Braille with loved ones. Thus, the idea to have LEGO Braille Bricks made available to the wider public was a massive step forward to ensuring more children want to learn braille in the first place.

As the bricks were initially only offered to certain organisations, we needed to create a solution that allows children and parents to benefit from the same learning-through-play experience at home.

We focused on creating a product that would spark curiosity for children and their family to learn braille, and give them a platform for social inclusion and fun family moments while building pre-braille skills.

We worked closely with children, their families and experts in the field, to optimise for blind and vision impaired children on all parameters across packaging, bricks, online play starters, and communications.

2011 – The concept behind LEGO Braille Bricks was first proposed to the LEGO Foundation by the Danish Association of the Blind, and again in 2017 by the Brazilian-based Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind.

In-between – Development of product in close collaboration with Blind communities in Denmark, Brazil, UK, Norway, Germany, France and USA, where testing was conducted in two waves over the course of nearly two years. This includes Danish Association of the Blind, Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind (BZ), Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK); Leonard Cheshire (UK) and Blindeforbundet Norge (NO).

April 2019 – Program was first unveiled as a pilot project in April 2019

2020 – The LEGO Foundation distributed the kits free of charge to organizations specializing in the education of children with vision impairment.

September 2023 – Pre-order opened for the first time for English and French Version

Early 2024 – Italian, German and Spanish Version made available

LEGO® Braille Bricks – Play with Braille – is our carefully researched and designed brick kit to help people of all ages perfect their braille skills, in the most fun way possible.

It is aimed at kids aged 6+ and has 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.

Each of the 287 LEGO Braille Bricks is moulded with studs to depict a different letter or number in the braille alphabet, allowing sighted and visually impaired kids to play and learn together on equal terms. These specialty bricks are fully compatible with existing LEGO bricks.

To further complement the play experience and support pre-braille skill development, a digital experience consisting of a series play starters teach players how to orient, attach, and stack the bricks through popular games such as 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.'

The LEGO Group also partnered with the free mobile app Be My Eyes, where LEGO Customer Service colleagues will provide confidential, live visual assistance through the app covering support including unboxing to general product support.

The announcement of LEGO® Braille Bricks release generated a total of 3.8K mentions across print, broadcast, online and social media – including global exclusives with The Guardian, Fast Company and Sky News - with a predicted reach of over 2 billion and mentions in 91 countries.

“LEGO hopes the initiative will help parents and siblings share in learning braille, and the packs will include ideas for a range of educational games that families can play together.” - The Guardian

“The Braille bricks are designed so that anyone who is curious about Braille ‘can have fun getting to know the braille system at home with their family members in a playful, inclusive way’” – USA Today

“Learning should be fun. That's LEGO's aim, to encourage learning through play.” – BBC News

More significantly, the product won TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023 for innovation and inclusivity of play to support learning.