LEGO-Style Braille Bricks Help Visually Impaired Children Learn to Read

A new LEGO-style toy is helping young children learn Braille.

Braille Bricks are building blocks that look almost exactly like LEGO but have one distinct difference: instead of every block donning six pegs on top, each Braille Brick represents a letter in the braille alphabet:


The bricks, which are not associated with LEGO but are compatible with the popular toy, can also be stacked and assembled to build other objects as well, making it easier for kids who are blind to build social connections with kids who are not.

According to AdWeek, about 300 sets are available, but the nonprofit organisation behind the invention, the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, has released the product designs under a Creative Commons license, hoping manufacturers will pick them up and bring them to a wider audience.

To that end, the group also created a website inviting viewers to create their own Braille messages in the style of the blocks, and is trying to drum up consumer support with the hashtag #BrailleBricksforAll.