Ahead of World Blind Awareness Month this October and in response to global demand, the LEGO Group announces LEGO® braille bricks are available to purchase for the first time through LEGO.com. The new product – LEGO® Braille Bricks – Play with Braille – 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. 

Until now, LEGO braille bricks have only been distributed free of charge by the LEGO Foundation to organisations* specialising in the education of children with vision impairment. 

  • Following an overwhelming response from around the world, 
    LEGO® Braille Bricks are now available to purchase online at LEGO.com.
  • With an estimated 26,000 blind and partially sighted braille users in the UK, the launch marks a significant milestone in the development of more inclusive learning through play experiences.
  • With both braille and printed letters, numbers and symbols on each brick, and games designed for all ages, the new ‘LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille’ set makes learning braille more fun and accessible to everyone.
  • Available from 1st September 2023 with pre-order starting 24th August.

In 2020, the LEGO Foundation partnered with the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) to help bring LEGO braille bricks to the UK. Since then, feedback from parents, carers, grandparents, children, and educators has continually highlighted the positive impact the bricks have and how they transform the way children with vision impairment can learn braille. With an estimated 26,000 blind and partially sighted braille users in the UK*, and following an overwhelming response, the creation of LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille gives families the opportunity to enjoy the benefits and practice their tactile skills at home.

Dave Williams, RNIB’s Inclusive Design Ambassador, said: “We’re thrilled LEGO braille bricks are now available to everyone who wants to own them. When RNIB and the LEGO Foundation brought the braille bricks learning kits to UK classrooms in 2020, we heard from families keen to get their hands on their own LEGO braille bricks at home. Now you can. Every family with a blind or partially sighted parent, or child with vision impairment, can share this incredible fun and playful way of building braille literacy leading to greater independence and opportunity.

“As well as enabling blind children and adults to read and write by touch, braille brings families together to play games, share bedtime stories, label gifts and greetings cards, access recipes and cooking ingredients, speak at family occasions and so much more. LEGO braille bricks show how learning braille can be a fun, positive and empowering journey shared by all the family.”

LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille includes 287 bricks in five colours: white, yellow, green, red and blue. All bricks are fully compatible with other LEGO products and the studs on each brick are arranged to correspond to the numbers and letters in the braille system, with the printed version of the symbol or letter situated below the studs. 

The set also includes two baseplates to build on and comes in packaging with braille embossing. To enhance the play experience and support pre-braille skill development, a series of supporting play starters are available on LEGO.com and will teach players how to orient, attach and stack the bricks through well-loved games such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, which all members of the family can take part in.

Rasmus Løgstrup, LEGO Group Lead Designer on LEGO Braille Bricks said:“Play has the power to change lives; when children play, they learn vital life-long skills, so we were thrilled by the reception that LEGO Braille Bricks received in educational settings. We’ve been inundated with thousands of requests to make them more widely available, so we just knew we had to make it happen! 

It’s been a fantastic journey collaborating with children, families and experts from around the world to develop the product and online activity packs. Our partners have been instrumental also in advising on what colourways should be used for the bricks, product packaging and digital experiences to ensure this is optimised for individuals who experience low vision and vision loss. We know this is a strong platform for social inclusion, and can’t wait to see families get creative and have fun playing with braille together.”

With its ongoing commitment to make its play experiences more inclusive, the LEGO Group has also partnered with the free mobile app Be My Eyes. The popular app connects blind and partially sighted people with companies to help with everyday tasks through a live video call. As part of the partnership, LEGO Customer Service colleagues will provide confidential, live visual assistance through the app covering support from a wide range of topics from unboxing, to general product support.

The LEGO Group is also pleased to announce that LEGO® Audio & Braille Building Instructions will now become a permanent offering. Inspired and co-developed by entrepreneur Matthew Shifrin who is blind, this experience gives builders the option of having select LEGO building instructions available as audio or text for braille readers.

LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille is priced at £79.99 and now available for pre-order in English and French ahead of launch September 1st 2023. In early 2024, the set will also be available in Italian, German and Spanish versions. 

The LEGO Foundation will continue to carry out research and distribute LEGO Braille Bricks educational kits free of charge through partnering national blindness associations and other partnering organisations.