Vision Australia joined forces with LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre recently to introduce kids who are blind or have low vision to LEGO® Braille Bricks for the very first time.
As the LEGO® Foundation’s official partner for the distribution of LEGO® Braille Bricks in Australia, Vision Australia welcomed 20 families to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre for a special event to discover the new range of LEGO® bricks, which have been designed to expose children to braille from a young age.
Each LEGO® Braille brick has raised bumps that have been modified to correspond to a letter or character of the braille alphabet. Each brick also has a printed letter or character to allow children who are blind or have low vision to learn and play alongside sighted classmates, family members and educators.
“We were thrilled to be able to introduce LEGO® Braille Bricks to so many of clients here at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre today. Braille is vital in supporting children who are blind or have low vision to develop literacy skills, and LEGO Braille Bricks are a great way to expose children to braille at an early age,” said Ron Hooton, CEO of Vision Australia.
During the event the families enjoyed playing with LEGO® Braille Bricks and exploring LEGOLAND Discovery Centre’s LEGO model of Melbourne, various building zones, two rides and 4D cinema.
“We are proud to host Vision Australia today to support the Australian launch of LEGO® Braille Bricks. One of the foundations of LEGO is helping kids learn through play so it’s amazing to see how this project is helping children who are blind or have low vision learn braille in a playful and engaging way,” said Kieran Jiwa, Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre.
LEGO Braille Bricks will be provided to schools or other education institutions that have a student, or students, who are blind or have low vision and are learning braille. LEGO® Braille Bricks are not available for sale to the general public and are not available at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Further information about LEGO® Braille Bricks can be found here: https://www.visionaustralia.org/services/children/lego-braille-bricks