[NFBNJ] The LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group team up with blind associations to pilot LEGO® Braille Bricks and develop children’s breadth of skills

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
Previously, I forwarded information to the BELL Academy Team for 2019.
This email provides additional info and I wanted to share.
Thanks to Pamela Gaston, NJ CBVI for forwarding as we continue to work 
together to make a difference!

Joe

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!

Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking
www.carshelpingtheblind.org
or call 855 659 9314

**
Motivated by stories and ideas from blind people around the world, the LEGO 
Foundation and LEGO Group will pilot a grassroots innovation that can help 
blind and visually impaired children learn through play using LEGO?? bricks.

Paris, France April 24: Today, the LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group will 
announce their support of a pioneering project that will help blind and 
visually impaired children learn Braille in a playful and engaging way using 
Braille customised LEGO?? bricks. The project, LEGO Braille Bricks, will be 
unveiled today at the Sustainable Brands Conference in Paris, France.

The concept behind LEGO Braille Bricks was first proposed to the LEGO 
Foundation in 2011 by the Danish Association of the Blind and again in 2017 
by the Brazilian-based Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind. It has since 
been further shaped in close collaboration among blind associations from 
Denmark, Brazil, UK, and Norway and the first prototypes are now in those 
same countries for concept testing.

???With thousands of audiobooks and computer programs now available, fewer 
kids are learning to read Braille,??? said Philippe Chazal, Treasurer of the 
European Blind Union. ???This is particularly critical when we know that 
Braille users often are more independent, have a higher level of education 
and better employment opportunities. We strongly believe LEGO Braille Bricks 
can help boost the level of interest in learning Braille, so we???re thrilled 
that the LEGO Foundation is making it possible to further this concept and 
bring it to children around the world.???

LEGO Braille Bricks will be moulded with the same number of studs used for 
individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet, while remaining 
fully compatible with the LEGO System in Play. To ensure the tool is 
inclusive allowing sighted teachers, students and family members to interact 
on equal terms, each brick will also feature a printed letter or character. 
This ingenious combination brings a whole new and playful approach to get 
blind and visually impaired children interested in learning Braille, 
enabling them to develop a breadth of skills needed to thrive and succeed in 
a fast-paced world.

LEGO Group Senior Art Director, Morten Bonde, who suffers from a genetic eye 
disorder that is gradually turning him blind, worked as an internal 
consultant on the project. Morten currently has 4-degree sight left but is 
determined not to let his loss of sight limit him.

???Experiencing reactions from both students and teachers to LEGO Braille 
Bricks has been hugely inspirational and reminded me that the only 
limitations I will meet in life are those I create in my mind. The children???s 
level of engagement and their interest in being independent and included on 
equal terms in society is so evident. I am moved to see the impact this 
product has on developing blind and visually impaired children???s academic 
confidence and curiosity already in its infant days.???

The product is currently being tested in Danish, Norwegian, English and 
Portuguese, while German, Spanish and French will be tested in Q3 2019. The 
final LEGO Braille Bricks kit is expected to launch in 2020 and will be 
distributed free of charge to select institutions through participating 
partner networks in the markets where testing is being carried out with 
partners. It will contain approximately 250 LEGO Braille Bricks covering the 
full alphabet, numbers 0-9, select math symbols and inspiration for teaching 
and interactive games.

???Blind and visually impaired children have dreams and aspirations for their 
future just as sighted children??? said John Goodwin, CEO of the LEGO 
Foundation. ???They have the same desire and need to explore the world and 
socialise through play, but often face involuntary isolation as a 
consequence of exclusion from activities. In the LEGO Foundation, we believe 
children learn best through play and in turn develop the breadth of skills, 
such as creativity, collaboration and communication, that they need in the 
post 4th Industrial Revolution. With this project, we are bringing a playful 
and inclusive approach to learning Braille to children. I hope children, 
parents, caregivers, teachers and practitioners worldwide will be as excited 
as we are, and we can???t wait to see the positive impact.???

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2019/april/lego-braille-bricks/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnj_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190425/6c0e8ef7/attachment.html>