Braille Bricks: a tool for Blind Children literacy

Lego Braille Bricks Program - Play, Learn and Include

1. Brief History
The LEGO Braille Bricks Program is a globally innovative initiative by the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in partnership with the LEGO Foundation and with the support of the Promotion Center for School and Social Digital Inclusion (CPIDES) at Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP). It is main objective is to promote the learning of children with visual impairments aged 4 to 10 years, as well as to enable the teaching of this system by teachers in the common room in an inclusive manner.
LEGO Braille Bricks was made with the objective of developing a pedagogical resource that seeks to arouse the interest of the teacher, the student and their families, in carrying out activities for the practice of literacy of children with and without visual impairment together, so that they can be used countless possibilities that stimulate creativity and curiosity, thus being able to play in various ways. The Kit consists of a set of LEGO bricks, a board and an instruction manual. It contains letters, numbers and basic arithmetic signs. It is resistant, long lasting, colorful and easy to clean. But, above all, it is a playful educational resource.
3. Justification of the action
The justification of the project is given by the following aspects:
- Data from the World Health Organization showing that 10% of the world population has some type of disability, with 3.5% being visually impaired;
- IBGE data showing about 6.5 million people with visual impairments in Brazil;
- IBGE data showing that 20,935 children aged 0 to 4 years are blind, 24,707 have low vision totaling 6% of the Brazilian population with visual impairment;
- Data from the School Census of Basic Education - INEP / MEC / 2016 - 7,154 blind students and 68,279 students with low vision enrolled in schools, distributed among Early Childhood Education, Elementary School and High School.
- Data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey - TALIS - 2013, carried out by the OECD Inep 60.1% of teachers said they had a “high need” to obtain specific training to work with students with disabilities or special needs.
2. Objectives of the Pilot Project
The Lego Braille Bricks - Play, Learn and Include Project has the following objectives:
Conceive and develop the inclusion of people with visual impairments, through the pedagogical resource;
Enable children to learn to read, write, interpret, understand and develop independently with the same degree of equality;
Create various forms of knowledge in a pleasurable way, from recreational activities;
Transform the Braille System into a more accessible tool for visually impaired children in schools and, consequently, qualify students' literacy;
Form a group of teachers trained in the Lego Braille Bricks Program, capable of being multipliers to promote the learning of visually impaired children;
Enable children with visual impairments to be literate and have a basic understanding of mathematics;
Expand opportunities to study and play, including the rights of the child;
Sensitize and educate educators, families and government officials about the importance of using the Braille System in the literacy of blind children;
Collaborate to build a full inclusive education;
Provide an online platform to monitor the activities carried out and contribute to the development of a Pedagogical Intervention Plan that allows inclusion in an effective and playful way;
Carry out the Project so that the applied methodology is improved for the global development of the Lego Braille Bricks Program.
3. Reguards
We still have a lot to do!
Our project is only possible through of donors like you! Together, we can continue our work and benefit more children in favor of a more inclusive world!
Thank you for join with us!

• LBB_Report_I.pdf (PDF)