Mostly everyone, regardless of
their age, is familiar with Legos. Some were obsessed with them as a child, owning every kit and every expansion set; however, some may be
unfamiliar with what exactly a Lego is. According to their website, Legos are a
series of interlocking plastic blocks that can be assembled to form buildings, characters, vehicles, and other objects.
The Lego company was founded
by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949. Since Lego’s founding, the company has always
been at the forefront of the latest trends, whether it’s a hit movie, TV show,
or, more recently, the concept of inclusion and universal design.
Words
You may ask, what is universal
design? According to the University of Washington, universal design is the
process of creating products accessible to people with a wide range of
abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. Now that we understand the universal design (UD) concept, we can apply it to a new product that the Lego
company unveiled in the U.S. on September 1st of this year. The
new innovative product is a Braille Lego Kit. Once it hits the market this
Friday, it will bring the world of Legos and basic education to children with
visual impairments.
The Braille Legos are not a
new concept. They are just new to the U.S. market. The idea was first introduced
in the U.K. in 2020. The idea behind the UK products was to make them available
in educational settings only. The original kits came with 300 pieces with markings corresponding to each Braille alphabet letter.
These blocks were originally designed for children between the ages of one and
four. However, the researchers quickly saw the product's potential with
other groups.
After three years of
perfecting the product, the Lego Braille blocks will officially go on sale in
the US tomorrow. They will retail for approximately $89. This time, the kits
will include 226 pieces with the Braille markings on one side and the English
equivalent of either a letter or number on the other side so that those who are
assisting can easily use the product.
In closing, there is no doubt
that the steps the Lego company has taken to include a segment of the
disability community should be commended. However, although this blog focused
on individuals who either have low vision or are blind, I make it my mission to
research whether there are other adaptive toys for other segments of
the disability community. If anyone reading this can point me in the
right direction, I ask that you either leave a comment on this blog with your
contact information or email me at jasonhahr@gmail.com. Let’s all use the fourth
principle of self-determination, which is responsibility, and remember that we
all should give back whenever we can.
Thank you for reading this
post. I hope you enjoyed it, along with the other recent posts on this blog.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a more comprehensive explanation of self-determination.
Your friendly neighborhood
super advocate
Jay
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