PUPILS from a city college have been testing out LEGO Braille Bricks.

Youngsters from New College Worcester, for young people who are blind or visually impaired, were asked to help with a global project with The LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group to help blind and vision-impaired children learn through play.

They have given input for the Braille Bricks which, when launched, will be moulded with the same number of studs used for individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet, while remaining compatible with the LEGO System in Play. They also feature a corresponding printed letter or character so blind and sighted people can play with them together.

The pupils tested the prototype to show the potential of learning with LEGO Braille Bricks in the classroom, in mathematics, English and Spanish.

Susan Lock, head of mathematics at New College Worcester, said: “Braille gives vision impaired children and adults absolute independence.

"Without it, how will children learn grammar, or how to spell? The ability to read and understand Braille can be life changing for many of our students and can present very many opportunities, which is why we were so thrilled to be involved in the project.

"I’m passionate about both the Braille Bricks and teaching at NCW because we have the opportunity to transform children’s lives. LEGO Braille Bricks is doing that because it is making subjects far more accessible than they ever were before.”

John Goodwin, CEO of The LEGO Foundation, said: “Blind and vision impaired children have dreams and aspirations for their future just as sighted children.

"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.

"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.”

The concept of LEGO Braille Bricks was first proposed in 2011 and the final LEGO Braille Bricks kit is expected to launch in 2020 and to be distributed free of charge to chosen institutions.