How Lew'Lara\TBWA's Braille Bricks are Helping Combat Blind Illiteracy

At Brazilian schools, any educational material is welcome, especially if it contains information in braille. Educational tools that evoke the playful and tactile aspects in visually impaired children are very important, since they supplement the use of books and handouts in learning to read. With that in mind, Lew'Lara\TBWA created Braille Bricks, a braille alphabet developed using classic toy building bricks. The project, created for the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, was made into a mini documentary.

For Eliana Cunha, Inclusion Support Services Advisor at the Nowill Foundation, Braille Bricks are the outcome of a creative idea emerging to contribute to the world of education: "The braille system of reading and writing is essential to the process of making blind children literate, and combining it with pieces, known and enjoyed by all the children (and adults too!), makes Braille Bricks a fun resource that will contribute to this learning, promoting interactivity among all the children, as well as constituting an assistive technology in the area of education."

"We saw the potential to use toys in braille education in schools, and also for inclusion of children with visual impairment in society. Seeing impaired and non-impaired children brought together around this product – playing and learning – made us very happy. But the goal is to make this product a global one, by inviting people to pressure the manufacturers with the hashtag #BrailleBricksForAll. The product registration is available through Creative Commons.", says Felipe Luchi, CCO of Lew´Lara\TBWA.

"Learning by playing has always been a very important way to develop and educate children. Being able to bring the inclusion of blind children into this learning process is wonderful," says Marcio Oliveira, CEO of Lew'Lara\TBWA.