Submitted via IRC for ErnestTBass
Lego fans have always known the colorful plastic bricks are more than just toys. They're worlds waiting to be created. Lego is now expanding its universe even more with a new project, Lego Braille Bricks.
The customized bricks are molded with studs that correspond to letters and numbers in Braille, but are also fully compatible with regular Lego pieces. Lego hopes to encourage blind and visually impaired kids to learn the reading system through interactive games and play.
The Braille Bricks kits contain around 250 pieces covering the full alphabet, plus numbers and math symbols. "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," Lego said in an announcement on Wednesday.
We're super excited to introduce LEGO Braille Bricks – a new product from @TheLegoFoundation that will help blind and visually impaired children learn Braille in a playful and inclusive way! pic.twitter.com/48cqYEZ54t
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) April 24, 2019
Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/lego-braille-bricks-put-the-alphabet-at-blind-kids-fingertips/
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 02 2019, @12:38AM (4 children)
For hundreds of years, blind kids have been learning to read for free thanks to the Helen Keller Braille textbook. Now some sleazy capitalists want to monetize this by requiring blind kids to buy plastic "teaching kits". And the most tragic part is that the blind kids are far more likely to choke to death on Lego bricks than on Helen's textbook.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 02 2019, @01:22AM (1 child)
I'm not sure. There is the slate and stylus [wikipedia.org] method, but the styli could be used by blind Moooooooooooooslems as stabbing weapons.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday May 02 2019, @01:32AM
Don't even dare to use the "humor impairment" line [vox.com].
A troll is a troll even when posing as a joker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Thursday May 02 2019, @01:23AM
While I sortof see your "making profit exploiting disability" point, I really doubt that "buying Lego is made compulsory" suggestion you make with "by requiring".
This does not mean Lego bricks for blind are useless [popsci.com], it just means they need to be used with care. You know? "Parenting" and "supervision" and "development age" aren't outdated concepts to be relegated to long gone history.
The linked - from June 2016 - (short enough to be pasted entirely):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Informative) by Mykl on Thursday May 02 2019, @03:07AM
Screw you and your deliberate misreading of the intent here. Some other quotes from TFA:
This is something that Blind associations have been asking for
They are giving them away for free, at least for now.