Imagine if Lego-style blocks were turned into a Braille alphabet that could help visually impaired children learn to read. For a group of kids in Brazil, such toys are a reality. The two-minute video below promotes "Braille Bricks," a new project from the nonprofit Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind and agency Lew'Lara\TBWA.
First, the clip tells the story of Anny, a young girl with the eye condition nystagmus, as her mother recounts a teacher's inability to help her with a Braille typewriter.
It positions the educational blocks as an antidote to that sort of problem—they become a form of play that can also include sighted children, thereby better integrating those with visual impairments, and expanding their support networks.
The bricks prove to be a clever combination of the Braille alphabet's six-dot configuration, and a classic children's toy—so much so, it's hard to believe nobody's done it before.
A limited run of the toys is currently available to about 300 children, but Dorina Nowill's marketing team released the designs under a Creative Commons license, hoping manufacturers would pick them up and bring them to a wider audience.
To that end, the group also created a website inviting viewers to create their own Braille messages in the style of the blocks, and is trying to drum up consumer support with the hashtag #BrailleBricksforAll.
Setting aside the obvious human benefits, it also seems like a good publicity opportunity for Lego, which is historically deft at that sort of thing—and has recently created more inclusive toys, albeit in a slightly different fashion. More pics below.
CREDITS
Agency: Lew'Lara\TBWA
Client: Dorina Nowill Foundation for The Blind
Product: Braille Bricks Project
Title: Braille Bricks
CCO: Felipe Luchi e Manir Fadel
CEO: Márcio Oliveira
Creatives: Leandro Pinheiro e Ulisses Razaboni
Online Creatives: Leandro Pinheiro, Ulisses Razaboni, Felipe Pimentel e Cainã Meneses
Account Team: Ricardo Barros e Fernanda Mariano
Planning Team: Renata d'Avila e Anderson Sales
Media Team: Luiz Ritton, Eduardo Shinohara, Suellen Kiss, Amanda Moura e Danielle Farhat
Social Media: Nancy Sestini
Art buyer: Ale Sarilho, Sabino, Caio Lobo e Natasha Latronico
Piece Producer: Claudio Rocha
Photographer: Rodrigo Ribeiro
Project Manager: Monalisa Paduin
Agency TV Producer Luzia Oliveira, Marcella Pappiani e Angela Felicio
Agency Production: Marcos Pedra e Alexandro Coelho
Film Production Company: Landia
Film Director: Nixon Freire
Executive Producer: Carolina Dantas e Sebastian Hall
Producer Director: Fabiano Ramos
Director Of Photograpy: Nixon Freire
Art Director: Dartagnan Zavalla
Editor Diego Merulla
Finisher: Henrique Gomes
Post-Production: Rafael Fernandes
Sound Production: MugShot
Digital Production: BASE
Client: Eliana Cunha, Daniela Coutelle, Priscila Saraiva