Review: 40656 Braille Bricks
Posted by Huw,
LEGO and the LEGO Foundation announced their intention to produce bricks to help visually impaired children to learn Braille in 2019. The first kits were launched a year later and distributed by charities around the world to those that could make use of them.
Now, they are being made available to all in selected countries at LEGO.com. 40656 Play with Braille – English Alphabet and 40655 Play with Braille – French Alphabet can be purchased now, with German, Italian and Spanish versions following next year.
I am fortunate to have vision so have not had to learn Braille, and I'm probably too old to do so now, so in this review I'll merely take a look at the set from an AFOL's perspective. However, if the opportunity arises I will pass my review copy on to someone who can evaluate it properly.
Summary
40656 Play with Braille – English Alphabet, 287 pieces.
£79.99 / $89.99 / €89.99 | 27.9p/31.4c/31.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A fun and engaging toolkit to help kids learn Braille
- Extensive online resources
- Expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The two sets come in near-identical boxes which are the flip-top variety, so can be used to store the bricks in once opened.
Appropriately, the top is embossed, both the Braille and the decorative elements and text.
The set contains 284 2x4 bricks in five colours with varying numbers of studs on them, two 32x32 grey baseplates and a brick separator.
Additionally, there's a card showing how many of each brick is in the box. The QR code leads to https://www.lego.com/en-gb/braille-bricks/braille-activities which doesn't look particularly useful or informative at first glance, but perhaps it's a work in progress given the set hasn't launched yet.
The original site, legobraillebricks.com, is far more so, and it's surprising it's not been mentioned in any of the material for this set. There are some 100 activities to be found there that look to be fun for sighted and non-sighted to play.
The French version comes with the accented characters used in the language, so has fewer regular ones.
The bricks themselves are simply 2x4 bricks with a reduced number of studs, and a letter printed on them. Each variation has a unique design ID which should appear in our database once the set's inventory has been published.
There's not really much more to say about them!
One of the more boring things you can do with them is spell something out on the baseplate.
As I say, I can't comment on their suitability for leaning Braille but given that they've been tried and tested extensively since their launch in 2020, I am sure they are more than up to the task.
The price has raised eyebrows, and rightly so. With every letter brick being unique their manufacture required a large investment in new moulds, and the sets won't sell in large numbers, but even so, £80 / $90 / €90 for under 300 bricks does seem excessive, particularly given that the production of the original sets was, I believe, funded by the LEGO Foundation.
On the other hand, it's a small price to pay if it helps someone communicate with the outside world for the rest of their life.
From an AFOL's perspective they are interesting sets but probably something that only the most dedicated collector will want to add to their trove given the high cost of ownership.
It will be interesting to see whether these become a perennial sets that are always going to be available at LEGO.com, it would certainly make sense for them to be so.
They can be pre-ordered at LEGO.com now and will ship on 1st September.
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49 comments on this article
You don't get rich by writing cheques, and LEGO doesn't post record breaking profits every year by being charitable.
"Now, they are being made available for all to buy at LEGO.com"
This is false - the English set is only available in certain English-speaking countries, and the French set only in certain French-speaking countries. In a modern world where (1) English is spoken almost everywhere, (2) few countries have exclusively native speaking inhabitants, and (3) LEGO sets are shipped from central locations anyway, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
I wish it was cheaper but then I think it would be abused by many afols (those are really nice non-standard bricks) and therefore less of kids that could really benefit from having this set could get it.
Getting someone’s thoughts who is also visually impaired is a great idea, so I hope it eventuates.
Here for the MOC potential and that's about it.
I'd love to see New Elementary review this too from a parts perspective! :)
Is the set meant to teach or to play with?
Huw, I don't think it's ever too late to start learning Braille. Personally I just started learning ASL this year, and that seems to be going ok.
@nushae said:
""Now, they are being made available for all to buy at LEGO.com"
This is false - the English set is only available in certain English-speaking countries, and the French set only in certain French-speaking countries. In a modern world where (1) English is spoken almost everywhere, (2) few countries have exclusively native speaking inhabitants, and (3) LEGO sets are shipped from central locations anyway, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."
It wouldn't make sense if there are plenty available. However, I suspect that production has its limits, and as time passes, they should become more widely available. German is expected next year..
As a French person, I'm a bit surprised with the quantity of some of the accented letters, like 6x i with ^, I really know island has this character, not sure what other word... Same with some of the other letters. E with ` and ' are way more important, but same quantity.
And 6x the hash sign???
Thinking of it, I would assume that the repartition of letters in the scrabble game would be a good indication of what is necessary for a given language?
I'd really like to see a review from someone visually impaired to know what's the real value of these sets. And in the process, maybe also learn if blind people find any interest in LEGO at all.
"One of the more boring things you can do with them is spell something out on the baseplate."
Isn't that exactly what they're meant for? (Although I realize that using them for their intended purpose doesn't automatically make the building experience exciting.)
I find those types of products to be very interesting from a business point of view. Odds are that they won't turn much of a profit on these, but at the same time, spending some of they massive profits on niche products like this really builds the brand.
@Semigod said:
"I wish it was cheaper but then I think it would be abused by many afols (those are really nice non-standard bricks) and therefore less of kids that could really benefit from having this set could get it. "
Horrible take and insane copium. You're saying Lego makes this $90 so AFOLs cant "abuse" it by buying it....that makes no sense at any level. This isnt a limited quantity set that a few afols could buy out the entire stock
It's weird, I recall reading something a few years back about LEGO providing adjusted prices of educational sets specifically for educators. Problem is, I have no memory of what context I would have read that in, and can find no mention online of anything like that having been a thing.
Does anyone happen to know something about this, or is it just one of those annoying "crossed wire" memories? I am leaning strongly toward the latter at this point.
Would be great if there was an ampersand …but that may not exist in braille. Oh well
As was pointed out on Brothers Brick, one can build these bricks out of plates and tiles. I suspect it would be cheaper to build them this way than buy the set. And one can build as many letters in whatever quantities one wants/needs.
@swogat said:
"As was pointed out on Brothers Brick, one can build these bricks out of plates and tiles. I suspect it would be cheaper to build them this way than buy the set. And one can build as many letters in whatever quantities one wants/needs.
"
True, but this offers an all-in-one package with specific quantities, and in a consistent spread of colors. Much more practical for educators and the like without a background in LEGO.
Edit: To put it another way, it comes down to convenience.
I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I'm curious about if the 'Lego' logo on each stud interferes with learning or using the braille on each piece. I'm not blind and have never learned braille, but I'd imagine that a blind person could potentially be more sensitive to this.
I think having a vision impaired user reviewing it would've been more respectful and aligned to what the product is trying to achieve. Any AFOL usage is secondary to its intention.
I’ll make magnets out of these to spell out my name on the fridge.
"it's a small price to pay if it helps someone communicate with the outside world for the rest of their life" and what about all the disabled people and families of disabled children who flat-out cannot afford the price tag? not to mention a critically underfunded educational system where many teachers have to pay for supplies out-of-pocket? financial accessibility is actually pretty important for disability aides and maybe the LEGO company should not be hunting a profit margin on this particular launch, you know, ethically
@JulieHD said:
""it's a small price to pay if it helps someone communicate with the outside world for the rest of their life" and what about all the disabled people and families of disabled children who flat-out cannot afford the price tag? not to mention a critically underfunded educational system where many teachers have to pay for supplies out-of-pocket? financial accessibility is actually pretty important for disability aides and maybe the LEGO company should not be hunting a profit margin on this particular launch, you know, ethically"
LEGO has given out braille bricks to many places that need them, the vast majority of these that are sold are *not* going to people who are visually impaired. If anything, the cost is to make it worse for people who collect and resell. The intention behind braille bricks wasn't to give them out to LEGO fans, it was to give them to people who could actually use them to communicate with.
Hopefully these can stay out of the hands of scalpers.
I'm a teacher and I remember when Mattel launched Uno: Braille. I was so exited to get a copy for one of my blind students, only to realize that it was out of stock online and at every store within a 200 mile radius. It was like that for months. Where did they all go? Well, eBay sellers had 20+ copies in stock for $30 USD each, which was 3x the retail price of $10!!
I hate it when people take advantage of products made for people with disabilities. If you are not visually impaired or buying this for someone who is, please don't be a dirt bag: leave this set alone, it's not for you. (Edit: This wasn't directed at Huw, in case that wasn't clear)
@elangab said:
"I think having a vision impaired user reviewing it would've been more respectful and aligned to what the product is trying to achieve. Any AFOL usage is secondary to its intention."
That’s a little unfair to @Huw. He acknowledges that a visually impaired users’ take would be different to his as a sighted person and is open to a review that provides insights he can’t.
@elangab said:
"I think having a vision impaired user reviewing it would've been more respectful and aligned to what the product is trying to achieve. Any AFOL usage is secondary to its intention."
While that would probably be the ideal situation, putting that expectation on many outlets isn't necessarily reasonable. As someone else pointed out, Huw acknowledged the caveats of his review. Adding to that, this site covers things related to LEGO, and while this may be a learning tool, it's a learning tool made by LEGO, in the LEGO system. A review of this nature at least gives the readers a better idea of what the product even is.
People are here for LEGO. Even if the majority of Brickset's visitors are sighted folks, at the end of the day this set is still LEGO.
Edit: For a website like this, two separate reviews might even be the best approach. A general audience review like this comes first, laying out the basic nature of the product and its contents. Then with that information acting as context, a follow-up review is put out at some point, diving into its function and advertised purpose from the perspective of an applicable reviewer.
@Spritetoggle said:
" @swogat said:
"As was pointed out on Brothers Brick, one can build these bricks out of plates and tiles. I suspect it would be cheaper to build them this way than buy the set. And one can build as many letters in whatever quantities one wants/needs.
"
True, but this offers an all-in-one package with specific quantities, and in a consistent spread of colors. Much more practical for educators and the like without a background in LEGO.
Edit: To put it another way, it comes down to convenience."
There's also the fact that if you build them yourself, they won't be printed with what characters are represented. unless you track down the necessary DOTS tiles.
@Spritetoggle said:
" @elangab said:
"I think having a vision impaired user reviewing it would've been more respectful and aligned to what the product is trying to achieve. Any AFOL usage is secondary to its intention."
While that would probably be the ideal situation, putting that expectation on many outlets isn't necessarily reasonable. As someone else pointed out, Huw acknowledged the caveats of his review. Adding to that, this site covers things related to LEGO, and while this may be a learning tool, it's a learning tool made by LEGO, in the LEGO system. A review of this nature at least gives the readers a better idea of what the product even is.
People are here for LEGO. Even if the majority of Brickset's visitors are sighted folks, at the end of the day this set is still LEGO.
Edit: For a website like this, two separate reviews might even be the best approach. A general audience review like this comes first, laying out the basic nature of the product and its contents. Then with that information acting as context, a follow-up review is put out at some point, diving into its function and advertised purpose from the perspective of an applicable reviewer."
I get what you're saying, but this is not a regular Lego product. If this overview/review will make one AFOL get this set day one instead of a visually impaired person because it's cool to spell a word - I don't think it was worth it. We don't know how many sets were produced - maybe more than enough, maybe just a bit. It feels this was a review for the sake of having the review, I think that a better approach would have both visually impaired person and one of Brickset's staff to review it together and publish after release date. Yes, people are here for Lego, but what's the rush? Anyway, that's just my take on it. For each his own.
@Harmonious_Building said:
"Here for the MOC potential and that's about it. "
Thank you for your non-self-centered and deeply empathetic comment.
@elangab, et al, if I am able to find a visually impared person in the UK willing to assist with an evaluation from their point of view I will happily pass the set onto them.
But, as others have said, this is primarily a site about LEGO read by those with in interest in it without a visual impairment so this initial review was aimed at them.
@JulieHD said:
""it's a small price to pay if it helps someone communicate with the outside world for the rest of their life" and what about all the disabled people and families of disabled children who flat-out cannot afford the price tag? not to mention a critically underfunded educational system where many teachers have to pay for supplies out-of-pocket? financial accessibility is actually pretty important for disability aides and maybe the LEGO company should not be hunting a profit margin on this particular launch, you know, ethically"
Educators of visually impaired people (including certain types of homeschool parents) have been able to get a larger set of braille bricks for free via the LEGO foundation for a few years now. This is more for people who have these bricks in their education already and want to bring them home for additional play, the same way LEGO education sets are available for purchase for home users. People who have a *need* for braille bricks (theoretically) already have access to them, and this is for extra.
So the English set has 38 of the cells, and French has 51. I wonder if they will end up making all 64 someday. It’d be nice to see the ligatures made, but given this is an early learning aid, I don’t think the more complex stuff is likely.
@pgremeau:
There are people who are legally blind, and can’t read printed text very well, but their fingers work fine. And while print may be blurry, color may come through. Note the range of colors is bright, with fairly high contrast, so they may be able to make abstract art that someone with very limited ability to see could still appreciate.
One thing this could really help with, though, is family members or friends who want to learn Braille, but may do better learning it visually rather than by touch. In that specific instance, the size and spacing being so wildly different than normal Braille text wouldn’t be an issue, because the apparent size of the text will change based on how far away it is when you’re reading it.
@Spritetoggle:
@JulieHD:
The English Braille parts, at least, have exclusively been given for free to organizations for the blind, by the LEGO Foundation. Even a school for the blind couldn’t buy it before now, but they could submit a request for a free copy. And they can continue to do so going forward.
@quincy:
Oddly enough…there is:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Braille/media/File%3ABraille_AND.svg
The odd thing about it is the character has two meanings. It’s either “and” or it’s “&”. Why they specify the ampersand, I don’t know, since it’s already a single character that represents “and”. As “and”, it’s far more versatile, because you can write “hand” as basically “H&”, since ligatures that function as words can also be used as part of a longer word.
@elangab:
The stated purpose is for learning the basics of Braille, whether that be someone who was born fully blind, someone who is partially-sighted, or someone with normal vision who wants to learn for whatever reason.
Review sets are sent out at TLG’s discretion. They pick what sites like Brickset receive. Brickset can only give them guidance on where to send based on themes, if more than one person will be handling set reviews. Having a blind or partially-blind person review it would require finding a blind or partially-blind AFOL, who happens to live near @Huw (since he ended up being the recipient, based on whatever categories they indicated should be sent to him).
I have tried to use bricks to create sentences in Braille many times. The problem I found is that the spacing between cells is not correct.
In my opinion, "scale" is important in Braille reading.
In many products I have seen with printed Braille (we should call this raised dots), they are usually on cardboard boxes. And the reading experience is not smooth at all, due to the incorrect size and spacing. Blind people are accustomed to the size of standard Braille written from slates or Braille printers. In fact, if we enlarge the "dots" larger, reading is not a big obstacle if you can enlarge the distance. various scales according to the correct scale.
So back to the bricks. When I first read the news that LEGO will release a set for learning Braille, I expected to get a 3 x 4 plate with a stud at the middle (like a jumper). This would make the spacing between two characters larger than using a 2 x 4 plate.
But in fact, if we can use 3 x 4 and 2 x 4 plates alternately, I think we will get the closest spacing between cells.
As for the spacing between lines, we can leave 1 stud without any problems.
In summary, my opinion from reading the review of set 40656 is that it seems to be suitable for people who have never used Braille before and is suitable for reading just one at a time. Because if you use it to practice reading words or sentences, you will be trained in the wrong habit when using standard Braille size.
The really good news for me is that TLG is confirming the LEGO® Audio & Braille Instructions project will continue.
I wish I could read the manual and assemble more sets by myself.
It would also be great if TLG released an application that would allow blind people to identify brick colors by themselves.
@elangab: But at the other side of that coin this review/overview can also lead one AFOL to get a set for their visually impaired friend? You have some fair questions in the rest of your comment, but despite not having the answers you start of with a post about what would be more respectful. People on the website have been open to good and interesting ideas, so why not approach them in a respectful way?
@Huw said:
" @elangab, et al, if I am able to find a visually impared person in the UK willing to assist with an evaluation from their point of view I will happily pass the set onto them.
But, as others have said, this is primarily a site about LEGO read by those with in interest in it without a visual impairment so this initial review was aimed at them."
Hopefully you'll be able to find such a person.
@Feroz said:
" @elangab: But at the other side of that coin this review/overview can also lead one AFOL to get a set for their visually impaired friend? You have some fair questions in the rest of your comment, but despite not having the answers you start of with a post about what would be more respectful. People on the website have been open to good and interesting ideas, so why not approach them in a respectful way?"
I provided an alternative route. As written before, I think the best approach for this and any future similar product would be to review it together with a person that the set was designed for, even at the expense of delaying the review publishing date. I don't find the initial comment disrespectful, but I'm happy to learn otherwise so I could phrase things better next time. I look at the site as its own entity, my comments are never (unless tagged) about the specific person who wrote the review, be it Huw or any other site member.
@nushae said:
"[...] (2) few countries have exclusively native speaking inhabitants [...]"
You mean, few contries in Europe have exclusively native speaking inhabitants. I'd say the reality in the rest of the world is rather different. Maybe less than 10% of the entire Americas (North and South) population can speak more than one single language.
@Semigod said:
"I wish it was cheaper but then I think it would be abused by many afols (those are really nice non-standard bricks) and therefore less of kids that could really benefit from having this set could get it. "
Still, I'm curious what these bricks might be used for in the future. This is a W for the blind community absolutely and I'm so happy for them, and heck I might even dabble in learning it myself. but these could also open up new opportunities for the rest of us if these molds get reused.
@mateusbond said:
" @nushae said:
"[...] (2) few countries have exclusively native speaking inhabitants [...]"
You mean, few contries in Europe have exclusively native speaking inhabitants. I'd say the reality in the rest of the world is rather different. Maybe less than 10% of the entire Americas (North and South) population can speak more than one single language.
"
Canada has two national languages that almost everyone can speak a good amount of both. Spanish is taught in most schools in the US and most of us are 2nd or 3rd generation citizens. I personally have no ancestors in this country before 1900. Plus we have Puerto Rico and Hawai'i that I would guess most of the populations of which are bilingual. Most Europeans speak a moderate amount of either French and/or English too
@ShilohCyan said:
" @mateusbond said:
" @nushae said:
"[...] (2) few countries have exclusively native speaking inhabitants [...]"
You mean, few contries in Europe have exclusively native speaking inhabitants. I'd say the reality in the rest of the world is rather different. Maybe less than 10% of the entire Americas (North and South) population can speak more than one single language.
"
Canada has two national languages that almost everyone can speak a good amount of both. Spanish is taught in most schools in the US and most of us are 2nd or 3rd generation citizens. I personally have no ancestors in this country before 1900. Plus we have Puerto Rico and Hawai'i that I would guess most of the populations of which are bilingual. Most Europeans speak a moderate amount of either French and/or English too "
Technically, neither Puerto Rico nor Hawaii are part of "the Americas", referring to North/Central/South America. PR is part of the Caribbean island group, and Hawaii is kind of its own island chain. Spanish (and French) are taught in most US high schools, but that does not mean most students actually take a language, or learn anything when they do. And most who do take a foreign language class probably can't take more than two semesters, which is hardly enough to become fluent.
Most of the US probably is monolingual, though it's not always English (we have several pocket communities where they exclusively speak whatever ancestral language they brought with them). Most of Mexico, and Central/South America only speak Spanish. You might be surprised about South America. Brazil makes up about half the continent, and Portuguese is the main language. Of the nations that border Brazil, most speak Spanish as the main language, sure, but one speaks English, another French, and a third Dutch. All of these nations have various regional languages that predate colonization.
@pgremeau said:
"As a French person, I'm a bit surprised with the quantity of some of the accented letters, like 6x i with ^…"
I immediately reacted to that, too (I'm a native French speaker), then I realized it's probably going to be used more for the accompanying number (the brick with "Î" also has a "3").
@elangab
I am very tired and am probably going to fumble my way through this even more than normal, but I wanted to get this out of my head.
A one-size-fits-all solution isn't going to be the best one, at least from my perspective. Outside of certain broad aspects (accessibility, understanding, etc), most approaches taken should be ones best suited to a given outfit and its patrons (patrons? clientele? some word in that category). Nudges and adjustments are a good thing, but large, deliberate shifts have the potential to be awkward or feel artificial. Plus, seeking out something like guest contributors (that aren't people you already have a connection with) solely for having something like a disability risks drifting into the vicinity of its own ethical pitfalls.
And now my train of thought is starting to fall apart. Ugh. Um... Bullet points, maybe.
Finding official or unofficial partnership with some sort of group?
Less awkward approach to having guest contributors for these types of sets, instead of only calling on an individual person when a set relates to their capabilities, or initially seeking someone out to hire them solely because of said capabilities.
Letting things be the way they are unless they change on their own. Keep being mindful, don't exclude, but be cautious about how and which steps are taken, instead of jumping head first because it's the most ideal option conceptually.
At this point, I have probably made myself sound much worse than I would ever desire to be, or have just laid out what will look like an embarrassing, rambling, poorly structured mess to me tomorrow. I am very sorry if I haven't conveyed something well. This sort of thing isn't high on my list of skills on a good day. But it's an issue that does mean a lot to me. I want to keep seeing progress and improvement in the world too, but like anyone, I may have my own (maybe naive) opinions on the methods to achieve that.
Again, I'm sorry for this mess of a comment.
@Dash_Justice:
There’s a Braille Hot Wheels die-cast car. No, seriously, the “HW Braille Racer - Twin Mill” is their Twin Mill car with Braille text formed onto the sides, rear, and underside of the car itself, and the bubble of the packaging. I picked up one or two as a curiosity, with no intention to resell. I see it regularly enough that anyone who can read Braille should be able to get their hands on one. It’s also produced in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind, so by buying mine, funds (however meager, since it only cost about a buck) probably went to them for whatever programs they run.
The flip side of this is that, if a portion of the sale does go to the NFB, then it’s beneficial for more to be sold, ideally to people who aren’t on the receiving end of any programs run by the NFB (charities are nothing but a money sink if the only donors are the very people you’re trying to help). There’s already one alternate deco, so people with normal sight have an incentive to collect even more of them, while different paint jobs would be mostly lost on many blind people (unless the white and chrome deco currently offered have different texture).
So, it is possible for something of this nature to coexist with a collectors’ market. They probably can’t be marketed as a limited run, however, or they’ll become desirable due to rarity. Strict limits on purchases may be necessary in cases where the market won’t simply be flooded. This set will have such limits. Ironically, due to the weird geographic limits, it will be necessary for many people to find international sources, but any truly altruistic benefactor will have a very small ability to assist those in foreign markets who might have need of a version that’s not available to them through official channels. Well, unless they start roping in friends or family to acquire the sets for them.
A lot of unnecessary discussion regarding the review process here.
@TheOtherMike:
If you build them yourself, you can also add the missing ligatures. I have a use for four Braille bricks to demonstrate how I worked a visual representation of a word written in Braille into a MOC, but two of the characters I need are CH and ER. Brickbuilding them, however, means they will constantly be separating layers.
@elangab:
You can’t just walk out your front door and find a blind person on demand. I had a passing acquaintance with one in college, and I’ve seen another working in a local store on a few occasions, but that’s about it, aside from crossing paths on a one-time basis. Aside from different languages, I’m not sure I’d expect to see more Braille products coming down the pipeline, but if they can find someone to review this set, then they at least have someone they can contact if another Braille set is sent out for review.
@Virusfowl:
Sounds like you have significant firsthand knowledge of reading Braille. If it’s not working the way they intended, you should contact them and let them know what problems you’re experiencing.
@Spritetoggle said:
" @elangab
A one-size-fits-all solution isn't going to be the best one, at least from my perspective. Outside of certain broad aspects (accessibility, understanding, etc), most approaches taken should be ones best suited to a given outfit and its patrons (patrons? clientele? some word in that category). Nudges and adjustments are a good thing, but large, deliberate shifts have the potential to be awkward or feel artificial. Plus, seeking out something like guest contributors (that aren't people you already have a connection with) solely for having something like a disability risks drifting into the vicinity of its own ethical pitfalls."
I think I understand you comment, yet I don't think there's an ethical problem asking a disabled person to review a set meant for them. Guest reviewers or co-reviewers for specific sets could be helpful for specific sets that warrants it. There aren't many of these here, so not sure if I would consider it a "shift", yet every change can be artificial until it's not. Or, one can decide not to touch these sets, just like "Brickset" does not review "Duplo" sets at all (or at least 99.9% of them, writing just in case there was this one-off review).
People might buy this for the unique and usefulness depending on family.
My 16 year old son when blind over the summer due to a rare gentic disorder. It started in May and Lego was our thing. My sister in law lives in Denmark and as his site was failing they flew him over there for a few weeks to see what he could before his eyesite completely was lost. Her husband reached out to Lego customer service with his situation and they were so kind and helpful they sent us a version of this for free. Ours has an extra baseplate and didn't come with the instructions but the customer service rep send numerous link for us to use to practice with. We are going to donate the set to our school district once he graduates as it will help younger kids greatly to learn brail. He is at a point where we are just trying to figure things out but items like this are amazing to have as an option and yes lego is very much for profit but they are also humans and we found a wonderful one who took the time out of his day to help us navigate an almost impossible reality of my son loosing his vision out of the blue. Thank you Lego!
@Semigod said:
"I wish it was cheaper but then I think it would be abused by many afols (those are really nice non-standard bricks) and therefore less of kids that could really benefit from having this set could get it. "
'abuising' it would mean more people would buy it, probably making it available for longer or producing more sets in the future. So abuse away i would say!