Bricks for the Blind (BFTB) is a non-profit organization that now has a Go Fund Me page! Every $50 donation allows us to produce a Text-Based Building Instruction (TBI) for a 100-piece LEGO set and post it online for free download. We are hoping to produce over 200 TBIs in the next year! Every donation, no matter how small, will help! Every dollar goes directly to writers and testers around the world who produce these TBIs.
Please click here to donate.
R. R. Slugger’s talks with Matthew and even tries building a LEGO set blindfolded!
Bricks for the Blind held a “blindfold LEGO challenge” at the Cambridge Science Festival. Read about it here!
Boston Globe
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/09/26/metro/cambridge-blindfolded-lego-challenge
WBZ News Radio
Bricks for the Blind and FIRST® LEGO® League Partner to Make the 2024-2025 SUBMERGEDSM Challenge the Most Inclusive in History
Using Bricks for the Blind’s Text-Based Building Instructions, Students Who Are Blind Can Now Participate in FIRST LEGO League’s Annual Challenge
Aug 06, 2024—Boston, MA—Bricks for the Blind (BFTB) is thrilled to announce that for the first time, blind and visually impaired students can participate fully in FIRST® LEGO® League’s annual challenge. This groundbreaking initiative marks a significant step toward inclusivity and accessibility in STEM education.
Until this year’s SUBMERGEDSM challenge, the instructions for building the LEGO® sets in the FIRST LEGO League challenge were only presented through pictures and limited text, making them inaccessible to visually impaired students. BFTB has converted pictorial instructions into written instructions, called Text-Based Building Instructions (TBI), so visually impaired students can access the instructions using assistive technologies like screen readers.
Bricks for the Blind (BFTB) is a non-profit organization that brings the joy of building LEGO sets to blind people. More than 100 Text-Based Building Instructions are available at www.bricksfortheblind.org. All TBIs are free to download and use.
Matthew Shifrin, founder of BFTB, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, “Blind children have the same passion and curiosity as their sighted peers. Now that they can participate in the FIRST LEGO League challenge, they can fully engage with STEM activities and contribute their unique perspectives to solving real-world problems. This is a monumental step forward in making STEM accessible to everyone.”
Dr. Janell N. Catlin, Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at FIRST, praised BFTB’s efforts, saying, “We are incredibly grateful to Matthew Shifrin and Bricks for the Blind for their dedication to inclusivity. Their work is instrumental in expanding the reach of FIRST LEGO League to include students who are blind, allowing them to experience the joy and educational benefits of FIRST. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to making STEM education accessible to all.”
About Bricks for the Blind
Bricks for the Blind (BFTB) is a non-profit organization that brings the joy of building LEGO sets to blind people. By following BFTB’s free Text-based Building Instructions, people with visual impairments can build LEGO sets and enjoy hours of relaxation, independence, and empowerment.
About FIRST
FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future. FIRST provides life-changing, team-based PreK-12 robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, donors, and sponsors, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges.
An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.
Bricks for the Blind Becomes the World’s First Nonprofit Dedicated to Bringing the Joy of Building LEGO® Sets to Blind People
Launches New Website with a Library of almost 100 Free Text-based LEGO® Set Building Instructions
Boston, MA, May 30, 2024 — Today, Bricks for the Blind (BFTB), an organization that brings the joy of building LEGO sets to blind people, announced that it has officially become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization. While millions of people worldwide love building LEGO sets, the included pictorial instructions do not work for blind builders. By pairing BFTB’s Text-based Building Instructions with assistive technologies like magnifiers and screen readers, people with visual impairments can enjoy the fun, creativity, and relaxation of building LEGO sets– all alone.
BFTB also announced that with the support of a large anonymous donation, it has launched a new website to make discovering and downloading its free Text-based Building Instructions easier. Visually impaired people of all ages and skill levels are sure to find a LEGO set of interest on www.bricksfortheblind.org, which currently features instructions for nearly 100 LEGO sets ranging from 100 to 4,000 pieces.
“I was born blind,” said Matthew Shifrin, founder of Bricks for the Blind. “When I was 13 years old, a dear family friend took the time to write out text-based instructions so that I could build my first LEGO set. I was amazed and thrilled that I could build the set by myself! When she passed away, I made it my mission to carry her love and compassion forward by bringing her work to as many blind people as possible.”
Julia Goldin says about the initiative: “Making LEGO play accessible for everyone is a priority for us and we’re extremely fortunate to have innovative fans like Matthew who go above and beyond to help ensure their love and passion for the brick can be shared with more fans. We’re excited that Bricks for the Blind is accelerating its fantastic work. Together with our LEGO Audio & Braille Instructions – which Matthew remains closely involved in – we hope our combined efforts will help blind and partially sighted fans feel more welcome and included in the LEGO universe”.
The tactile experience of assembling LEGO sets offers blind builders the opportunity to “see” and understand the world in unique ways. From the intricate architecture of the London Tower Bridge to the sprawling grandeur of Hogwarts Castle, these scaled-down 3D replicas provide an unparalleled avenue for discovery and learning.
“Bricks for the Blind has one goal: to bring the joy of building LEGO sets to as many visually impaired people as possible,” said Shifrin. If you know of someone who has a visual impairment, please tell them that they, too, can build LEGO sets.”
The development of BFTB’s Text-based Building Instructions is a collaborative effort between an international team of sighted individuals and members of the blind community. This ensures that BFTB’s instructions create a satisfying building experience for visually impaired people. BFTB is continually creating new Text-Based Building Instructions.
About Bricks for the Blind (BFTB):
Bricks for the Blind (BFTB) is a non-profit organization that brings the joy of building LEGO® sets to blind people. By following BFTB’s free Text-based Building Instructions, people with visual impairments can build LEGO sets and enjoy hours of relaxation, independence, and empowerment. Learn more by visiting https://bricksfortheblind.org/.