Lego, rebuilt for everyone

Like most ’90s kids, Matthew Shifrin loved building Legos.

There was just one problem: he couldn’t see the instructions.

Lego sets only came with picture-based guides, which didn’t exactly help a child who’s blind. So for years, Matthew relied on friends and family to describe each step, never fully able to build on his own.

That all changed when Matthew turned 13, and his babysitter showed up with a binder full of braille instructions for a Lego palace set. For the first time, he could follow along by himself.

Matthew immediately got to work building his initial solo Lego set—but he was only getting started.

Fast forward to 2023, and Matthew launched Bricks for the Blind, a website offering free, accessible Lego instructions for people who are blind or visually impaired. Users can choose from three different formats depending on what works best for them.

• To date, the nonprofit has created instructions for 540+ sets, ranging from a 100-piece car to a 4,000-piece bridge. 
• Around 3,000 builders have used them, from across the US to as far away as Australia.

Matthew also pushed for Lego itself to improve their accessibility features.

• After he reached out to the company in 2017, Lego started to release braille instructions for select sets.
• Lego also introduced braille bricks that feature studs representing letters, numbers, and symbols.

More than a toy: Bricks for the Blind is opening the door for families to build together, making sure no one gets left out of a classic childhood experience.

“There is something incredibly satisfying and relaxing about putting together these intricate, beautiful builds,” one user said. “For a lot of blind people, this was something we were never included in before.”