![]() ![]() It brings people together, helps to build confidence and sparks creativity. “Matthew’s story demonstrates the power of LEGO play. Speech synthesis company, CereProc then provided the Software Development Kit and the voice that reads the instructions. The team took his idea to the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence who developed new AI software to translate LXFML data (LEGO Exchange Format Mel Script) from the visual digital building instructions to text based descriptions for braille and voice commanded instructions. Through a friend at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab, he was then introduced to the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group. When Lilya sadly passed away in 2017 Matthew was inspired to honour her memory by ensuring others benefitted from her idea of creating LEGO building instructions for those with no or limited sight. But LEGO building is one of the things we can do.” It is so important because blind kids get left out of a lot of social stuff, especially in elementary school. ![]() LEGO bricks enable us to learn about our environment, to see the world. “For blind children, we don’t have access to what sighted kids are used to. “This is extremely important for blind children because there aren’t a lot of places where we can say, ‘Look Mom and Dad! I built this on my own… I did this’“ says Shifrin. For the first time ever, he was able to build LEGO sets by himself without being dependent on someone else guiding him through the instructions. Shifrin would pore over his customized instructions to create models such as the LEGO Creator Expert Sydney Opera House and London Tower Bridge, the latter of which required over 850 pages. She learned Braille to engage with me and support my LEGO passion, and then spent countless hours translating LEGO instructions into Braille.” “I had a friend, Lilya, who would write down all the building steps for me so that I could upload them into a system that allowed me to read the building steps on a Braille reader through my fingers. However, he always needed assistance when it came to specific LEGO building instructions. ![]() As a child, he developed a strong passion for LEGO play. The idea comes from Matthew Shifrin, who was born blind. We call it: LEGO® Audio & Braille Building Instructions. What started as a kind gesture between friends living just outside Boston, US, is today being rolled out as a global pilot by the LEGO Group – using AI technology the initiative aims to make the LEGO play experience more accessible for those with vision impairment. Inspired by blind entrepreneur, Matthew Shifrin, the new building instructions will help children with vision impairment build and learn through play using LEGO bricks ![]()
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February 2023
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