RNIB and LEGO® link up

Making the website accessible was a crucial part of the project

When the LEGO Foundation asked two leading design agencies – Implement and USTWO – to create a website for its LEGO® Braille Bricks educational initiative, they came to RNIB to learn more about accessibility.

The LEGO Foundation created LEGO® Braille Bricks to help children with sight loss learn braille in a fun and engaging way.

However, the foundation also wanted an online hub to help teachers by giving them a selection of clear and easy learning tools – in accessible formats – for use in lessons. The collaboration between Implement, USTWO and RNIB developed the accessible platform to host the documents.

A collaborative design-process

RNIB was part of the overall project from the beginning and was brought in to advise on the accessibility and usability of the website for blind and partially sighted people. Implement managed the project doing the UX design, while USTWO did the visual design and development of the website. The project was completed in less than five months, with all parties working closely together. 

Understanding accessibility requirements from the start

Henrik explains that: “The technical implementation required more work, as we had never worked on a website that needed to fully comply with these strict accessibility requirements. I learned a lot in the process.” His agency overcame these challenges by working closely with RNIB’s Accessibility Consultancy and User Experience team. The team completed a thorough accessibility and usability assessment of the website, ensuring that it would not only comply with level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), but also be accessible to a visually impaired person.

“RNIB’s audit was invaluable and everyone involved was very helpful, giving me lots of guidance on how to make the site as accessible as possible.”

Kasper Nizam at Implement, explains the importance of RNIB’s early audit of the site: “We identified errors and bugs in terms of both accessibility and usability. This early involvement was really valuable for the project, as we learned important design issues and tips and tricks from RNIB along the way.

“RNIB was very helpful and worked professionally with us, by guiding and advising us on both what the accessibility issues were and how we might resolve these. We solved these challenges along the way by using the accessibility report from RNIB and had meetings to collaborate.”

Future developments and teaching support

Teachers now regularly access the content and are bringing braille to the classroom with the help of LEGO® Braille Bricks.

As Alison Long, Head of Consumer and Business Services, at RNIB explains: “The website of resources will help teachers develop lesson plans and incorporate the bricks into their day-to-day work"

Kasper says:  “I am very satisfied with the result. We have helped to drive forwards literacy through braille and Braille Bricks. “The aim was to build and launch the web project quickly, to a high-quality standard. We have measured accessibility with the huge effort of RNIB and ensured technical tests and quality.

“The LEGO® Braille Bricks are now being rolled out to other countries and the learnings can be used to further develop the resources available.”

Get in touch

If you’ve got a project that would benefit from our expertise in accessibility get in touch with us directly on 01733 375 370 or contact our Business Services Team below.