Hot Wheels Braille Racer
It's #worldbrailleday.
At Christmas, my youngest got a pack of #HotWheels from Mattel, Inc. and one of the cars was on the Hot Wheels Twin Mill casting featuring the braille dots over the body and base. This car has been developed in partnership with #NationalFederationoftheBlind.
Hot Wheels Twin Mill casting with Braille in shiny silver
I had seen that this car had been released, as it was all the talk on #blindtok and I can't tell you how excited I was to see it in the multipack. I squealed, almost as loudly as my youngest did when they saw the Hot Wheels because they are an absolute staple of joy in our home.
Things to note: my eldest, who is visually impaired, does not read braille. Also, it was my youngest's Christmas present, whom we call the Eye of Sauron, as they see everything, (the dark irony of these opposite siblings does not escape us), so it wasn't something that was bought with intention.
What this means of course, is that a toy which is designed to be accessible for children who read braille, so they can have an accessible experience while playing, is out there. In supermarkets. In toy stores. Online. In multipacks. Spreading the awareness of braille as a concept, that there are those among us who read braille, who need access to braille as well as toys. Braille is not an illusive special thing that is somehow separate. It was a cool car among others awesome cars. The love of play and cars being something that many children enjoy, regardless of their vision or other needs.
It gave me a moment with my children to talk about braille, and why some people use braille and how they use it. Why it's important to make things accessible.
I am so excited because this symbolises a small step in accessible products, but a good step in the right direction to making not only these things more readily available to those who need it, but raising awareness of these things among the population, which I believe is very positive.
The underneath of the Hot Wheels Twin Mill casting with Braille in shiny silver
