6 ms·

I used Lego to design a farm for people who are blind – like me

130 points by ColinWright 9mo ago

vunderba 9mo ago
This is great, but boy I'm glad I took the time to actually read the article. I assumed it was about someone who took a huge number of standard rectangular LEGO bricks with the 6/8 raised studs, then laboriously shaved them off to create all the necessary braille patterns, and used them on large LEGO boards to quickly assemble messages/notifications for blind readers. Reality - it's about using lego to help "visualize" architecture. EDIT: Apparently this already exists! https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/play-with-braille-english-alphabet-40656 https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/play-with-braille-english...
- tdeck 9mo ago
  Your description reminds me of a blind guy I know who is interested in architecture, and began to collect scale models of famous building so he could feel them and experience their architecture. Eventually he took an interest in buildings that were less famous or didn't have high quality models, and started commissioning an artist to model them in CAD and 3D print them. Now he has a business producing and selling these tactics models. https://evengrounds.com/about/ https://evengrounds.com/about/
  - ctoth 9mo ago
    Oh no. I'm a blind guy. I have a distinct interest in starships -- I have every Eaglemoss model, and many many more. If I click this link I am totally going to get sucked into having people design and print me starships -- I need another project like I need another hole in my head.
    - UltraSane 9mo ago
      I have always wondered how blind people "visualize" (I can't think of a better term) large scale objects.
      - bell-cot 9mo ago
        I've no idea. But flipside, I know quite a few sighted people who can't walk around a rectangular block without losing track of which way north is. Or can't visualize that (say) their master bedroom closet backs up to their kitchen. Or other facepalm-worthy visualization failings.
        toast0 9mo ago
        > without losing track of which way north is. I blame my childhood. Everyone always said the Pacific Ocean is to the west. So naturally the direction I went to go to the beach on the pacific ocean should be West. Especially when the north/south freeway crosses the street I take to the beach at a pretty good angle (well it's more like 45 degrees). Turns out I actually go south to go to the beach, the freeway is roughly parallel to the coast and north/south freeways sometimes travel due east/west and I have a real hard time with cardinal directions, and even if I understand where the directions are when outside, when I enter a building, especially if I go up stairs or an elevator, my sense of where the cardinal directions from inside the building is likely to be way off. Thankfully, there's not a big impact from not knowing where room walls are relative to each other. :P
        bell-cot 9mo ago
        > Thankfully, there's not a big impact from not knowing where room walls are relative to... Let me tell you about the friend-of-friend, who was cutting holes in his dining room wall to install [whatever], oblivious to the bathroom on the other side, and the water pipes for that bathroom...
        toast0 9mo ago
        Don't they make special anchors for mounting your TV on PVC sewer pipes? Should be fine. ;)
        coryrc 9mo ago
        Similarly, I live in Seattle with hills everywhere, but the main path I used to go uphill was Southbound. But on maps, up is always North. I haven't recovered since!
    - tdeck 9mo ago
      If you live in the US (and possibly other countries) and are blind, you can probably get See3D to model things and print them for you for free. http://see3d.org/ http://see3d.org/
  - vunderba 9mo ago
    This is super cool. Apparently he also creates tactile topographical maps with various landmarks, terrain, etc. https://evengrounds.com/3d-tactile-maps https://evengrounds.com/3d-tactile-maps I'm not at all confident in my ability to take an unknown object, run my hands over it, manipulate it, and even get close to being able to describing / recreating it though it does sound like this has the makings of a fun Cranium board mini-game.
- abeyer 9mo ago
  The "lego for architecture" already exists too, though it was branded and then spun off as a separate company. https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Modulex https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Modulex
retrac 9mo ago
Sensory disabilities like deafness and blindness are disabling because the world is not oriented to people with sensory disabilities. I am reminded that the Deaf have their own mythology. American Sign Language is distinct; it's not English. Accordingly it has its own culture, including its own myths. Many of them are fables and stories from the western tradition slightly adapted. But some are original. One common theme in American Deaf mythology (but I'd bet it's told elsewhere too) is stories about a world which is visually oriented. There's an ASL word for this world but English doesn't have one. Sometimes it's translated as Eyeth a.k.a. "Eye-Earth". It's more than just a world where everyone is deaf or where everyone communicates in ASL. It has something like spiritual meaning to some of those who tell stories about it; in that world the Deaf are not disabled, not in the social way that matters.
- UltraSane 9mo ago
  No, deafness and blindness are disabling because they provide critical long range data. Being able to see is essentially a superpower if you are blind. Same with hearing.
  - throwway120385 9mo ago
    Only in that narrow viewpoint. Most people talk about disability in the context of a society because much of what we encounter in our day to day is created by other people. The sights, sounds, smells, and experiences in our world are frequently because of others. So in that context, if the dominant culture makes it a point to create experiences that require hearing or sight to consume, then yes it's a disability. But if we adapt some or all of what we do for people who don't have those senses, then we can make it less disabling.
    - suddenlybananas 9mo ago
      While it's good for society to accommodate those with disabilities as much as possible, we shouldn't pretend it isn't detrimental to be unable to see or hear. You don't need to believe obvious falsehoods in order to accommodate people.
bitwize 9mo ago
Was not disappoint when I saw the photos of the models he built. I had expected a hodgepodge of brick colors due to color not being a meaningful constraint on a blind person's Lego build.
layer8 9mo ago
I wonder how the non-random color patterns in the pictured LEGO build came to be. Maybe he’s not 100% blind?
- greenwallnorway 9mo ago
  From what I can tell in the image: 2x6: white 2x4: blue 2x2: grey This makes interesting patterns, since you are more likely to use certain bricks in certain positions.
  - FarmerPotato 9mo ago
    Lego retail stores have the odd habit of stocking Pick-A-Brick this way.
    - abeyer 9mo ago
      Pick-A-Brick sounded like such a good idea on paper, until you realize that the economics of it end up being a handful of brick size/color combos and then bin after bin of minifig accessories.
      - FarmerPotato 9mo ago
        I thought so too at first. My local toy store owner scoffed and called it “floor sweepings”. I think of that every time I visit a Lego Store and look down. Through user groups, I’ve had access to direct ordering. I could order off the same list as Lego Store managers see. It truly was a random hodgepodge. Manager said sometimes they don’t even get to choose. Somewhere are warehouses of stockpiled parts, some of which are surplus after a set is retired. For example, I chose a box of sand blue 1x2, and a box of 2x2 low slope red roof peaks. Imagine those languishing in a Pick a Brick wall. Myself, I had a lot of roof to build but I still have a thousand unused. If Lego took consumer or store orders at random, it would complicate their planning which allocates production for sets, months in advance. Only the Model Shops got anything they asked for.
- blauditore 9mo ago
3tgsh 9mo ago
Ggf
a_paddy 9mo ago
Lego created a specific series of bricks in the 1960's for this exact purpose, called Modulex. Originally designed for architects etc, it's still going. https://youtube.com/watch?v=I_OUxVuoxjk https://youtube.com/watch?v=I_OUxVuoxjk
aetherspawn 9mo ago
I was thinking the other day that there should be wearable bangles for blind people with ultrasonic sensors or something that encode a 360 degree view of the world into vibrations. If each bangle had 40 or so pixels, you’d get 80 pixels with one on each arm.
athampraveen 9mo ago
My son is very interested in this. I am building an application to create designs online. Mainly to keep him away from video reels :) https://app.brixox.com/ https://app.brixox.com/
nephihaha 9mo ago
I know the part of Scotland where he has set up shop. There used to be a lot of toy farmers and small holders popping up round there and failing within a few years. Most of them were from big cities and from England, and pretty clueless about farming. They would often try something exotic like quail (if they had little money) and alpacas (if they had more). Mr Duxbury seems to be going down a similar line, although he does have a farming family background.

130 points by ColinWright 9mo ago

This is great, but boy I'm glad I took the time to actually read the article. I assumed it was about someone who took a huge number of standard rectangular LEGO bricks with the 6/8 raised studs, then laboriously shaved them off to create all the necessary braille patterns, and used them on large LEGO boards to quickly assemble messages/notifications for blind readers. Reality - it's about using lego to help "visualize" architecture. EDIT: Apparently this already exists! https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/play-with-braille-english-alphabet-40656 https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/play-with-braille-english...

tdeck 9mo ago
Your description reminds me of a blind guy I know who is interested in architecture, and began to collect scale models of famous building so he could feel them and experience their architecture. Eventually he took an interest in buildings that were less famous or didn't have high quality models, and started commissioning an artist to model them in CAD and 3D print them. Now he has a business producing and selling these tactics models. https://evengrounds.com/about/ https://evengrounds.com/about/
- ctoth 9mo ago
  Oh no. I'm a blind guy. I have a distinct interest in starships -- I have every Eaglemoss model, and many many more. If I click this link I am totally going to get sucked into having people design and print me starships -- I need another project like I need another hole in my head.
  - UltraSane 9mo ago
    I have always wondered how blind people "visualize" (I can't think of a better term) large scale objects.
    - bell-cot 9mo ago
      I've no idea. But flipside, I know quite a few sighted people who can't walk around a rectangular block without losing track of which way north is. Or can't visualize that (say) their master bedroom closet backs up to their kitchen. Or other facepalm-worthy visualization failings.
      - toast0 9mo ago
        > without losing track of which way north is. I blame my childhood. Everyone always said the Pacific Ocean is to the west. So naturally the direction I went to go to the beach on the pacific ocean should be West. Especially when the north/south freeway crosses the street I take to the beach at a pretty good angle (well it's more like 45 degrees). Turns out I actually go south to go to the beach, the freeway is roughly parallel to the coast and north/south freeways sometimes travel due east/west and I have a real hard time with cardinal directions, and even if I understand where the directions are when outside, when I enter a building, especially if I go up stairs or an elevator, my sense of where the cardinal directions from inside the building is likely to be way off. Thankfully, there's not a big impact from not knowing where room walls are relative to each other. :P
        bell-cot 9mo ago
        > Thankfully, there's not a big impact from not knowing where room walls are relative to... Let me tell you about the friend-of-friend, who was cutting holes in his dining room wall to install [whatever], oblivious to the bathroom on the other side, and the water pipes for that bathroom...
        toast0 9mo ago
        Don't they make special anchors for mounting your TV on PVC sewer pipes? Should be fine. ;)
        coryrc 9mo ago
        Similarly, I live in Seattle with hills everywhere, but the main path I used to go uphill was Southbound. But on maps, up is always North. I haven't recovered since!
  - tdeck 9mo ago
    If you live in the US (and possibly other countries) and are blind, you can probably get See3D to model things and print them for you for free. http://see3d.org/ http://see3d.org/
- vunderba 9mo ago
  This is super cool. Apparently he also creates tactile topographical maps with various landmarks, terrain, etc. https://evengrounds.com/3d-tactile-maps https://evengrounds.com/3d-tactile-maps I'm not at all confident in my ability to take an unknown object, run my hands over it, manipulate it, and even get close to being able to describing / recreating it though it does sound like this has the makings of a fun Cranium board mini-game.
abeyer 9mo ago
The "lego for architecture" already exists too, though it was branded and then spun off as a separate company. https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Modulex https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Modulex

retrac 9mo ago

Sensory disabilities like deafness and blindness are disabling because the world is not oriented to people with sensory disabilities. I am reminded that the Deaf have their own mythology. American Sign Language is distinct; it's not English. Accordingly it has its own culture, including its own myths. Many of them are fables and stories from the western tradition slightly adapted. But some are original. One common theme in American Deaf mythology (but I'd bet it's told elsewhere too) is stories about a world which is visually oriented. There's an ASL word for this world but English doesn't have one. Sometimes it's translated as Eyeth a.k.a. "Eye-Earth". It's more than just a world where everyone is deaf or where everyone communicates in ASL. It has something like spiritual meaning to some of those who tell stories about it; in that world the Deaf are not disabled, not in the social way that matters.

UltraSane 9mo ago
No, deafness and blindness are disabling because they provide critical long range data. Being able to see is essentially a superpower if you are blind. Same with hearing.
- throwway120385 9mo ago
  Only in that narrow viewpoint. Most people talk about disability in the context of a society because much of what we encounter in our day to day is created by other people. The sights, sounds, smells, and experiences in our world are frequently because of others. So in that context, if the dominant culture makes it a point to create experiences that require hearing or sight to consume, then yes it's a disability. But if we adapt some or all of what we do for people who don't have those senses, then we can make it less disabling.
  - suddenlybananas 9mo ago
    While it's good for society to accommodate those with disabilities as much as possible, we shouldn't pretend it isn't detrimental to be unable to see or hear. You don't need to believe obvious falsehoods in order to accommodate people.

bitwize 9mo ago

Was not disappoint when I saw the photos of the models he built. I had expected a hodgepodge of brick colors due to color not being a meaningful constraint on a blind person's Lego build.

layer8 9mo ago

I wonder how the non-random color patterns in the pictured LEGO build came to be. Maybe he’s not 100% blind?

greenwallnorway 9mo ago
From what I can tell in the image: 2x6: white 2x4: blue 2x2: grey This makes interesting patterns, since you are more likely to use certain bricks in certain positions.
- FarmerPotato 9mo ago
  Lego retail stores have the odd habit of stocking Pick-A-Brick this way.
  - abeyer 9mo ago
    Pick-A-Brick sounded like such a good idea on paper, until you realize that the economics of it end up being a handful of brick size/color combos and then bin after bin of minifig accessories.
    - FarmerPotato 9mo ago
      I thought so too at first. My local toy store owner scoffed and called it “floor sweepings”. I think of that every time I visit a Lego Store and look down. Through user groups, I’ve had access to direct ordering. I could order off the same list as Lego Store managers see. It truly was a random hodgepodge. Manager said sometimes they don’t even get to choose. Somewhere are warehouses of stockpiled parts, some of which are surplus after a set is retired. For example, I chose a box of sand blue 1x2, and a box of 2x2 low slope red roof peaks. Imagine those languishing in a Pick a Brick wall. Myself, I had a lot of roof to build but I still have a thousand unused. If Lego took consumer or store orders at random, it would complicate their planning which allocates production for sets, months in advance. Only the Model Shops got anything they asked for.
blauditore 9mo ago

3tgsh 9mo ago

Ggf

a_paddy 9mo ago

Lego created a specific series of bricks in the 1960's for this exact purpose, called Modulex. Originally designed for architects etc, it's still going. https://youtube.com/watch?v=I_OUxVuoxjk https://youtube.com/watch?v=I_OUxVuoxjk

aetherspawn 9mo ago

I was thinking the other day that there should be wearable bangles for blind people with ultrasonic sensors or something that encode a 360 degree view of the world into vibrations. If each bangle had 40 or so pixels, you’d get 80 pixels with one on each arm.

athampraveen 9mo ago

My son is very interested in this. I am building an application to create designs online. Mainly to keep him away from video reels :) https://app.brixox.com/ https://app.brixox.com/

nephihaha 9mo ago

I know the part of Scotland where he has set up shop. There used to be a lot of toy farmers and small holders popping up round there and failing within a few years. Most of them were from big cities and from England, and pretty clueless about farming. They would often try something exotic like quail (if they had little money) and alpacas (if they had more). Mr Duxbury seems to be going down a similar line, although he does have a farming family background.