Have you ever wondered how someone who is blind can “see” the world around them? Meet Matthew Shifrin, a young man from Boston who was born blind but has found a unique way to experience the world using LEGO bricks. Let’s dive into his story and discover how LEGO can be a powerful tool for those who can’t see with their eyes.
Matthew loves building complex LEGO sets, just like many of us do. But there’s a twist—Matthew can’t see the instructions that come with the sets. So, how does he do it? With the help of his family friend Lilya, Matthew developed a system that uses text-based instructions to guide him through building LEGO sets. This system is called “LEGO for the blind.”
Lilya first adapted the instructions into text for Matthew’s 13th birthday, giving him an 821-piece LEGO set. She realized that language is a powerful tool that can describe anything, even the steps to build a LEGO model. This system allows Matthew to “see” the LEGO world through words, enabling him to build everything from dragons to famous landmarks.
For people who are blind, other senses like touch and hearing become more important. Studies have shown that blind individuals often have enhanced auditory and tactile abilities, almost like sensory superheroes! For example, in one study, blind participants were better at locating the source of a sound than those who could see.
Our brains are incredibly adaptable. In blind individuals, the part of the brain usually used for vision can be repurposed for other tasks, like processing sound or touch. This means that even if someone can’t see with their eyes, their brain can still create a “picture” of the world using other senses.
Building with LEGO helps improve spatial awareness and reasoning, which can be challenging for those who are blind. By creating models of buildings and landmarks, Matthew can understand their size and shape. For instance, he can build a model of the Empire State Building and say, “I know what that looks like; I’ve built that!”
Matthew’s LEGO instructions are now available online, helping blind and visually impaired people worldwide to enjoy building LEGO sets. It’s a collaborative effort, with people sending feedback and comments to improve the system.
Matthew also uses technology to experience things like YouTube. He uses a screen reader, a tool that reads out loud what’s on the screen, allowing him to navigate websites and watch videos. This way, he can enjoy content just like anyone else, even if he can’t see the screen.
LEGO has given Matthew a way to “see” the world and share that experience with others. It’s a reminder that we’re only limited by our imagination and how many bricks we have. Whether you’re building a model of the Sydney Opera House or a simple dragon, LEGO can help you explore and understand the world in new ways.
Matthew’s story shows us that with creativity and determination, we can overcome challenges and find new ways to experience the world. LEGO isn’t just a toy; it’s a tool for learning and exploration, opening up possibilities for everyone, regardless of their ability to see.
Imagine you are creating a LEGO set for a friend who is blind. Write detailed text-based instructions for a simple LEGO model. Use descriptive language to explain each step clearly. Share your instructions with a classmate and see if they can build the model using only your words!
Close your eyes and explore a small LEGO model using only your sense of touch. Try to identify the shapes and structures. Then, draw what you think the model looks like. Open your eyes and compare your drawing to the actual model. Discuss how your other senses helped you “see” the model.
Work in pairs to create a sound map of your classroom. One student will be blindfolded and use their sense of hearing to identify different sounds in the room. The other student will record the sounds and their locations on a map. Discuss how sound can help you understand your environment.
Choose a famous landmark and research its features. Using LEGO bricks, build a model of the landmark. Write a short description of the landmark, including its size, shape, and unique characteristics. Present your model and description to the class, explaining how LEGO helped you understand the landmark better.
Research different technologies that help people with visual impairments, such as screen readers or braille displays. Create a presentation or poster to share what you learned with the class. Discuss how these technologies, like Matthew’s LEGO instructions, help people experience the world in new ways.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
—
[Opening bumper of PBS Digital Studios]
[Vanessa and Matthew Shifrin appear on screen sitting at a kitchen table]
**Vanessa:** Can blind people see? If you have someone like me, who was born blind and who doesn’t remember seeing, a lot of your perceptual information is tactile, auditory, and smell-based. Would you say that you can see? Then we go back to the issue of what is seeing. But I can imagine, yes. I can perceive what I think might be there. I can estimate—that’s the term.
[Text appears] LEGO for the blind
A short documentary by Vanessa Hill.
[Cut to shot of Vanessa in a hotel room speaking to the camera]
So a couple of months ago, I received an email from Matthew Shifrin, a recent high school graduate from Boston, who said he enjoyed watching BrainCraft and building complex LEGO sets. The thing is, Matthew was born with congenital blindness. He hasn’t been able to see since birth. So I immediately had dozens of questions—how does Matthew experience YouTube, and how can he build a complex LEGO set without being able to read the instructions? Sometimes it takes me weeks, and I have excellent vision. But most of all, how does Matthew’s brain function differently from mine, or yours? How does he experience LEGO? After months of wondering, I thought, why don’t we just go to meet Matthew and find out? Also, they have delicious lobster rolls in Boston. We’re going to Boston.
[Cut to shot of Vanessa walking through Penn Station in New York and getting on a train]
It’s so early. It’s 6:30 AM on a Sunday. We didn’t have time to get coffee.
[Travel sequence of Vanessa on the train to Boston]
I always travel with a LEGO set.
[Vanessa arrives in Boston and takes a taxi to Matthew’s house]
105. This should be it. Oh yeah, that’s it right there. Okay, yep, cool.
[Cut to shot of Vanessa walking to the door]
I hope this is the right house.
[Door opens]
**Matthew:** Yes, it’s me.
**Vanessa:** Hi! It’s nice to meet you.
[Sequence of shots inside Matthew’s house – Vanessa having lunch with Matthew’s family and LEGO sets]
[Cut to Vanessa and Matthew at the kitchen table with camera, light, and audio equipment]
**Vanessa:** How would you describe LEGO?
**Matthew:** That’s a very abstract question. It’s a building system made for children that I’ve somewhat adapted. It’s a mobile, portable, and accessible way to see the world if you can’t see it. To see what is unseeable.
[Sequence of shots showing Matthew starting to build a small LEGO dragon]
So Matthew and his family friend Lilya developed a system to enable blind or visually impaired people to build commercially available LEGO sets.
[Cut to Matthew’s LEGO for the blind website]
Matthew calls it LEGO for the blind, and the system uses text-based instructions that take you through the entire construction process: it really builds on the power of language.
[Matthew’s friend Lilya appears talking to Vanessa over lunch]
This is Lilya, who first adapted the build instructions into text and gave Matthew an 821-piece set for his 13th birthday.
**Lilya:** I always liked language and the ability of language. The power of language. So when I finally thought that language is such a powerful tool that it can describe anything, I was really amazed to find out that it did work.
[Timelapse of Matthew showing Vanessa and cinematographer Ella his LEGO sets]
Okay, so if we take something like the Hogwarts Castle, the instructions for this step are:
[See Hogwarts LEGO set then a printout of Matthew and Lilya’s instructions.]
Put a flat 3×1 horizontally in the middle of the front side, on the 16×2 piece, on the first row. Put a 1×1 with the clasp to the right of it, clasp to the front and overhanging. Put one 3-button corner piece at the left back corner, in the shape of the letter F, and the other one symmetrically at the right one, in the shape of the letter D. Put one 1×1 piece on the back wall, skipping one button to the left from the right corner piece, and the other symmetrically on the right.
[Cut to image of the original LEGO instructions]
And that describes this picture—where you have these 6 pieces and you put them here. The thing is, these text-based instructions are so complicated that it can be difficult for a sighted person to comprehend them. So naturally, I wanted to try.
[Cut to Matthew and Vanessa at a table in the living room with a set of LEGO between them]
Okay, so now it’s my turn.
[Vanessa closes her eyes and attempts to build parts of the dragon, with Matthew reading his instructions to her]
You need to take a flat 1×1 with a clasp. You’re going to put that horizontally on the table. You’ll need a smooth curve and put it on this clasp. The dragon’s head is to your left, so if you attach this in there.
**Vanessa:** I can’t wait for me to break the entire thing.
**Matthew:** No further. Left more.
**Vanessa:** How do you know where it is?
**Matthew:** I remembered from the time I saw it a few seconds ago.
**Vanessa:** Touch everything, is my solution. My troubleshooting. One second, give me your hand. Help me! Oh here they are.
**Matthew:** Hey, that’s a pretty good application.
**Vanessa:** Thank you very much.
[Voice over]
And building with Matthew helped me to understand how the brain of a blind person might function differently from that of a sighted person.
[Cut to stop motion animation of a LEGO person crossing the road]
For sighted people, vision is a dominant sense. It’s easy to rely on because it’s the most accurate way to quickly assess a situation—like crossing the road.
[Cut to animation of an eye made from LEGO, then optic nerves and brain structures]
We often think of vision as seeing with our eyes, but seeing requires functioning eyes, optic nerves, and brain structures. Blindness has many causes, each with its own way of damaging any of these areas.
[Animation shows how different types of blindness affect the different parts of the eye, optic nerves, and brain]
The most frequent causes of blindness are cataracts, which cloud the lens; age-related macular degeneration, the deterioration of the central part of the retina; and glaucoma, damage to the optic nerve. In some cases, there’s cortical blindness, caused by damage to certain brain areas.
[Picture fades to black]
In many of these cases, people lose their vision over time. Those who’ve been blind since birth have never been able to see—well, perhaps their eyes can’t see. But their brain can.
[Animated brain appears, then a LEGO superhero]
Many studies have found that auditory and tactile abilities may be enhanced in blind individuals—they’re like sensory superheroes. In one study, researchers blindfolded participants who were normally sighted, vision impaired, and totally blind; and they were asked to point towards the source of a sound. The totally blind participants performed significantly better than the other groups—they could create the most accurate spatial map without any visual input.
[LEGO character appears carrying a sign saying “behavioral studies”]
It’s important to note that further behavioral studies have found conflicting results of this sensory compensation, maybe due to differences in age and types of visual impairments of those tested.
[LEGO character appears carrying a sign saying “imaging studies”]
But in imaging studies, we can see the brain of blind individuals repurposing itself. We’ve seen activity in the visual cortex when blind children hear words, process speech, and read Braille. A recent study asked people who were blind since birth to solve algebra problems. As the problems became harder, activity in the visual cortex increased, something that was not seen in the sighted participants.
[Brain appears with text representing particular studies]
While our brains have a huge amount of plasticity, those who have been blind since birth can have trouble with spatial awareness, spatial reasoning, and orientation. But there are ways to improve these skills.
[Printout of research appears on screen]
As one study found, an audio version of the video game DOOM improved blind subjects’ spatial cognition—how people use information about their environment to figure out where they are. And it just so happens that LEGO helps with this too.
[Cut back to interview with Matthew]
LEGO is able to give you all of these different opportunities, be you blind or sighted, to perceive your world in a different way. It’s like this miniaturization of the real world that you could potentially recreate in real life. And it also really allows a blind person a sense of scale. It allows you to see what you would be unable to feel. You can’t climb on the Taj Mahal or the Tower Bridge or any of these famous landmarks, but with these sets, you’re able to recreate them in their full glory.
[Shot of Matthew showing his LEGO Tower Bridge]
Because now that I have a three-dimensional model, if someone says, “Hey, we’re passing the Empire State Building,” I can be like, “I know what that looks like; I’ve built that!” It’s just this idea that the impossible or improbable is now possible. And it’s just a great feeling to know that you have been a part of making it possible for a group of people.
[Sequence of images of Matthew’s LEGO sets, and a screen recording of the LEGO instructions on his website]
And since Matthew has uploaded the LEGO instructions online, blind and vision-impaired people around the world have used them too. Others send back feedback and comments, so it’s like a big collaboration. That is, when Matthew is following the instructions. This is my favorite version of Hogwarts because there’s just a croissant on the table next to the letter and also, a shark.
But there was one thing I was still wondering.
[Cut back to Matthew and Vanessa at the table]
**Vanessa:** How do you experience YouTube?
**Matthew:** So blind people have this thing called a screen reader, which is basically a robotic voice in the background that reads everything on the page. You go to the search box, and it says “search box,” so you just type as you would, then you get the list of results, and you arrow down to the one you want and you click on it, and it plays automatically. And then you read the comments section and you get kind of horrified and disappointed. So it’s, yeah, that’s what I experience as a sighted person feels too. So yeah, you get the full experience.
[Cut to shot of Matthew on his phone]
Okay, I found VSauce’s video. We click on this.
[From video] with misternicehands.com
**Vanessa:** I think Michael is really descriptive when he speaks, do you find that?
**Matthew:** Yeah, it’s very relaxing and very therapeutic.
**Vanessa:** Yeah, he has a very interesting cadence; it’s nice to listen to. It would be very interesting if he just started teaching yoga/meditation; I think he would be very good at that.
**Matthew:** There you go, Michael Stevens, a yoga channel. This is your future.
**Vanessa:** Hey, why not!
[Cut to new scene]
We want comments.
**Matthew:** You’ll get comments.
[We see Matthew tapping the iPad to get to the comments]
Okay, you tap this. 314159265358979323846264338327950
Oh my gosh, somebody has left a comment that is just all of pi, and your poor screen reader had to read through every digit of pi.
**Matthew:** Hey, at least I stopped her in the middle of it.
[Vanessa presents Matthew with a big yellow LEGO bag. It’s the STAR WARS Millennium Falcon.]
**Vanessa:** We got you a new LEGO set.
**Matthew:** Thank you!
**Vanessa:** Oh look, there’s Rey!
**Matthew:** Pleasure working with you, Matthew. Thank you.
**Matthew:** Of course!
[Vanessa leaves the house. Travel sequence in Boston, Vanessa eating a lobster roll. Fade to black]
[Cut to scenes of Sydney airport. Vanessa driving a car through Sydney]
I wish I had asked Matthew and Lilya if they had come up with a system to build IKEA furniture.
[Voice over]
Since we met Matthew, I’ve been thinking about his comments on LEGO as a way for him to understand what big buildings and landmarks look like—it’s something so simple that I take for granted.
[Sequence of shots in the LEGO store in New York, where the Opera House set is for sale]
Lilya said she just got the Sydney Opera House set and has started to adapt it to text—the set is 2,989 pieces.
[Screen recording of flicking through the LEGO instructions for the Sydney Opera House]
It’s their biggest challenge yet. The Opera House is also my favorite building, so I’m excited for Matthew to get to see it.
[Cut to Vanessa walking towards and around the Opera House]
[Cut to Vanessa sitting on the Opera House steps]
So Matthew can’t look at a picture of the Opera House or even look at the sails in real life to experience it. But by using a model, he can then create a spatial map, feel it, and imagine how beautiful it is. Matthew can still see it, perhaps just a little differently than how a sighted person would. And then he can take that information and construct other buildings—he can be a LEGO architect. Really, we’re all only limited by our own imaginations. And how many bricks you have.
[Cut to end card – then credits]
I’d like to thank Google’s Making & Science team for supporting this video. You can find more videos like this by searching with the hashtag #sciencegoals.
**BrainCraft**
Directed, Produced, and Animated by Vanessa Hill.
With Cinematography and Editing by Ella Colley.
[Cut to Matthew singing and playing the piano]
There is a test that is known to many people. This is a test that I know you probably know. It’s difficult for some, but simple for others. It baffles people with many words they do not know. It is the SAT standard aptitude; I don’t mean altitude, oh no I don’t.
—
This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any potentially sensitive or inappropriate content.
Blind – Unable to see or lacking perception in a particular area – When we are blind to our own biases, it can affect our decision-making process.
Lego – A toy building block used to create structures, often used as a metaphor for constructing ideas – In psychology, our thoughts can be like Lego pieces, building complex ideas from simple concepts.
Instructions – Detailed information on how to do something, often used to guide behavior or thought processes – Following the instructions carefully during the experiment helped us understand the psychological effects of group pressure.
Senses – The faculties by which the body perceives external stimuli, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch – Our senses play a crucial role in how we perceive and interpret the world around us.
Brain – The organ in our head that controls thoughts, memory, emotions, and behavior – The brain is responsible for processing information from our senses and making decisions.
Spatial – Relating to the position, area, and size of things in space – Spatial awareness helps us navigate our environment and understand the relationships between objects.
Awareness – Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact – Developing self-awareness is important for understanding our emotions and how they influence our actions.
Reasoning – The action of thinking about something in a logical, sensible way – Critical thinking involves reasoning through problems to find effective solutions.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry – Technology can enhance our learning by providing new tools for exploring psychological concepts.
Creativity – The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness – Creativity is essential in problem-solving, allowing us to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions.
