By: Fionna Ma

children. The purpose of the blind Barbie was so that blind and low-vision kids can feel like they are represented in Barbie dolls.

The Barbie case also contains her walking stick and dark glasses to imitate the the experiences of people whoare blind. Her eyes are also a little out and up to demonstrate some blind person’s gaze.

Her clothes also have special texture by having special designs so that the kids can feel her outfits.

The box case for the doll is written in Braille, a reading language for blind people. Braille is orders and patterns in tiny dots.

To make this design, Mattel, worked with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Lucy Edwards, a disability activist, became blind in her right eye at 11 years old. However, she lost her other eye at 17, making her fully blind.
When Edwards was a teenager, she felt different carrying a cane (walking stick) everywhere. She also felt like there wasn’t a role model for blind people. The new blind Barbie has a cane. If Edwards had the doll as a teenager, she would have had more confidence and embraced her blindness more.

Debbie Miller said to BBC, “It’s wonderful to think that children with a vision impairment can now play with a Barbie that looks like them.” Debbie also reported that the children liked the design and details on the new Barbie.