By: Michael Xia

A new blind Barbie doll will be heading to toy shop shelves.

The CBBC reports that “The company that makes Barbie dolls, Mattel, partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind in the US, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to design the new doll. Barbie’s design contains lots of features that will not only make her more accurately reflect a blind person.”

This Barbie doll will come with a cane and dark glasses and will feature textured clothing so children who are blind can feel the outfits.

On the box, Barbie will be spelled in Braille. Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision.

Debbie Miller, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said: “It’s wonderful to think that children with a vision impairment can now play with a Barbie that looks like them.” Lucy Edwards, a broadcaster and disability activist from Birmingham, campaigns to raise awareness of blindness and sight loss. She lost her eyesight when she was 17, and says a blind Barbie “means everything” to her. She explains that “I was embarrassed by my cane – but knowing Barbie had a cane would have made me feel so differently about mine and helped me feel less alone on my journey to accept and embrace my blindness.”

This doll means a lot to the blind community and helps people with sight loss feel like they belong and are recognized.