Mattel releases a braille version of UNO
The number of people who can now shout “Uno!” with their friends just got bigger — and more inclusive.
Mattel announced Tuesday that fans of the game can now buy UNO Braille. With more than 7 million blind and low-vision people in the US, Mattel worked with the National Federation of the Blind to make the game more inclusive.
“The fact that a blind person is now able to play a classic game of UNO straight out of the box with both blind and sighted friends or family members is a truly meaningful moment for our community,” Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said in a news release.
The deck will feature braille dots on the corner of each card, and all players call out the card as they play. The packaging of the deck also features braille on the front and back.
Instructions for the game can be downloaded in braille readable files. Another option is to have Alexa or Google Home read the instructions aloud.
“We are proud to have UNO Braille on-shelves and to be making UNO more accessible and inclusive to even more families,” Ray Adler, global head of games at Mattel, said in the release.
This isn’t the first time Mattel has made a jump to become more inclusive. Just last week the toy company came out with a line of gender-neutral dolls called “Creatable World.”
The dolls are designed to be customizable by having different hairstyles, clothes and accessories that don’t necessarily fit into gender stereotypes.
In 2017, the company created UNO ColorADD, which they described as the first card game designed to be accessible to those with color blindness.