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British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer has released a new range of braille products, including the industry’s first-ever braille gift card. The M&S braille card was created in consultation with a UK charity, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The new products include the Happy Birthday braille gift card, which is a first of its kind, alongside three other greeting cards for different occasions. All the cards are made of plastic-free and FSC-certified paper, and are fully recyclable.
The M&S braille gift card has an embossed outer sleeve that reads ‘Happy Birthday’ in braille, plus an embossed gift card inside. The gift card is convenient, as it can be used in the online store or any of their brick-and-mortar outlets.
The brand’s braille range was already in the works, but experienced an accelerated rollout based on suggestions from Marks & Spencer colleagues. One of these colleagues was Elizabeth Abudu, the Marks & Spencer Streatham Hill Team Manager, who was inspired to suggest the range while assisting visually impaired customers at the store.
Kathryn Turner, the Product Development Director at Marks & Spencer, shared, “Our customers are always at the heart of every product we design, and we hope our first-of-its-kind braille gift card and range of greeting cards will make it that bit easier for customers to show their love and appreciation for friends and family members with sight loss.”
Marks & Spencer’s braille range is part of the brand’s latest commitment to provide an inclusive and accessible retail space for customers and colleagues. In 2018, the brand launched its Easy Dressing range of adaptive clothing for kids, so kids of all disabilities can dress like their able-bodied peers.
