Mom Creates A Pajama Line With Braille To Help Blind Daughter Dress Herself (Exclusive)

When Anne Ogunrinde’s daughter Penelope was born blind, the new mom was engulfed by fear.

“I didn’t feel brave. I didn’t feel strong, or chosen, or equipped. I felt broken,” Ogunrinde tells PEOPLE. “I cried, more than I ever thought possible, as wave after wave of grief swallowed the joy I was supposed to feel.”

But as Penelope grew, so did Ogunrinde’s sense of purpose. Today, the Nigerian-born entrepreneur is the founder of Penny’s Pixiesan adaptive children’s pajama line with braille labels built in. The brand was inspired by Penelope, now 9, and built with love, intention and inclusion through every stitch.

At just two and a half months old, Penelope received a cornea transplant. Though she remains visually impaired, Ogunrinde says Penelope is fiercely independent, full of personality and determined to navigate the world her own way.

Like many kids with blindness and visual impairment, getting dressed remains a challenge for Penelope — something she wanted to fix. Her mom jumped into action, committed to boosting Penelope’s confidence.

That’s where the idea for a clothing line with braille labeling came in. The first launch from the brand focuses on Penelope’s favorite category of clothing: pajamas. As Ogunrinde puts it, “That girl can live in her pajamas.”

At first, Ogunrinde experimented with puff paint and other materials at home. Then it evolved into a full-fledged line of soft, sensory-friendly pajamas with braille embossed on the outside. On the front of the pajames, “front” is printed in braille. “Back” is on the back — so kids can get dressed on their own.

“To me, bedtime is really about love. It’s about comfort and it’s about independence,” Ogunrinde says.

Penny’s Pixies is also a storytelling experience. Each pajama set comes with a short tale to match the imaginative prints: Kenny the Koala, Tilly the Tortoise and Ellie the Explorer are just a few of the imaginative designs.

The bedtime stories explore themes like bravery, acceptance and self-love, and are printed in both braille and text. There’s also a reflection activity for kids to build self-esteem.

Every part of the production process includes Penelope, from approving fabric samples under a microscope to choosing the designs. She’s even brailling the “thank you” cards by hand. “I want her to know she’s part of this brand, not just the inspiration for it,” Ogunrinde says.

Inclusivity is at the heart of everything Penny’s Pixies does. The pajamas are crafted from bamboo and designed for sensory comfort. While the braille labels provide practical functionality for blind and visually impaired children, the affirmations and tactile elements invite all kids to engage with the product.

“My pajamas are not just for blind kids, they’re for everyone,” Ogunrinde says. “Because inclusion isn’t about separation. It’s about building a world where every child can belong.”

Ogunrinde is currently running the brand with a small, tight-knit team: herself, Penelope, a designer in Indonesia (also a single mom) and a supportive manufacturing partner in China. Though Penny’s Pixies officially launched in January, the momentum is building quickly. The company currently offers sizes 2T through 11, but Ogunrinde is working on expanding into family sets in response to demand from parents who want matching “fam jams.”

Ogunrinde says the feedback has been moving, especially from other parents of differently abled children — and even from blind parents, themselves, who say the braille labeling has helped them dress their sighted children.

“I had a blind mom reach out and say, ‘Thank you, because this is helping me dress my child with ease,’ ” Ogunrinde shares. “A grandmother bought our pajamas for her granddaughter, and her response was, ‘Tell me more about Braille. I want to learn.’ That’s the beauty — it’s education and inclusion in one.”

Ogunrinde’s long-term vision goes far beyond pajamas. “I’m not just building a brand. I want to build a movement,” she says. “A company where people of all abilities — blind, deaf, sighted, whatever — can work together, be seen, be heard — and belong.”

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By day, Ogunrinde works in vision care at Johnson & Johnson. By night (and in every spare moment), she’s growing Penny’s Pixies. Her ultimate goal? Creating a world where kids like her daughter aren’t just accommodated — they’re empowered.

“I had a vision for what life would look like when I became a mom,” she reflects. “And then life gave me a different path. But that doesn’t mean the dream changes — you just take another way to get there.”

Shop Penny’s Pixies now to show your support in honor of Blindness Awareness Month.