June 14, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Children who are blind often feel like they are living in a world where little is designed for their needs. However, the Braille Institute of America, in Los Angeles, has given such youngsters a chance to compete in an arena tailored for them. It runs an annual national competition that encourages blind children to test their Braille reading against that of their peers.
The Braille Challenge is June 23 in the 88-year-old charity’s hometown and will include 60 finalists selected from 450 contestants throughout the United States and Canada.
Schools, charities, and government agencies around the country work with the Braille Institute to host preliminary contests and send winners to the national competition. Donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals cover the $100,000 event, and noncash gifts from Freedom Scientific, in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Mass., serve as prizes at the local and national contests.
Teachers tell event organizers that the Challenge has become a huge motivator for blind kids who might feel self-conscious about practicing their Braille skills in mainstream school settings.
The contest also spotlights the importance of Braille. Nancy Niebrugge, the content’s director, is sighted, but “if you’re blind, getting your information through auditory input is not as effective as learning to read and write in Braille as a young student.”
The rewards for contestants are emotional as well as academic. Last year’s winner of the “apprentice” group (grades 1 and 2) vowed she wouldn’t let her family’s move to Hawaii keep her away from the contest.
She’ll be back again this year as a finalist. The girl’s mother’s told Ms. Niebrugge her daughter would “be there if she has to swim.”
