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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Los Angeles – Jan. 6, 2016 — The 2016 Braille Challenge®, the only national reading and writing contest in braille for legally blind students ages six to 19, today announced the 50 participating cities and dates (see below). The Braille Challenge, sponsored by Braille Institute, is an academic competition in two stages. It’s designed to motivate students by emphasizing their study of braille while rewarding their success with fun-filled, challenging local and national events. Any student who is blind or visually impaired and reads braille is eligible to participate in preliminary or regional Braille Challenge events held from January through mid-March throughout the U.S. and Canada.
In its 16th year, The Braille Challenge offers students a chance to compete in five categories: reading comprehension, braille spelling, charts and graphs reading, proofreading and braille speed and accuracy. (See video here.)
“The Braille Challenge parallels the importance and educational purpose of an academic decathlon or spelling bee for sighted children,” said Nancy Niebrugge, Associate Vice President of Organizational Strategy at Braille Institute. “While there are upwards of 55,000 legally blind children in the U.S., only a portion use braille to read. Reading braille is paramount to literacy for students. Educators working with students who are blind or visually impaired have told us that The Braille Challenge is a motivating factor encouraging students to practice braille.”
“Braille reading proficiency provides an essential skill set that allows children who are blind or visually impaired to compete with their sighted peers in a school environment as well as later in life as they enter the workforce,” said Peter Mindnich, President, Braille Institute. “We are inspired by the passion and commitment of the students who compete in The Braille Challenge. Their achievements can empower others who are affected by sight loss to develop their braille skills as well.”
Following the first regional phase, contestants with the highest scores are invited to compete in a second, national finals phase. Once the regional scores are reviewed, qualifying finalists will be announced by Braille Institute in May. Each finalist receives an exclusive invitation to the Los Angeles headquarters of the Braille Institute to represent the top-ranking scores.
The dates and locations of the preliminary competitions are:
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City |
Date |
Sponsoring Agency/Organization |
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Romney, WV |
01/14/16 |
West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind |
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Colorado Springs, CO |
01/21/16 |
Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind |
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Milwaukee, WI |
01/22/16 |
Vision Forward Association |
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Westbury, NY |
01/23/16 |
East Meadow School District |
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Littleton, CO |
01/28/16 |
Colorado Center for the Blind |
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Jacksonville, FL |
01/28/16 |
Jacksonville Public Library |
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Florida Instruction Materials Center for the Visually Impaired |
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Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired |
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Anaheim, CA |
01/30/16 |
Braille Institute Anaheim Center |
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Des Moines, IA |
01/30/16 |
Iowa Library For the Blind and Physically Handicapped |
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Iowa Braille School |
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Baltimore, MD |
01/30/16 |
Maryland School for the Blind |
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Batavia, NY |
01/30/16 |
NYS School for the Blind |
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New York, NY |
01/30/16 |
Educational Vision Services |
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Vancouver, WA |
02/1/016 |
WA State School for the Blind |
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Columbia, SC |
02/04/16 |
SC Commission for the Blind |
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Alamagordo, NM |
02/6/16 |
New Mexico School for the Blind |
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Nebraska City, NE |
02/10/16 |
Nebraska Center for the Education of Children |
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Who Are Blind & Visually Impaired |
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Kansas City, KS |
02/11/16 |
Kansas State School for the Blind |
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Baton Rouge, LA |
02/11/16 |
Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired |
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St. Louis, MO |
02/11/16 |
Missouri School for the Blind |
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Raleigh, NC |
02/11/16 |
The Church of the Good Shepard |
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Louisville, KY |
02/18/16 |
American Printing House (snow 02/25/16) |
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Sherrills Ford, NC |
02/18/16 |
Catawba County Schools |
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Janesville, WI |
02/18/16 |
Wisconsin Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired |
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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
02/19/16 |
UBC Faculty of Education, Dept. of ECPS |
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Orlando, FL |
02/19/26 |
Grace Convenant Presbyterian Church/FIMC-VI/FAER |
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Florida Instruction Materials Center for the Visually Impaired |
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Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired |
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Indianapolis, IN |
02/20/16 |
Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |
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Marshfield, MO |
02/20/16 |
Missouri State University |
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Nashville, TN |
02/25/16 |
Tennessee School for the Blind |
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Macon, GA |
02/25/16 |
GA Academy for the Blind &The Atlanta Braille Volunteers |
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The Atlanta Braille Volunteers |
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Fort Lauderdale, FL |
02/26/16 |
Arthur Ashe, Jr. Campus |
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Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired |
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Jacksonville, IL |
02/26/16 |
Illinois School for the Visually Impaired |
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Muskogee, OK |
02/26/16 |
Oklahoma School for the Blind |
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Fremont, CA |
02/27/16 |
California School for the Blind |
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Co-Sponsor Vista Center for the Blind |
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Co-Sponsor with Lighthouse for the Blind |
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Idaho Falls, ID |
02/27/16 |
Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind |
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Flint, MI |
02/27/16 |
Michigan Dept. of Ed.: Low Incidence Outreach |
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in partnership with Oakland Schools |
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Austin, TX |
02/27/16 |
Region 13 Education Service Center and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |
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Tuscon, AZ |
02/29/16 |
Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind |
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Fort Worth, TX |
03/01/16 |
North Texas Region 11 |
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
03/03/16 |
Alberta Society for the Visually Impaired |
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Gooding, ID |
03/03/16 |
Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind |
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Tampa, FL |
03/04/16 |
Lions Eye Institute Foundation |
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Florida Instruction Materials Center for the Visually Impaired |
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Salt Lake City, UT |
03/4/16 |
Utah Foundation for the Blind |
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Meridian, ID |
03/05/16 |
Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind |
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Newton, MA |
03/05/16 |
The Carroll Center for the Blind |
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Edinburg, TX |
03/05/16 |
Edinburg CISD & Region One Education Service Cntr |
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Little Rock AR |
03/10/16 |
Arkansas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired |
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Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
TBD |
Atlantic Provinces Special Ed. Authority |
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Seattle WA |
TBD |
Washington Council of the Blind Talking Book Library |
About Braille Institute of America
Braille Institute of America is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. It serves tens of thousands of people of all ages each year through broad range of free programs and services designed to help people with vision loss lead enriched and fulfilling lives. Funded by private donations, all services are provided to students, clients and patrons at no charge. Braille Institute’s Los Angeles headquarters are located at 741 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles. For additional information, please visit www.braillechallenge.org. orwww.brailleinstitute.org. Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
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