After a full day of competition on Saturday, June 28, at Braille Institute in Los Angeles, the 15 winners of the 2008 Braille Challenge™ were announced at a gala Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Universal Hotel.
The day started with the 65 Challenge finalists in attendance, grouped by age and wearing corresponding colored t-shirts, being ushered into the Opening Ceremonies by the USC Spirit of Troy marching band. Representing 28 states and two Canadian provinces, they were seated on risers and individually introduced to the cheering crowd before marching to their respective rooms to take the three to four contests, depending on their age.
At that evening's Awards Ceremony, winners received their prizes from actor Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, who read a short biography of each winner and posed for a photo with them.
To view the list of the 2008 winners, please click here.
Listen to a Podcast of the Braille Challenge™ Awards Ceremony!
On June 28, 2008, AIRS Los Angeles, a reading service for those who are blind or sight impaired, broadcasted the entire Braille Challenge Awards Ceremony LIVE from the Hilton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, California. If you missed the live broadcast, you can listen to the podcast version by going to the site's Braille Institute Programs page.
View All of the Photos from Our Event Online
You can view all of the photos taken by our Braille Challenge photographer during the event online when you get home. Simply go to our page on the Kodak Easy Share Gallery Web site at http://marketplace.kodakgallery.com/braillechallenge. This site also will allow you to order prints and other fun souvenirs and have them sent directly to your home. Photos will be available for viewing by Wednesday, July 2, 2008. If you have any questions, please call Alison Dirstine at 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553), Ext. 3177.
The 2008 "Teacher of the Year" has been selected!
We are pleased to announce that this year's "Teacher of the Year" Award for Excellence in Braille Instruction will go to James Nezol, Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Vision Specialist, Willamette Education Service District, Oregon. To read more about our winner and all of our nominees, please click here.
Thanks go to our generous sponsors!
We would like to thank all of the sponsors of the 2008 Braille Challenge™ for helping us to bring this program to more than 500 blind kids across the United States and Canada. To see a list of all our sponsors, please click here.
For more information, call 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553).
or call 1-800-BRAILLE.
