The Braille Challenger: Volume 3, Issue 2

News and Information from The Braille Challenge^®

Volume 3, Issue 2 - October 2011

The Braille Challenge® Receives Two National Awards
New for 2012: Flexible Brailler Options
Q&A with 2011 Braille Challenge Champion Rima Kaddoura
Regional Events News
Taming the Timed Contest

The Braille Challenge® Receives Two National Awards

Braille Institute received two prestigious national awards this summer in recognition of its national Braille Challenge program; one from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and another from Perkins School for the Blind. NFB honored Braille Institute at its July national convention with its 2011 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. The Bolotin Award was created to honor the memory of Dr. Jacob W. Bolotin (1888-1924), a blind physician who lived and practiced in Chicago in the early part of the twentieth century. It is presented annually by NFB, with the support of the Santa Barbara Foundation, to recognize outstanding individual and organizational achievements in the blindness field. Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts honored Braille Institute in June with its 2011 President’s Award, which is presented annually in recognition of leadership in the field of braille literacy.

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New for 2012: Flexible Brailler Options

Did you know that the classic Perkins Brailler was invented in 1951 by David Abraham, a teacher at Perkins School for the Blind, and has been sold to 300,000 people in more than 170 countries around the world? But even though it has withstood the test of time, it is no longer the default braillerwriter for today’s blind students.

Since more of our Braille Challenge participants are beginning to learn to braille using different models of braillewriters, this year we are allowing students to choose their preference for taking the contest. Students also have the option of using their own equipment if desired.

Brailler options include the classic Perkins Brailler, the APH/Perkins Next Generation Brailler and the new APH Light Touch Perkins Brailler. All contests, including Speed and Accuracy, will be formatted for the smaller 8.5 X 11 paper size to accommodate the shorter line length used by the Next Generation model. Students using the braillers that take larger paper will simply braille shorter lines.

If you have questions about these brailler options, please contact Christine Pak toll-free at 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553), Ext. 1321, or send an e-mail to cgpak@brailleinstitute.org.

Q&A with 2011 Braille Challenge Champion Rima Kaddoura

The Braille Challenger recently sat down for an in-depth interview with 16-year-old Rima Kaddoura of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A six-time Braille Challenge finalist, Rima took her skills to the next level this past June winning the Varsity division of the National Braille Challenge as an 11th grader. She is now in her senior year at Scarlett High School.

Braille Challenger: What did it mean to you to win The Braille Challenge®?
Rima Kaddoura: It definitely meant a lot to me. For someone with a visual impairment there really aren’t a lot of competitions out there, and this is such a big contest, so to come in first place was very exciting. My family was very proud of me, too, which was cute!

BC: Were you surprised when you found out you won?
RK: Actually I was! I kept breaking braillers during Speed & Accuracy, so I thought I didn’t do that well, to be honest. They called third place, then second place, and I just assumed I hadn’t placed. When they called my name, I was in shock.   

BC: How did you prepare for the contest?
RK: I braille a lot because I do all of my math and science work on a Perkins brailler. And like most of the competitors, I read a lot as well. One thing I do recommend is practicing the specific tests before going in so you know what to expect.  

BC: What would you tell kids who are considering taking the Challenge for the first time?
RK: I would definitely recommend it. The first time I took the regional test I did very poorly. I almost never tried it again, but I did, and I’m so glad I stuck with it, not just because I’ve done well but also, it taught me a valuable lesson about not giving up. But, the fact of the matter is, even if you don’t make the finals, it’s great to be around other kids like you. The academic aspect of the competition is great, but meeting new people and making new friends is just as valuable in my opinion. I’ve made great friends at the Challenge who I still keep in touch with.

BC: What’s new in your life since winning the Braille Challenge?

RK: I recently started my senior year in high school. It’s been very busy with biology, chemistry, math and English on my schedule. I’m started to think about applying to college as well, which most likely will be the University of Calgary so I can stay at home.  

BC: What are your plans for the future?
RK: I’m considering going into engineering. My back-up plan at this point would be teaching high school math. I’m still figuring it all out.  

BC: What has braille meant to you?
RK: Without braille I wouldn’t have been able to do much of anything with my life. There’s nothing like actually reading a book, rather than having it read to you. I’d probably be stuck at home like blind kids would have been in the 1800s. I owe a lot to Louis Braille, just like many others.

BC: What’s something we don’t know about you?
RK: I absolutely love Rick Riordan’s books—they’re adventure stories based on ancient mythology. He’s an amazing writer. I highly recommend him. I’m a big music fan—mainly rock bands like Nickelback and Daughtry. I also really enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles. I’m working on a new one right now, in fact. It’s 500 pieces and it’s been taking me forever, but it keeps my hands busy and my mind free. I start with the corners, fill out the borders and work my way in. I find it a great way to relax and take a break from studying and real work!

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Regional Events News 

The Braille Challenge is quickly becoming an important shared experience for more than 800 visually impaired students all over the country. Over and over they tell us they love seeing old friends and meeting new ones while also celebrating braille literacy. Click here to see the list of regional events planned for 2012 this winter.

Winners of the Nebraska Regional Challenge pose during the 2011 Awards Ceremony.	Winners from Idaho show off their hard earned gift certificates.	Contestants in Maryland eagerly await for their Regional Challenge festivities to begin.

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Taming the Timed Contest

Based on feedback we've received at Braille Institute, one of the trickier parts of The Braille Challenge is the fact that it is a timed contest. In many testing situations, blind and visually impaired students are appropriately accommodated by being given the extra time they need to complete a test. So it's not surprising that teachers are telling us that some students struggle with the whole concept of a time limit.

One way Braille Institute is addressing this issue for 2012 is by reducing the number of Spelling words. By spelling 40 words within the 25 minute time limit instead of 50, students will have more time per word. This contest is given to the youngest age groups who are just beginning to develop test taking skills. BIA staff and The Challenge Advisory Committee hopes this change will help students feel less rushed. Plus, it's VERY important all students are given the chance to spell the entire list of words so everyone has an equal chance of earning the maximum points available.

Some teachers have told us that they have anticipated this issue, and have introduced strategies to get their students ready for this new experience. Many have their students take the practice contests as timed tests. Others create their own version of timed tests to help their students practice working quickly. Many also simulate the Speed and Accuracy contest for their students, as it's the one skill most students don't employ in their regular studies at school. One Regional Coordinator has even hosted several evening "workshops" for students to help them get in extra practice.

Part of the issue for some students comes from being distracted. Feedback to BIA includes complaints from some that students who finish early often become noisy and somewhat disruptive, keeping others from fully concentrating. To help address this, BIA’s new Proctor Guidelines specifically instruct proctors to set behavioral boundaries at the beginning of each contest, and to let students know that they will be removed from the room if they do not remain quiet for the entire contest. New instructions also emphasize our recommendation that coordinators schedule only one contest group in a room so everyone is taking the same contest. It also reiterates that parents and other spectators are not allowed in the room during testing and recommends that any video or photography be taken during practice sessions.

At the end of the day, most parents and teachers value this "real world" experience of competition, and students tell us they go home feeling proud of their accomplishment. It's what makes The Challenge challenging.

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