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The Braille Challenge® Reading, Writing & Spelling Contest
Six First-Timers Among Winners of The 2010 Braille Challenge!
Fifteen excited students 1st through 12th grades and from all across the country were named as first, second or third place winners at The 2010 Braille Challenge Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 26. While the JV and Varsity winners have all been Challenge Finalists at least once before, six of the remaining nine younger contestants were first-time Finalists.
On hand to present their prize of a U.S. Savings bond, and for first place winners, a PacMate pocket PC, were actors Ashley Parker Angel, best known as a former member of the musical group “O Town,” and Andrea Lewis, who plays Hazel in the TV series “Degrassi High: The Next Generation.” The opening and closing musical solos were performed by Marleena Coulston, a talented singer who has performed on the national stage and is herself visually impaired.
Briana Brewer, a 12th grader from Kansas City, Kansas, was awarded the NBC4 Braille Superstar Award for Excellence In Reading Comprehension. This award was created by the NBC Television Network to recognize outstanding achievement in the area of reading comprehension. She received a $1000 scholarship presented by NBC reporter Patrick Healy.
Carl Augusto, President of the American Foundation for the Blind, presented Braille Institute President Les Stocker with AFB’s prestigious Access Award, given each year to those who are helping to eliminate or reduce inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired.
Rosalind Rowley, a generalist teacher for Perkins School for the Blind in Massachussetts, was presented with the “Teacher of the Year Award for Excellence in Braille Instruction.” She received a special trophy, a cash prize and a PacMate personal PDA, donated by Freedom Scientific. She joins an inspirational group of teachers for children who are visually impaired who have received this honor. We also invite you to view a short video about Ms. Rowley on our YouTube page.
Awards were also presented to winners of BIA’s first Cinema Without Sight Film Festival. Best Picture was awarded to Andrew Neylon of Fishers, Indiana, for his short, "The Viewmaster.” Honorable Mention was awarded for the collaborative short, “Seeing Through The Lens,” jointly submitted by Ashley Bernard, Michele Smith, and Laurie Cherry-White, who are students at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Click here to see a preview including clips from all 13 entries.
The entire ceremony was captured live by AIRS-LA, an Internet reading service for those who are blind or sight impaired. You can listen to the podcast version by going to the site's Braille Institute Programs page.
The day started with the 56 Braille 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 24 states and two Canadian provinces, the 56 contestants were seated on risers and individually introduced to the cheering crowd before marching to their respective rooms to take the three to four one-hour contests, depending on their age.
Photos from The Braille Challenge
Photos taken at The Braille Challenge are available on the Internet for families and friends. Visit our official Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/braillechallenge to view, order or download photos from our event. If you have difficulty accessing the photos or if you have any questions, please contact Alison Dirstine in our Public Education Department at adirstine@brailleinstitute.org or 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553), Ext. 3177.
What Is The Braille Challenge?
It's Braille Institute's national reading and writing contest in braille, is a great way to motivate blind and visually impaired students to practice their literacy skills. Students test their skills in reading comprehension, braille speed and accuracy, proofreading, spelling and reading tactile charts and graphs. More than 500 students from first through twelfth grades participated in the Preliminary Round last year. The top-scoring 65 came to Los Angeles in June for the Final Round—two days of competition, camaraderie and fun!
Thanks go to our generous sponsors!
Braille Institute is pleased to receive generous support from many individuals, foundations and corporations who make The Braille Challenge possible.
The first place winner of each age group at this June’s Finals will receive a PAC Mate BX420 with a 20-cell portable braille display donated by Freedom Scientific, the leading manufacturer of assistive technology products for blind individuals.
Our 10th Anniversary Presenting Sponsor for The Braille Challenge is The Braille Institute Auxiliary. Major support provided by Carl and Jeanette Goldbaum, Walter Lantz Foundation, Dot and Rick Nelson, dot.dat.inc., The Dockweiler Foundation in Memory of Marcus E. Crahan, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Halladay, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation. Additional support provided by Jill Atterbury, Delta Gamma Foundation, City National Bank, Randy Brown, Mary Burson, Homer Ralles, Gerrit and Nancy Vaessen, and the Los Angeles Breakfast Club Foundation.
For a complete list of all of our Braille Challenge Sponsors for 2010, please visit our Challenge Sponsors page.
KPCC is a proud sponsor of the 2010 National Braille Challenge.
Prizes for our regional events this year were donated by Seedlings Braille Books for Children and National Braille Press.
For more information about The Braille Challenge, please call Christine Pak toll-free at 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553), Ext. 1321, or send an e-mail to cgpak@brailleinstitute.org.
