As we celebrate our 25th year of Braille Challenge, we’re looking back on just how far we’ve come since that first ever competition. Today, we have over sixty regional Braille Challenge events across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, and Australia.
After Braille Institute held the inaugural Braille Challenge event in Anaheim, California, the team recognized the potential to reach more eager braille learners outside of California. But if we wanted to share the Braille Challenge experience with more students across the country, we would need help.
We couldn’t grow the competition alone—and not without our first ever regional partner: the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts.
We sat down with Regional Coordinator and Director of Education and Community Services Nancy Sharon, former Director of Education Dr. Karen Ross, and TSVI Eileen Curran to learn more about the history of the regional Braille Challenge competition.
The connection to the Carroll Center came through Les Stocker, who was a longtime friend of Rachel Rosenbaum, the then-presidents of the Braille Institute and Carroll Center respectively. He asked if she and her team would be interested in hosting a Braille Challenge event on the East Coast. At the time, Karen was working as Vice President of Education Services at the Carroll Center, and she took on the challenge of developing the framework for a Braille Challenge regional event.
In April of 2001, the Carroll Center hosted the premier Regional Braille Challenge competition, which has continued for the past 25 years to welcome students from throughout New England and its neighboring states.
For the first time, Braille Challenge had officially gone bicoastal. In June 2001, qualifying competitors in both the Northeast Regional and SoCal Regional met in San Diego, California for the first (National) Braille Challenge Finals event. It was an action-packed weekend featuring not only intense competition but live music performances, a petting zoo activity, and countless opportunities for connection between students who might otherwise have never gotten to meet. Now, a shared love for braille literacy opened more doors not just for an academic challenge, but unique friendships on a national level.
That was just the beginning.
“Many hands have contributed to the early success of our New England regional events and its expansion over the years, far too many to name,” Karen shared in her 2020 New England Regional address. “Several local and national organizations and businesses have generously provided equipment, food, prizes, and cash donations to support our regional event.”
Putting together a successful Regional Braille Challenge is a true labor of love. Carroll Center for the Blind teachers and a large group of volunteers bring the event to life every year with great energy and enthusiasm.
“Volunteers include Carroll Center for the Blind staff, TVIs and COMS (Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists) from throughout the Northeast, community service workers from local high schools and colleges, former participants, parents, and adult braille readers who are wonderful mentors and positive examples for students to observe,” Karen explained. “Every year, the number of volunteers often exceeds the number of participating students by at least three to four times, in order to make this event inclusive, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.”
Karen and Nancy also both identified Eileen Curran as their resident “braille guru,” who works tirelessly to set up testing rooms, and to recruit and train proctors and scorers to provide a smooth and positive experience for students. Her knowledge and influence over the years has been invaluable to the success of the event, and she was recognized with a nomination for the Braille Challenge Teacher of the Year Award in 2020.
Over the past twenty-five years, the New England Regional Braille Challenge has welcomed participants from the six New England states, plus New York and New Jersey. Karen, Nancy, and Eileen recounted instances of parents driving through snowstorms to make it to the event, because it was so important for their students to participate. Today, students can join both in-person or test remotely via Zoom, opening up the competition to even more braille learners across the northeast.
The New England Regional Braille Challenge’s commitment to accessibility continues with their inclusion of the Foundational contest category.
“This year, we’re going to give them their own special name, ‘Braille Adventurers.’ For the last two years, we’ve successfully included a non-competitive level to prepare students to participate in the Apprentice group or a Rookie category for students of diverse abilities,” Nancy shared. “We feel that providing this experience for them to get ready makes for happy kids.”
Almost every year, a student from the New England Regional Braille Challenge qualifies to compete in Braille Challenge Finals in California. But the success of the program goes far beyond the final scores.
“The kids are just so happy to be there,” Eileen said. “You see this out in California as well—the excitement in the room is just beyond words.”
Karen agreed, sharing one of her favorite New England Regional memories: “At her final challenge, one 12th grade student announced to the entire room during the awards ceremony that she was crying happy tears, ‘not because I didn’t win today, but because this is the last time I can participate!’ How proud we were that our efforts were making an important difference in the lives of these young students.”
As we reflected on the Braille Challenge, Eileen said, “One of the best sounds in the world is listening to the older three groups doing Speed and Accuracy all at the same time. You hear people madly brailling, and it’s the coolest sound you can imagine. It’s like the heartbeat of the Braille Challenge.”
We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations again to the New England Regional Braille Challenge on twenty-five years of excellence! We’re so proud of everyone who brought this very first regional to life and who continue to support and inspire students as they strive to master braille literacy.
Thank you so much again to Nancy, Karen, and Eileen for sharing the history of the New England Regional with us! We’re thrilled that our partnership is still going strong, nearly twenty-five years later.
To learn more about the New England Regional Braille Challenge, visit their website at https://carroll.org/events/braille-challenge/
Interested in participating in Braille Challenge? Learn more about the international program and find a regional near you at https://brailleinstitute.org/braille-challenge/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_NC9BhCkARIsABSnSTZsdniWJ0DhEqDFxmCU0fZxY6Cv42RKqg-J8JIskYfLweHzA50Yt9UaAsl1EALw_wcB.
