Braille Challenge

The Braille Challenge is an annual two-stage Braille literacy competition designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of Braille.[1] The program parallels with the importance and educational purpose of a spelling bee for sighted children. Braille is a reading and writing method that breaks language into a code of raised dots.[2] There are three grades of braille:

  • Grade 1, which consists of the 26 standard letters of the alphabet and punctuation.
    • This grade of braille is only used by people who are first starting to read Braille.
  • Grade 2, which consists of the 26 standard letters of the alphabet, punctuation and contractions.
    • In this grade of braille contractions are used to save space. A normal Braille page cannot fit as much text as a standard printed page. Books, signs in public places, menus, and most other Braille materials are written in Grade 2 Braille.
  • Grade 3, which is used only in personal letters, diaries, and notes.
    • This grade is a type of shorthand that shortens entire words to a few letters.

The Braille Challenge started locally in 2000 sponsored by Braille Institute to help encourage and promote students’ braille skills.[3] In 2003 Braille Institute began partnering with other organizations and formed an advisory committee in order to make the Braille Challenge accessible to all kids across the United States and Canada. Two hundred students from twenty-eight states and four Canadian provinces traveled to participate in the regional events, sending fifty-five finalists to Los Angeles to compete for the 2003 Braille Challenge title.[3] Participation in the contest has doubled since 2003. By 2005 the institute received 775 requests for the preliminary contest, representing students from forty states and six Canadian provinces.[3]

In 2009, thirty-one blind service agencies and schools for the blind and visually impaired throughout the United States and Canada hosted regional events.[4] Over five hundred students participated regionally in 2009, and the national top twelve scores in each of the five age groups competed nationally at the final round held at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles on June 20, 2009.[5]

In 2016, the Braille Challenge finals were held in Los Angeles on June 17–18.[6]

  1. ^ "A Fun-Filled Literacy Competition for Students", Freedom Scientific, 6 (4), 2008, archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-17
  2. ^ Goodwin, Juliana (2008), "Seeing the World By Touch", News-Leader (July), archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-24
  3. ^ a b c American Association on Health and Disability (2006), "Braille Institute and the Braille Challenge", Best Practices (Winter), archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-17
  4. ^ Braille Institute of America (2009), Hundreds of Students Have Completed the Braille Challenge Preliminary Round, archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-17
  5. ^ The Carroll Center for the Blind (2009), 9th Annual Northeast Regional Braille Challenge a Great Success, archived from the original on 2012-02-24, retrieved 2009-04-15
  6. ^ admin-phase1. "Braille Challenge Calendar". Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2019-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)