Top blind students to test skills at unique competition

Blind and visually impaired students from throughout North Florida will meet at The Florida State University this week to test their Braille skills in an academic competition unlike any other. The students are taking part in the North Florida Braille Challenge, organized by the Program in Visual Impairment within Florida State’s College of Education. The competition will take place:

FRIDAY, FEB. 12

11 A.M. – 4:45 P.M.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

MODE L. STONE BUILDING, GROUND FLOOR ATRIUM

1114 W. CALL ST., TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

The Braille Challenge is the only national academic competition for blind students in the United States. The unique competition is a national program of Braille Institute of America Inc. and serves to encourage blind children of all ages to fine-tune their Braille skills, which are essential to their success in the sighted world.

During the competition, participants, in grades 1-12 will compete in five challenging categories that require them to transcribe, type and read Braille using a device called a Perkins Brailler. Each category is designed to test their Braille skills in several areas—reading comprehension, Braille spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading, and Braille speed and accuracy. Parents, teachers, community volunteers and school administrators will be present to support students as they compete.

The complete schedule of events for the North Florida Braille Challenge is as follows:

11 – 11:30 A.M. OPENING CEREMONIES

11:30 A.M. – 1 P.M. BRAILLE CHALLENGE SESSIONS 1 & 2

2 – 3:30 P.M. BRAILLE CHALLENGE SESSIONS 3 & 4

4:15 – 4:45 P.M. AWARDS CEREMONY

The North Florida Braille Challenge is the first step on the road to the national competition, which will be held in June at Braille Institute’s headquarters in Los Angeles. Students from across the United States are already completing preliminary testing in hopes of qualifying for the 60 spots available in the national competition. The top scorers in the preliminary round will advance to nationals and get the opportunity to represent their state as they compete against top blind students from the United States and Canada.

The Braille Challenge was created to motivate blind students to continue their study of Braille. Of all the literacy issues in America, Braille literacy is the most underrated and overlooked, organizers say, and advances in technology haven’t replaced the need for blind children to learn to read using this vital medium, created by Louis Braille in 1824. Studies show that only 30 percent of blind adults gain full-time employment, but 90 percent of those who beat the odds are Braille readers.

For more information about the College of Education and all of its departments and programs, visit www.coe.fsu.edu.