2022 Phoenix Regional Braille Challenge
Foundation for Blind Children Hosts 2022 Regional Braille Challenge on Saturday, December 10th, from 9am-2pm for students who are blind and visually impaired in the Phoenix area
From Foundation For Blind Children, November 2022
Foundation for Blind Children will host its annual Regional Braille Challenge on Saturday, December 10th, 2022, from 9:00am-2:00pm. More than 100 blind and visually impaired students (ages 6-19) from Phoenix will gather at Foundation for Blind Children [1234 East Northern Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85020, 1.800.322.4870] to test their braille skills in five categories: reading comprehension, braille spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading and braille speed and accuracy.
The Braille Challenge, now in its 16th year, is sponsored by the Braille Institute. The Braille Challenge is the only national reading and writing contest in braille for students who are blind and visually impaired. Regionals are open to students of all abilities, giving even emerging braille readers a chance to reach a personal best score. It’s also a rare chance for students who are blind or visually impaired and attend mainstream schools (rather than schools for students who are blind and visually impaired) to make friends and share their hopes and challenges with peers.
For top academics, Phoenix is the first step to the coveted national finals Braille Challenge competition held at the Los Angeles headquarters of the Braille Institute. At the finals, 50 students with the highest scores from around North America embark on another daylong competition to test their braille skills alongside peers. Immediately following the competition, winners from each age group are announced at an awards ceremony unparalleled with excitement, pride, and celebration.
Of all the literacy issues in America, braille literacy is the most underrated and overlooked. Advances in technology have not replaced the need for blind children to learn to read using this vital medium.
Peter Mindnich, Braille Institute President, adds, “Braille is a crucial tool for many blind and visually impaired students as it opens the doors of literacy and drives education advancement and future employment opportunities. With more than 1000 students expected to participate in Braille Challenge this year alone, we continue to be more inspired each year by the passion and commitment of each contestant.”
About the Foundation for Blind Children
The Foundation for Blind Children was founded in 1952 by parents of blind children who wanted services for their blind children in Phoenix, instead of having to send them to the State Institution for the Blind in Tucson.
FBC serves the blind and visually impaired of all ages in Arizona, from birth to 102 years old, our oldest current client. As the only agency of its kind in Arizona, the Foundation for Blind Children is an essential resource to children, families and adults with blindness or low vision.
With three Valley locations (East Valley, West Valley and Central Phoenix), we strive to serve as “the” community’s resource for blind, visually impaired, and multi-handicapped children, adults, and their families.
About Braille Institute of America
Braille Institute of America is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. It serves tens of thousands of people of all ages each year through an array of integrated educational, social and recreational programs and services designed to help people with vision loss lead enriched and fulfilling lives. Funded entirely by private donations, all services are completely free-of-charge.
Braille Institute’s Los Angeles headquarters are located at 741 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles.
For additional information, please visit www.braillechallenge.org, or www.brailleinstitute.org.
Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brailleinstitute and Twitter @BrailleInst.
