BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland School for the Blind and the Maryland State Department of Education will host the 12th annual Maryland Regional Braille Challenge on Saturday, February 6, 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be held virtually this year.
The Braille Challenge®, a program of the Braille Institute, is the only academic competition for blind or visually impaired students in the United States and Canada. This two-stage contest is designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of braille, while rewarding their success with fun-filled, but challenging, local and national events.
Students in grades K-12 complete preliminary testing across the country from January through March in hopes of qualifying for the top 50 spots available in the national competition and the opportunity to compete against the top blind students from across the United States and Canada. Participants compete in five categories: reading comprehension, spelling, charts & graphs reading, proofreading, and speed & accuracy.
According to Jacqueline Otwell, MD Braille Challenge Coordinator, “Although we would obviously rather be hosting this annual event in person, we are very excited to celebrate the importance of braille literacy and have worked hard to make the virtual event a special experience for the students who have registered for the competition and their families.”
The Maryland Regional Braille Challenge opening ceremony will be held via Zoom at 9:00 a.m. on February 6th. Other virtual educational webinars and activities will be held throughout the entire month of February, with the culmination being the student award ceremony on February 27th.
A schedule of events is available at the Maryland Braille Challenge website.
