Teachers–Register your students NOW through March 1, 2021!
For teachers who choose to proctor the contest for their student, online individual registration for the 2021 Braille Challenge® will be open from December – through March 1, 2021. You will be sent contests and all necessary instructions beginning in December 2020.
CONTEST AGE GROUPS
Apprentice—1st and 2nd grades
Freshman—3rd and 4th grades
Sophomore—5th and 6th grades
Junior Varsity—7th, 8th and 9th grades
Varsity—10th, 11th and 12th grades
DETERMINING GRADE LEVEL
All students at all academic levels are welcome to participate in the Preliminary Contest, both individually and at a regional event. Every student who completes a Preliminary Round Contest will be acknowledged with a certificate and a special prize, so everyone is a winner.
TAKING A CONTEST THAT IS BELOW A STUDENT’S GRADE LEVEL
Only students who take the preliminary contest in contracted braille that corresponds to their age-appropriate academic grade level will be eligible to be invited to the Finals. However, to encourage full inclusion and maximum participation in the preliminary round, a student may take any level of contest. Also, the Apprentice preliminary contest is offered in uncontracted braille and also can be taken by students of any age.
If you would like your student to attend a Regional Challenge Event, please contact the coordinator nearest you to register your student. Go to the Regional Preliminary Events page to find out where your student can take the Preliminary Braille Challenge® hosted by an agency in your state.
A student may only take the 2021 Preliminary Contest ONCE.
For any questions, please contact:
Rachel Antoine
Manager, National Programs and Services
rantoine@brailleinstitute.org
or
Matthew J. Beckwith
National and Youth Programs Manager
mjbeckwith@brailleinstitute.org.
Or consider encouraging your students to attend a Braille Challenge regional event.
It’s a full day of fun and camaraderie, often including workshops for parents, entertainment, speakers, technology demonstrations and prizes. More than 45 agencies across the U.S. and Canada are finalizing their calendars through the next two months –here is an updated list of regional event sites and dates.
Blind service agencies and state schools for blind and visually impaired children throughout the United States and Canada host their own fun-filled Braille Challenge® regional events each year between December and mid-March. A regional event offers students of all reading levels a broad and enriching experience. Most include parent workshops, entertainment, speakers, or access technology demonstrations. But more importantly, the regionals give parents of blind children the opportunity to meet each other and set the stage for students to experience the exhilaration of live competition and receive acknowledgment for their hard work. However, for some students this may be over-stimulating or too stressful and not always optimal for success. If you feel your student may need any special consideration, please contact the Regional Coordinator in your Area.
