On June 20, Braille Institute’s Los Angeles headquarters was filled to capacity with blind and visually impaired children from across the U.S. and Canada, their parents, teachers, volunteers, staff, and even a marching band to celebrate and take part in the 15th Anniversary Braille Challenge® finals competition.
In 2001, Braille Institute developed the national competition as a way to encourage braille literacy because statistics show that braille literacy is crucial for both academic and future employment success for blind and visually impaired children. This year the competition included 46 regional partners hosting preliminary challenges for the more than 1,100 students ranging from kindergarten through high school. Sixty finalists from this group were then invited to compete in the final competition in Los Angeles.
To experience the excitement of this year’s event and read about the lives of the winners, visit: www.BrailleChallenge.org.
2015 Braille Challenge First Place Winners:
| Cricket Bidleman, California | Varsity Division | |
| Richelle Zampella, Oklahoma | Junior Varsity Division | |
| Chris Abel, Georgia | Sophomore Division | |
| Richard Tienter, Missouri | Freshman Division | |
| Brooke Petro, Kansas | Apprentice Division |
