Julia Cisneros from Webbers Falls earned a bronze medal in the Freshman Group C category at the Oklahoma School for the Blind’s (OSB) regional Braille Challenge competition in Muskogee recently.

Cisneros is an OSB junior.

Forty-five Oklahoma students competed at OSB for medals and prizes in the annual academic competition that is part of the National and Youth Programs of the Braille Institute.

“Reading is core to any person’s education,” said Faye Miller, Oklahoma School for the Blind’s Orientation and Mobility Specialist and event coordinator. “For students who are blind it’s no different, Braille just happens to be their method to literacy. A good foundation in braille gives the students skills to proper grammar and spelling.”

Students practiced braille reading and writing skills for The Oklahoma Regional Braille Challenge. They hone their braille skills to medal in the competition and improve on their performance from year to year. While these skills now are used in the competition, they will serve them for a lifetime.

Every competitor selected a prize this year and received Braille Challenge T-shirts donated by Liberty Braille, a longtime sponsor of the Oklahoma Regional Braille Challenge. Students also picked up goodie bags with items purchased with donations.

“Anything we can do to make reading more fun and help students improve their skills, I am all for that,” OSB Superintendent Brent Pearce said. “This challenge motivates the students to improve their comprehension, spelling and proofreading. They want those medals and prizes.”

Braille Challenge contestants received brailled certificates and general performance feedback to help continue to improve their skills.

Contestants in the Apprentice, Freshman and Transition categories were tested on spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading.

Sophomore, junior varsity and varsity contestants were scored on charts and graphs, reading comprehension and proofreading. They also listened and transcribed passages into braille in a speed and accuracy contest.

The Braille Institute will invite the top 50 finalists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia to compete in the National Braille Challenge in Los Angeles in June. Oklahoma competitors have advanced to the national finals 28 times since 2003.

This year’s Oklahoma Regional Braille Challenge sponsors included the Oklahoma School for the Blind, Braille Institute of America, American Indian College Fund Grant (Natalie Armstrong), Donations in Memory of Uncle Frank, Globe Life Liberty National, Jeri’s House, Liberty Braille, NanoPac, NewView Oklahoma, Oklahoma Chapter of AERBVI, Park Hill OHCE, Ruth Kelly Studios, Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Transcribing Mariners, Tulsa Downtown Lions Club OSB is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. For more information, phone 877229-7136 toll free or visit http://osb.k12.ok.us/