2 students in San Mateo County heading to national Braille competition

“I keep competing because I feel like I’m good at reading and writing braille … and I’ve gotten better at it over time,” Pilar said.

The Braille Challenge, hosted by the Braille Institute, has been hosted in Southern California for nearly 25 years, with students in first through 12th grades participating in their respective age groups. The event comprises five categories, including reading comprehension, speed and accuracy, proofreading and spelling.

In many ways, that makes the competition more rigorous than the notorious Scripps Spelling Bee national competition, as participants are required to demonstrate mastery in several themes, Sandy Shin, vice president of marketing and communications at Braille Institute, said.

Just like reading and writing is a critical determinant of long-term success for children without such impairments, being able to read braille is just as, if not more, important for those who are blind or have visual challenges.

“For individuals or young people who are visually impaired, the rate of high school graduation and college graduation is lower than the general population. For adults who have a visual disability, less than 16% have a bachelor’s degree or higher,” Shin said. “When they get into adulthood, more than 70% are not employed full time. However, something like 90% of those who are employed and who are blind or visually impaired know braille.”

The competition has proved successful in its mission to uplift braille proficiency over the past couple decades. But as technology improves, reliance on audio-centered aids becomes more prevalent. Shin said that such tools are immensely beneficial, but using them at the expense of learning braille comes with risks.

“I think the trend of learning and becoming braille literate is actually declining due to all of these technological advances … where you don’t necessarily have to learn it,” Shin said. “But listening to an audio book is passive, versus actually reading braille. Just like reading a book is not the same as listening to a book … if you don’t know how to actually construct sentences and be able to write and you’re just simply listening. It’s just not the same.”

Pilar said learning braille was part of his curriculum from an early age, and he’s glad to have learned it — not just because it’s allowed them to participate in such competitions, but also because the event provides a social outlet where he can connect with dozens of blind or visually impaired peers.

“I really like the competition itself, and I like socializing whenever I can,” Pilar said.

Shin added the same goes for parents, who also have the opportunity to connect with other adults raising children who are blind or visually impaired.

Henrique Rio, a second grader at Atherton’s Las Lomitas Elementary School, competed in last year’s regional competition but qualified for the nationals for the first time this year. He said he feels strongest about his spelling but has also made improvements in the other categories as well.

“All of it helps me improve my braille,” he said.

More than 1,000 students from across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia participate in regional competitions, and the top 50 highest-scoring individuals move forward to compete in the finals, which will be held on June 22 this year at USC.

“I’m most looking forward to winning,” Rio added.