Blind and visually impaired students across the United States and Canada met in Los Angeles for the sixth ‘Annual National Braille Challenge’.

The aim of the event was to build enthusiasm among blind people and celebrate excellence in Braille literacy skills.

The top 50 students from the preliminary round were invited for the challenge. The participants, aged 6 to 19 years, competed in five challenging categories. They were required to transcribe, type and read Braille using a device called a ‘Perkins Brailler’. The contestants were tested for their Braille skills in areas like reading comprehension, Braille spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading and Braille speed and accuracy. Every participant received a trophy for his/her effort. The first three winners in each age group received savings bonds.

The Annual Braille Challenge was also a socialising event for the children. “They get to meet other successful blind students from around the country," said Courtney Goines, spokesperson for the Braille Institute of America. "Some of the children here are the only blind children in their school or in their town and this is a chance for them to meet others who are going through the same things (experiences) on a day to day basis.”

The challenge is a part of Braille Institute's literacy initiative dedicated to making a variety of children's literature available in Braille and providing services that compliment academic goals.