National Federation of the Blind Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest
Registration for 2011-2012 is now open!
It’s time to start reading! The reading period for the annual Braille Readers Are Leaders contest begins November 1. If you haven't had a chance to register for the contest, it’s not too late! You can register at www.nfb.org/BRAL now through the end of the contest, January 4, 2012.
The contest is for both adults and youth who are independent Braille readers. There are many levels of participation, from beginning Braille readers to the more advanced. Participants read for prizes, practice, and pleasure. Whether you love the competition, or are spurred on simply because it’s a great way to promote and refine your Braille skills, this contest is for you.
For more information, you can check the Web site,www.nfb.org/BRAL. There you will find all the forms and reading logs you will need to participate. You should also check out the Braille Readers Are Leaders blog www.nfb.org/nfb/BRAL_BLOG for answers to commonly asked questions about the contest and other interesting information about reading Braille! If you still have questions, please contact the Braille Readers Are Leaders team at (410) 659-9314, extension 2312, or BrailleReadersAreLeaders@nfb.org. Put your fingers to the paper and start recording what you are reading today. The Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest is a national contest for students who read Braille, kindergarten through twelfth grades, and all adult Braille readers. The purpose of the program is to promote the joy of reading for pleasure, to promote a pride in Braille as a viable literacy medium equal to print, and to demonstrate the importance of independent reading in the development of Braille literacy skills.
Luther Fuller pictured below at National Federation of the Blind of Kansas State convention 2010, giving his acount of The Braille Reading Challenge.
10 year old Luther Fuller, member of the Jayhawk Chapter in Lawrence, was among 60 finalists to compete in the Braille Challenge in Los Angeles, CA, in June of 2010. These students advanced from a field of nearly 800 students in the United States and Canada who took part in regional competitions. Luther was first in his age group at the regional in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and ultimately placed second in his age group at the National Championship in Los Angeles. For his achievement, Luther was awarded a $1000.00 savings bond at the National Federation of the Blind annual awards banquet.Mission of the Program:
Introduce young children and their families to Braille. Provide parents literacy strategies to use with their children. Direct parents to essential resources for promoting success for their young blind children. Help parents promote early literacy skills, a love of reading, and a positive attitude about Braille through daily reading with their blind children.
To learn more about this exciting program, or to register, please visit http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Reading_Pals_-_Early_Literacy_Program.asp, or call (410) 659-9314, ext. 2295.
Along with a contest for children grades K-12 there is a contest for adults this year. Adults with various levels of experience reading Braille have the chance to join in the fun! The adult competition will very closely parallel the traditional student competition with all of this years additions (for more information see below).
- Participants now have the opportunity to form teams to compete for a special award. Teams may have as many as five and as few as two members. Members of a team do not need to reside in the same state. Teams should work together to read as many pages as they can and to show their love of Braille through team spirit!
- The Leader Board is another addition to this years competition. Throughout the contest participants may compete for a spot on the Leader Board by updating their reading log electronically. Contestants may update their reading log as often as they desire. At four secret dates during the contest the reading log data will be pulled. The top three contestants in each category according to the electronic data will be put on the Leader Board. Contestants whose names appear on the Leader Board during the contest will receive a special prize. NOTE: Contestants who update their reading log electronically throughout the contest should keep a copy of their reading log for their personal records as a cumulative log must be submitted at the conclusion of the contest.
- Contestants who submit ALL of their paperwork electronically will be entered into a drawing for an additional prize. To qualify participants must submit all of the following electronically: contest registration, registration for any special awards, and contest entry form (reading log).
- Because we have added so many new elements this year, please be sure to read the contest rules for the K-12 Contest and the Adult Contest.
K-12 Contest
Forms
Schools for the Blind Recognition
Residential or day schools for the blind that enroll a significant percentage of their students in the contest and in other ways promote Braille literacy and the Braille Readers Are Leaders program during the contest period receive a special certificate suitable for framing and public display.
Do you want to promote the NFB Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest at your school or library? Get contest flyers here!
Braille Reading Pals is an early literacy program that gently encourages and rewards parents for reading daily with their blind or low vision children ages 0-7 (or older if the children have developmental delays) who are not yet reading. Sponsored by the Jernigan Institute, this free two-month program begins November 1 and concludes December 31. Click the following link to obtain registration forms and for more information about the program: Braille Reading Pals overview and Spring Program Registration.
Adult Contest
Categories
There are five categories in the regular competition:
How to determine your reading speed
To determine your reading speed pick a Braille passage and read over it once casually. Set a timer for one minute. Start the timer and begin to read. When the timer sounds mark your spot. Go back and count how many words you read. Any word in the English language counts as a word in this test. So, the word a counts as one and the word knowledge counts as one even though it is only one character in contracted Braille. So, if you read the sentence, Sally and Bob are coming home from a long trip, you read ten words. Repeat this one minute test three times with the same passage. Add your scores up and divide by three to get your average. Use this number to determine which category is appropriate for you.
Team of the Year Award
This award is given to the team who demonstrates the best combination of the following: number of pages read, team spirit and incorporation of readers at all levels. A team may consist of as many as 5 and as few as 2 participants. Please see the form below to join this competition!
Forms
|
National Federation of the Blind of Kansas Home
Braille Reading Contest Info
Conventions
Tap Tracks
Local Chapters
Scholarship Info
Likable Links
National federation of the Blind
Request a Free White Cane
Privacy & Security
Contact Us
© 2003 by NFB of Kansas |
