The students are lined up, ready to make their grand entrance. The excitement is palpable. The volunteers working the event have lined up facing each other, each one holding up a white cane, tapping it against their partner’s cane across the aisle to form a tunnel. The tapping of the canes overhead signals the location of the tunnel guiding the participants. Although these visually impaired students cannot see the tunnel the canes form, the tapping guides them. It’s time for their grand entrance to the Braille Challenge! Hearing their name is their cue. They begin their walk, loud cheering and applause following them down the tunnel.
On February 24, approximately 40 students from all over eastern North Carolina will participate in the regional 2022 Braille Challenge at the Apex United Methodist Church. This event is sponsored by Apex’s own Eye Shine Foundation, a local non-profit led by Kim Hudson. The Braille Challenge contestants compete in five categories: reading comprehension, spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading, and speed and accuracy. The regional challenges are held January through March of each year nationwide. The top competitors in each age group are eligible to go to nationals, held at the National Braille Institute in Los Angeles, California.
Participants are divided into categories. Rookies is for new Braille learners, no matter the age. This is for emerging learners to experience the challenge in a non-competitive atmosphere. The other categories are: Apprentice (grades 1-2), Freshmen (grades 3-4), Sophomores (grades 5-6), Junior Varsity (grades 7-9), and Varsity (grades 10-12).
“Some students come for the experience, and some have their eye on the prize of going to Nationals,” said Hudson. “We average sending two students from our group to Nationals each year.”
The event is the only academic competition in North America for the blind or visually impaired. The National Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and hone their Braille literacy skills and teach them how to be independent, all while encouraging a sense of community for the participants. All of these skills are vital for both their academic and future employment success. The national competition boasts over 1,000 participants where the students compete in one of over 51 challenges. It is held on a college campus to inspire higher education possibilities for the blind or visually impaired.
Eye Shine Foundation makes the regional competition a full day for the North Carolinian participants. In addition to the grand entrance at the beginning of the event, the day also includes meals and social time for the students, a t-shirt, prizes, dancing, and other special events such as the Winston-Salem Bomb Squad bringing a Beeping Egg Hunt. The Bomb Squad hides large beeping eggs, and the children use their canes to find them. Other activities from past years have included having professional drummers come with a variety of percussion instruments. The lead drummer places the students in a circle and distributes an instrument to each student. Standing in the middle of the circle, the leader gives the kids a beat and has them mimic it. The beats get progressively more and more complicated as the children follow along. “This gives all the students the opportunity to participate and feel success no matter what their skill level is,” says volunteer Jolie Lindley. “They have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore new instruments in this venue.”
While the kids are competing, parents participate in sessions with different speakers and question and answer sessions, allowing them to discuss challenges unique to parenting the visually impaired.
“Visually impaired children often live a very isolated life because they are not able to participate in many of the activities other children do. This presents many challenges most of the population is not aware of—for both the child and the parents of that child,” said Hudson. “It is often helpful to talk with other parents to find solutions unique to their situation.”
Seeing the need for social and recreational opportunities for the visually impaired population is what spurred Hudson to form the Eye Shine Foundation in 2016. Eye Shine also sponsors monthly events like horseback riding and swimming. December’s activity was a holiday party and talent show. These experiences allow the participants to meet other people that have similar challenges while helping them have social opportunities.
There are very few programs for assisting the visually impaired in North Carolina—and throughout the United States. Hudson strives to both raise awareness of career opportunities in teaching the visually impaired as well as meeting the needs of this population. She also runs Equalize Sensory Services and Magnified Life right here in Apex. Equalize Vision Services strives to match the educational and life skill needs of both children and young adults, giving them the ability to be self-sufficient. Magnified Life focuses on helping the older population with vision challenges that come with illnesses such as macular degeneration and diabetes.
Eye Shine is funded by donations and has recently expanded to helping meet the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. Eventually, Hudson would like to expand to create a summer camp specially designed with dynamic activities. “That depends on getting enough funding, however,” said Hudson. “We hope to increase our pool of volunteers and work on getting grant proposals submitted for broadening our reach. If anyone out there is passionate about helping others and would like to volunteer, please go to our website at https://www.eyeshinefoundation.org. We’d love to have you!”
Learn more about the Braille Challenge at https://brailleinstitute.org/braille-challenge/.
