Students prove they have the feel for braille

SALT LAKE CITY — Ten students sat around a table Friday as they silently read material provided for the comprehension section of the statewide test in which they were participating. But their answers weren't so quiet.

Each student sat in front of a Perkins Brailler, a machine that resembles a typewriter but with only nine keys. By pressing various combinations of the keys, students typed their answers about the readings in braille. Each loud clack of the keys alerted the other students in the room that someone had an answer and was recording it, intensifying the speed at which each performed.

Friday's braille competition involved 54 students, ranging in age from kindergartners to 12th-graders and in location from Logan to Beaver.

Tony Jepson, executive director of the Utah Foundation for the Blind, said this was the sixth year they had hosted the Braille Challenge, which consists of competition in five categories — reading comprehension, braille spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading and braille speed. Competition is broken down by age group.

"We want the kids to learn that they are capable," Jepson said. "They can do a lot of things, they just need to set their minds to doing it. They can accomplish it."

Jepson said his organization provided materials and practice tests to the students so they could prepare for the annual competition.

"Reading is such a critical skill," Jepson said. "This is a way to encourage the kids to improve that skill."

The scores from the competition are submitted to the national braille challenge and the top scorers overall around the country are invited to participate in the national competition in June.

Brandee Hick, of South Jordan, qualified for the national competition in Los Angeles last year. The 10-year-old placed third in the nation.

"I just practiced a lot with my braille teacher," Hick said of her method for success. "She taught me a lot of things, and then I started to get really good at it."

Hick said she felt pretty good about her performance Friday and that she does best at the reading comprehension section. Her favorite books, she said, are the Harry Potter series.

Hick spent her time between competitions listening to musical performances by fellow visually impaired competitors. The participants excitedly chatted with one another as they caught up with friends they do not get to visit with often.