The Braille Challenge is a national competition for school-age children who read and write braille. More than 1,000 braille readers participate in this nationwide competition, promoting the importance of braille literacy through 51 regionals across North America.

The Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to encourage blind and visually impaired children of all ages to hone their braille skills, which are essential to academic and vocational success in the sighted world.

The Braille Challenge contestants compete in five (5) categories: reading comprehension, spelling, chart & graph reading, proofreading and speed & accuracy. Any grade school student who is blind or visually impaired and reads braille is eligible to participate in the first stage of the contest at one of the 51 Braille Challenge Regionals across the United States and Canada, giving even beginner braille readers a chance to reach their personal best.

The top 50 students with the highest scores across North America will be invited to the annual Braille Challenge finals competition in Los Angeles, which will be held on the campus of the University of Southern California in June.

To learn more and register for the Virtual Braille Challenge, please contact our Education Services department at education@carroll.org or (617) 969-6200 ext. 204.

Looking for our live event? The In-Person New England Regional Braille Challenge will be held on February 3, 2024 at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, MA.

• Contestants must have access to the internet and a device with Zoom video conference capability. Each contestant will be placed in a breakout room with other contestants in their age group who will be testing at the same time. A Proctor and a Proctor Assistant will lead the meeting and provide instructions.

• A parent or household member must be present with the contestant during the entire testing.

• Contests must be picked up at the Carroll Center or will be mailed to the contestant. The seal on the testing envelope inside the box must not be broken until the virtual proctoring has begun and the Proctor can view the envelope being opened via video conference.

• Contestants must have access to a Perkins brailler. If you do not have access to a Perkins brailler at home, you should contact your TVI for ideas on where to borrow a brailler.

• Braille paper for brailling contest answers will be provided.

• For Sophomore, JV, and Varsity categories (5th-12th grades) you must use either a Victor Reader Stream, Victor Reader Trek, or Bookport device for the Speed & Accuracy portion of the testing. If you do not have access to those devices at home, please indicate that on the permission form and a Bookport will be provided for you. An optional Bookport training will be provided ahead of time.

• Once contests are complete, they must be repacked in their original shipping box and returned to the New England Regional Coordinator at the Carroll Center. Participants must return their contests by delivering in person or mailing to the Carroll Center by Saturday, January 27th.
• Contestants are invited to Zoom in to the awards ceremony at the in-person event on the afternoon of February 3rd.