Students meet Oskar the cat at Regional Braille Challenge. (Photos courtesy of WTBBL)

Several Washington kids came to the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library in Seattle last Saturday to compete in an academic competition that promotes braille literacy.

The Braille Challenge tests braille skills in five categories: reading comprehension, spelling, tactile charts and graphs, proofreading, and speed and accuracy. Any grade school student who is blind or visually impaired and reads braille is eligible to participate.

Appearing at the WTBBL Regional Braille Challenge was Oskar of Oskar & Klaus, a blind cat that is an Internet sensation and a book character.

“Fewer students are learning braille than before, and this contest helps raise awareness about the importance of being able to read braille,” said WTBBL Manager Danielle Miller, who attended the event last Saturday. “And the kids who took part at The Braille Challenge had a blast!”

The overall winner was Issaquah’s Elijah McCalmont, who received a HumanWare VictorReader Stream as his prize. Seattle’s Erfan Jazizadeh Karimi finished second and received a $15 certificate to Seedlings Braille Bookstore. Janhavi Balasubramanian of Sammamish took third, earning a $10 braille book certificate to the National Braille Press.

A contestant reads braille created on a Perkins brailler.

All participants received a recognition certificate, a Braille Challenge T-shirt, an Oskar & Klaus patch, and a new braille book of their choice.

“The students who participated in The Braille Challenge had a great time,” said WTBBL Youth Services Librarian Marian Mays. “My favorite part of the event was witnessing the students interact with Oskar and reading one of Oskar’s books in braille. I’d like to extend a thank you to all the students, parents, volunteers and sponsors who helped make our regional challenge a success.”

In addition to the prize donations from HumanWare, Seedlings Braille Bookstore and the National Braille Press, WTBBL received food and T-shirt donations from the Washington Council of the Blind and patches from Mick Szydlowski, Oskar’s owner.

Now in its 17th year nationally, The Braille Challenge, created by the Braille Institute of America, is the only academic contest in braille for school age students who are blind or visually impaired. More than 1,100 students take part in the competition across North America.