Reading at Their Fingertips

After Hurricane Katrina had moved on and her family had evacuated into a relative’s home, Louisiana third-grader Sophie Trist regaled her new housemates by reading aloud tales she had written in Braille in her journal.

Stories about cooking chili in the fireplace and whooping when the electricity finally came back on all made it into the nearly 100-page diary.

“I wrote every little tiny scrap,” Sophie said.

Sophie’s parents credit her passion for reading and writing with helping her to qualify, despite the last year’s turmoil, for the sixth annual National Braille Challenge, held Saturday at the Los Angeles-based Braille Institute of America.

The 9-year-old joined almost 60 other Braille stars from the U.S. and Canada who were competing in five age groups after besting hundreds of other students in local contests for the blind and visually impaired.

At stake, besides bragging rights, were savings bonds ranging from $500 to $5,000 and pocket PCs with Braille displays.

Organizers said the competition was one way to encourage youngsters to master Braille, as it remains critical even as technological advances make it easier to access information without reading or writing.

Only about 30% of blind adults gain full-time employment and, of those, 90% are Braille readers, said Nancy Niebrugge, director of the competition for the Braille Institute.

“It’s an essential skill for academic success and future employment,” she said.

But the contestants Saturday were focused on more immediate tasks.

Heads bowed and brows furrowed, the students pounded on Perkins Braillers, typewriting devices for the blind, as they rushed to transcribe a recorded passage in the dreaded “speed and accuracy” part of the contest.

“It was a challenge. I haven’t used a brailler in a while,” said three-time winner Carlos Martinez, 13, of Los Angeles, after time was called and the clatter of the Perkins Braillers had died down.

A few doors away, the focus was on spelling.

“Hard,” intoned the moderator. “I do not like ice cream that is super hard.”

Natalia Ratcliffe, 8, of Carson pressed the keys on her machine and leaned back, sequined blue sandals swinging.

“I’m nervous,” said Natalia’s mom, Diana, peering in through the glass window at her daughter.

Dad Jerry wasn’t. “She loves to read almost everything,” he said, “and write, too.”

Natalia’s latest missive: a letter requesting a dog.

Several parents said the competition offered their children a rare chance to earn recognition for their Braille skills. The contest is the only national academic competition for blind and visually impaired students in the U.S., according to the Braille Institute.

It also gave parents an opportunity to meet other parents of blind children. Most of the contestants are the only blind or visually impaired children at their schools.

“We’re getting tips on how to raise a blind child. It’s kind of new to us,” said Canadian Leone Martin, whose 10-year-old, Rhianna, was diagnosed with eye cancer when she was 4.

She lost her sight two years later.

Will Trist, Sophie’s father, said the competition had him dreaming about Sophie’s future. He recalled how impressed he was last year, Sophie’s first time at the competition, when the older students’ resumes were read aloud.

“The scholarships to college, all the things they had accomplished, it was really something,” he said.

After further tests in reading comprehension, proofreading and chart and graph reading, the top winners in the five age groups were:

Crickett Bidleman, 7, of San Diego, apprentice category for first- and second-graders; Rhianna Martin of Campbell River, British Columbia, freshman category for third- and fourth-graders; Kevin Andrews, 12, of Farmington Hills, Mich., sophomore category for fifth- and sixth-graders; Michael Chang, 14, of San Jose, junior varsity category for seventh- through ninth-graders; and Caitlin Hernandez, 16, of Danville, Calif., varsity category for 10th- through 12th-graders.