Competitions and Activities Will Engage Students “For the Love of Braille”
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 25, 2016 – The Jacksonville Public Library is pleased to host the North Florida Regional Braille Challenge for a second consecutive year. Schools in Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties will send more than 50 kindergarten through high school students to compete. The Main Library is one of four regional Florida hosts for the 2016 competition, which is themed “For the Love of Braille.”
The event is not open to the public. Media are welcome to attend during any open activities listed below:
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 28
8 a.m. – Registration, morning refreshments, activities
10 a.m. – Opening ceremony
10:30 a.m. – Pre-braille activities for youngest students in Children’s Dept.
10:30 a.m. – Testing session begins (Media welcome until 10:50 a.m.)
10:50 a.m. – Testing underway (closed to observers)
Noon – Lunch
1:15 p.m. – Testing resumes (closed to observers)
2:45 p.m. – Afternoon break and refreshments
3 p.m. – Drum Circle entertainment
4 p.m. – Award ceremony
WHERE: Main Library, Multipurpose Room 303 Laura St. N – 32202
If you are interested in attending the Braille Challenge, please contact Chris Boivin so he can assist with arranging information meetings with students or contest coordinators. The Challenge categories include reading comprehension, braille speed and accuracy, proofreading, spelling and reading tactile charts and graphs. Regional students who score among the top 60 participants nationally are invited to the Braille Institute in Los Angeles for a final competition. For additional information, please visitwww.fimcvi.org/braille-challenge/ or refer to the attached media information sheet.
About the Braille Challenge
The Braille Challenge is a national program of the Braille Institute® hosted by regional schools and agencies that serve blind and visually impaired children. It is the only national braille literacy competition of its kind in the country, and is specifically designed to challenge and reward blind students for their study of braille, which is essential to their future academic and employment success. The first Braille Challenge was held in Anaheim, Calif., in 2000, and in 2008 the Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind became the first location to participate in Florida. Since then, various locations in Florida have also hosted the challenge. For more information, contact Sue Glaser atfloridabraillechallenge@gmail.com.
The Jacksonville Public Library is committed to making its programs accessible to all persons. If you need special accommodations, please call 630-2665 (TTY 630-1999) at least 72 hours prior to the event.
About the Jacksonville Public Library
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than
3.4 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 5.9 million times, and nearly 11,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about the Jacksonville Public Library, call 630-BOOK (2665) or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
