Braille Challenge Finalist
Posted: 5/26/2011 in Academics
Esmeralda Sanchez Diaz, an 11th-grader from FSDB’s Blind High School, is one of 12 national finalists slated to compete at the varsity level at the Braille Challenge 2011.
Esmeralda will join 60 finalists, 12 top-ranking scorers from each of five age groups, in Los Angeles June 24 – 26, 2011 for the final round of competition.
The Braille Challenge is an academic competition to motivate students at all levels to emphasize their study of braille and to improve their skills. The competition is open to all students nationwide.
Why braille? “In an era of the move to digital media, the value of braille accessibility has been questioned by some. These questions are most often posed by those who are neither visually impaired nor fluent in braille reading and writing. We need to preserve braille for its practicality, as well as for the pleasure that a blind individual derives from reading in their medium of choice” says Mary Lou Hofmann-Sitten, principal of FSDB’s Blind Department.
FSDB Braille Specialist, Sandy Serventi, is enthusiastic about Esmeralda’s placement in the challenge, and encourages all the FSDB family to share this great news with others. “Let’s all cheer her on!” she says.
For more information about the Braille Challenge or about Braille studies at FSDB, contact Sandy Serventi .