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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%'><em><b><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";font-style:normal'>Top Blind Students
Test Skills at Unique Competition</span></b></em><b><i><span style='font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><br>
Columbia, S.C. –</span><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>On
Thursday, February 4th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 30 blind and visually
impaired students from across the state will meet in Columbia to test their
Braille skills in an academic competition unlike any other. The students will
take part in The South Carolina Regional Braille Challenge, which will be held
at the South Carolina State Library Talking Books Services, located at 1430
Senate Street, in Columbia. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> The
Braille Challenge™ is the only national academic competition for blind
students in the United States. This unique competition is a national program of
the Braille Institute of America, Inc., and serves to encourage blind children
of all ages to fine-tune their Braille skills, which are essential to their
success in the sighted world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> During
the competition, participants, ages 6 to 21, will compete in six challenging
categories requiring them to transcribe and type and read Braille using a
device called a Perkins Brailler. Each category is designed to test their
Braille skills in several areas—reading comprehension, Braille spelling,
chart and graph reading, proofreading and Braille speed and accuracy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> The
SC Regional Braille Challenge is the first step on the road to the national
competition, which will be held in June at the Braille Institute’s
headquarters in Los Angeles. Students from across the nation are already
completing preliminary testing in hopes of qualifying for the 60 spots
available in the national competition. The top scorers in the preliminary round
will advance to nationals and get the opportunity to represent their state as
they compete against the top blind students from across the United States and
Canada. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>
Of all the literacy issues in America, Braille literacy is the most underrated
and overlooked, but advances in technology have not replaced the need for blind
children to learn to read using this vital medium, created by Louis Braille in
1824. The Braille Challenge was created to motivate blind students to continue
their study of Braille. Studies show that only 30 percent of blind adults gain
full-time employment, but 90 percent of those who beat the odds are Braille
readers. If you would like additional information on the event or any of the
participants, please contact Marty McKenzie, SC Department of Education
Consultant for students who are blind or visually impaired at 803-351-3043.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>###<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>About
the S.C. State Library<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
South Carolina State Library is the primary administrator of federal and state
support for the state’s libraries. The Library is a national model for
innovation, collaboration, leadership and effectiveness. The
Library’s mission is to optimize South Carolina’s investment in
library and information services. In 1969, as the result of action by the
General Assembly, the State Library Board was redesignated as the South
Carolina State Library and assumed responsibility for public library
development, library service for state institutions, service for the blind and
physically handicapped, and library service to state government agencies. Headquartered
in Columbia, S.C., the Library is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the
federal government through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and
other sources. For more information, visit </span><a
href="http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>www.statelibrary.sc.gov</span></a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> or call
803-734-8666.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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