Oxnard Youngster Tops Rivals in Braille Contest

Blind and visually impaired youngsters from throughout Southern California participated Saturday in the Braille Challenge, a yearly competition designed to test Braille literacy skills.

About 75 students, ages 6 to 19, competed according to age and skill level in several categories, among them speed and accuracy, spelling, word search, and reading comprehension.

The goal of such literacy-focused programs is to prepare the students to compete in the sighted world, said Courtney Goines, a spokeswoman for the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, where the event was held.

“A blind person who cannot read Braille would have similar disadvantages to a sighted person who cannot read print,” Goines said.

Winners in the 6 to 10 division were Erica Garcia of San Diego, who placed first, and Kyra Sweeney of Santa Monica, who placed second. Bianca Samaniego of San Diego and Juanita Herrera of Whittier took top honors in the 8 to 12 division.

Heather Bandy of Reseda and Claire Stanley of Laguna Hills finished first and second, respectively, in the 11 to 15 division. Daniel Merino of San Diego and Anthony Vasquez of Carson won in the 14 to 17 division.

Tiffany Kim of Oxnard finished first in the over-16 division, followed by Deepa Goraya of Los Angeles. Kim also was named the competition’s grand prize winner. She will receive a personal computer system. All 10 winners are eligible to go on to the National Braille Challenge in June in San Diego.