♪♪ Braille is how I see the world.

I have the whole alphabet.

[Lincoln Sibley] I'm Lincoln.

I'm in the fifth grade.

I use Braille every day to figure out routes around my town.

♪♪ [Denise Bean] Braille is a way of reading.

So, we read with our eyes, but low vision blind students read with their fingers.

It's basically a code.

And why it's important, because braille equals literacy.

[Denise Bean] I am Denise Bean and I am the youth services librarian at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.

(applause) [Denise Bean] So, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Braille Challenge.

We kicked off the Braille Challenge with a pep rally to recognize the participants and build the excitement.

It was so joyful watching the smiles on all of their faces.

There was a little bit of nerves involved.

But they were so excited to be here.

♪♪ [Denise Bean] The theme this year for the Braille Challenge was Blast Off with Braille.

And this year's theme was chosen by one of the contestants of the Braille Challenge.

♪♪ [Denise Bean] So, the Braille Challenge is actually organized by the Braille Institute.

The testing rooms are kept very quiet.

This is a time of testing, but PBS is allowed to come in and film during only the practice portion of the test.

So, participants that are part of the Braille Challenge are from first to twelfth grade.

And they have to be able to read and write braille.

The contestants are tested in five braille fundamental areas, reading comprehension, spelling, speed and accuracy, proofreading and charts and graphs.

♪♪ Hi, my name is Jordyn.

I got first place in the junior varsity group.

I use braille every single day in my academic learning.

I am super proud that I've gotten this far and that I've worked my hardest to achieve this prize.

And I'm really happy that I did.

♪♪ [Denise Bean] So, while the participants are taking their test for the braille challenge, we offer parent sessions of the family members, one on setting those high expectations at school and one for setting high expectations at home.

♪♪ [Denise Bean] The apprentice and freshman group finished up early.

So, we decided to add an extra activity just for fun.

So, we asked them the question, what was their favorite part of the Braille Challenge?

And then they responded in braille.

♪♪ [Lincoln Sibley] My favorite part of the Braille Challenge is to do the spelling test and talk to other blind students.

My favorite is to go to the award ceremony.

[Denise Bean] The top three students in each category are given an award.

It is so thrilling as I pass out the trophies, I can feel their excitement just vibrate off of them.

[Aria] My name is Aria and I'm in second grade and I won the first-place trophy from the apprentice group.

This is my second time doing the Braille Challenge and what I like about it is the challenge part.

♪♪ [Khanh] Hi, my name is Khanh.

I am in fifth grade.

I have been doing the Braille Challenge for five years now.

This is a brand new 2025 first place sophomore trophy.

Very happy to have it.

♪♪ [Jalyn] Well, I'm Jalyn.

I actually one first place with the Braille Challenge in the varsity group, which is basically the top, they call it the grade level.

So, it means it's the most difficult.

The importance of braille in a blind person's life is basically like the importance of print in a sighted person's life.

It's their written life basically.

[Denise Bean] The top 50 students in the nation, ten in each category with the highest scores are invited for the final round in Los Angeles.

[Nathan Deeds] I'm Nathan Deeds and I have competed in the Iowa Braille Challenge for six years and the Braille Challenge overall for twelve years.

Actually, the first year I made it to finals was a big accomplishment for me.

But then definitely the top moment has got to be the first time I won the varsity category at the finals contest out in California.

It was really cool because that contest is open to students from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

I graduated high school.

I am now currently a freshman at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where I am double majoring in accounting and business analytics with a minor in computer science.

Braille has been absolutely critical to my life.

I started learning braille when I was three and I really advanced through it pretty quickly.

(applause) [Sarah Willeford] I am Sarah Willeford.

I am the Library Director for the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.

On April 2nd, 2025, the Iowa Department for the Blind will be celebrating its centennial.

And we thought the perfect way to kick off that whole year of celebration would be at the Braille Challenge.

We had ice cream and cake and sang happy birthday to the Iowa Department for the Blind.

♪ Happy birthday to you.

(cheering) [Sarah Willeford] So, we thought karaoke and making it accessible would be a fun addition to our ice cream social.

We also provided the lyrics in braille for those who needed it.

So, it was a great time.

(girl singing) [Jasmine] My name is Jasmine.

I am in third grade.

Some advice I'd like to give to other people in the Braille Challenge is participate to actually do it.

Hope.

Hope for the best like I did.

(cheering and applause) [Jasmine] Blast off with braille!

♪♪