BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland School for the Blind and the Maryland State Department of Education will host the 13th annual Maryland Regional Braille Challenge on Saturday, February 4, 2023 on the campus of MSB located at 3501 Taylor Avenue in Baltimore (21236). The event will be held in person this year after being held virtually for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Braille Challenge®, a program of the Braille Institute, is the only academic competition for blind or visually impaired students in the United States and Canada.  This two-stage contest is designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of braille, while rewarding their success with fun-filled, but challenging, local and national events.

Students in grades K-12 complete preliminary testing across the country from January through March in hopes of qualifying for the top 50 spots available in the national competition and the opportunity to compete against the top blind students from across the United States and Canada. Participants compete in five categories: reading comprehension, spelling, charts & graphs reading, proofreading, and speed & accuracy.

The theme for the 2023 event is “Tick Tock It’s STEM O’Clock at the 2023 Maryland Regional Braille Challenge.” 29 students from across the state and surrounding area are registered for the official competition with an additional 17 beginning braille readers participating in other braille activities throughout the day. Parents will participate in workshops to learn how to empower their blind children to join STEM fields.

The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.