PHOTO/CAPTION: Amber Chesser
PHOTO/CAPTION: Amber Chesser
What Contests Can Do
From the Editor: Each year the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) conduct a reading contest for youngsters who read Braille. Schools and libraries across this nation sponsor such contests for print readers, but almost no one besides the National Federation of the Blind urges blind children to read as much and as widely as they can.
Do our efforts accomplish anything constructive? You bet they do! Here is part of a letter Barbara Cheadle, President of NOPBC, received last spring. It was written by Jo Lynn Chesser, the mother of Amber Chesser, a young woman who has placed three times in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. This is what Mrs. Chesser says:
I would like to thank you for the work you do with the NFB and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. I would also like to express my gratitude for the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. I know a lot of work must go into this. Amber has placed three times and obviously loves to read. When she first started competing in this, those months were about the only time she read. Now it's year round, and the books get better and better. In fact, she has recently expressed an interest in majoring in English and becoming a writer. Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely,
Jo Lynn Chesser
Do you know a Braille-reading student who would benefit from participating in this contest? The contest form appears at the center of the print edition of this issue. You can detach it and pass it along to someone who can make good use of it. If you need additional copies, you can get them from the Materials Center, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, or call (410) 659-9314.