What Contests Do

What Contests Do

The Braille Monitor_______

October 1997

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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.