What do you remember most about your Braille Challenge experience?

[Braille Alumni Connects Students]

Hey Alumni!

A couple weeks ago, I heard about a student who got to compete for the
first time in her regional competition. She didn't realize that it
would be one of the most exciting experiences!

So to those who have taken the Braille Challenge regional competition
(or even the finals in Los Angeles), what are some of your favorite
stories or memories that you can share with us?

[Amber Attaway]

Mine is when I went to the finals for the first and second time. Both
those times were really cool because there were tons of other blind
kids there that were normal just like me. You know how sometimes it's
hard to find blind people who are normal, who don't have social issues
or other disabilities that effect them mentally, and so when I went to
the finals in L.A., it gave me the opportunity to sit around a coffee
table until 1 in the morning telling dirty jokes and laughing and
talking with people my age the same way other teenagers do. Formost
blind people stuff like that is a big deal, at least it was for me,
because to this day I have had and still do have trouble finding
friends who are sighted. They can't get past the blindness factor and
they just treat me different, no matter how hard I try to show and
tell them I'm just a person. I just do things a little differently.
But either way, the fact that I could meet new people and we could
just get to know each other right off was really cool. Plus it was
always a nice vacation.