NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 1992-1993 Gus Gisser Memorial Braille Readers are Leaders Contest Sponsored by: National Federation of the Blind Parents of Blind Children Division National Association to Promote the Use of Braille The 1992-1993 ninth annual Braille Readers are Leaders Contest is dedicated to the memory of Gus Gisser. Deaf-blind, Gus was born over 70 years ago in a time of limited opportunities and little encouragement for the disabled. Rising above the harsh odds, he traveled independently and mastered Braille. Gus loved children and was dedicated to promoting Braille literacy among blind and deaf-blind persons of all ages. In memory of his dedication to Braille and his love for children, special awards will be presented this year to deaf-blind contest participants. These awards are made possible by a generous donation from the National Federation of the Blind of New York. PURPOSE OF CONTEST The purpose of the NFB's annual Braille reading contest is to encourage blind school children to read more Braille. It is just as important for blind children to be literate as it is for other children. Good readers can have confidence in themselves and their abilities to learn and to adapt to new situations throughout their lifetimes. The NFB's Braille reading contest helps blind children realize that reading Braille is fun and rewarding. WHO CAN ENTER THE CONTEST Blind school age children from kindergarten through the twelfth grade are eligible to enter. The student competes in one of five categories. The first category is the print to Braille beginning reader. This category is for former or current print readers who began to learn and use Braille within the past two years. This includes: 1. formerly sighted children who became blind after they mastered print, and 2. partially-sighted print readers who are learning Braille in addition to, or in place of, print. (NOTE: Kindergartners and first-graders are NOT eligible for the print to Braille category.) The other categories are: grades K-1; 2-4; 5-8; and 9-12. Students in ungraded programs should select the category which most closely matches their age and performance level. PRIZES FOR THE CONTEST First-, second-, and third-place winners are selected from each of the five categories. All winners receive a cash prize, a special certificate, and a distinctive NFB Braille Readers Are Leaders T-shirt. In each category first-place winners receive $75.00, second-place winners $50.00, and third-place winners $25.00. ( Please read the segment on Deaf-Blind Awards for details about these special awards.) All contestants receive a Braille certificate and a special token for participating in the contest. Schools are encouraged to schedule public presentations of the certificates. Alternatively, presentations may be made in the classroom, or at the local National Federation of the Blind Chapter meeting, or in some other appropriate setting. Members of the National Federation of the Blind will award the certificates and other prizes whenever possible. MOST IMPROVED BRAILLE READER Special recognition will be given to the top five contestants, regardless of category, who demonstrate the most improvement over their performance in the previous year's contest. To be considered for the Most Improved Braille Reader award the contestant must enter the contest for two consecutive years and cannot be a winner in the current, or any previous, Braille Readers are Leaders contest. Winners of the Most Improved Braille Reader award receive ten dollars ($10.00). RULES FOR THE CONTEST Winners will be chosen based on the number of Braille pages read. The one who reads the largest number of Braille pages will be the first-place winner; the second largest the second-place winner; and the third largest the third-place winner. The completed contest entry form must be received by the judges no later than February 15, 1993. Contestants must submit with the entry forms a print list of the materials read. Entry forms sent in without this list will be returned to the sender. This list must contain the following information: 1. student's name and contest category; 2. title of book or magazine; 3. magazine date; 3. author of book or article; 4. number of Braille pages read in each book, magazine, or article; 5. total number of pages read; and 6. signature of the certifying authority. CERTIFYING AUTHORITY The certifying authority is responsible for: LIST = verifying that the student read the Braille material listed and that the material was read between November 1, 1992, and February 1,1993. filling out and sending in the contest entry form in an accurate, complete, and timely fashion; assisting the student in finding Braille materials to read for the contest. Teachers, librarians, and parents may serve as certifying authorities. The certifying authority must also be prepared to cooperate if the contest judges have any questions or need additional information about an entry. All decisions of the judges are final. DEAF-BLIND AWARDS Students eligible for the special one-time only deaf-blind awards are those whose hearing impairment has a noticeable impact on their educational program. The top deaf-blind student in each of the five categories receives $50.00 and each deaf-blind participant receives a contest T-shirt. The certifying authority must mark the appropriate box on the entry form which identifies the applicant as a deaf-blind participant, and sign a statement (also on the contest entry form) verifying that the participant meets the contest deaf-blind criteria. (The judges may, at their discretion, request additional verification, such as medical or school records, of the hearing impairment.) The deaf-blind prizes will be awarded in addition to any other prizes the participant may win. For more information contact: Mrs. Sandy Halverson, 403 West 62nd Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri 64113; evenings: (816) 361-7813; or Mrs. Barbara Cheadle, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230; day: (410) 747-3472. COMMON QUESTIONS 1. What if I didn't know about the contest until after it began. Can I still enter? YES 2. If I enter late, can I still count the Braille pages I have read since November 1? YES, if your certifying authority will verify that you read those pages. 3. Can I count my Braille Textbooks? NO 4. Can I count textbooks if they are not the textbooks I am now using for my regular classwork? YES. 5. What if I don't finish reading a book? Can I count the pages that I did read? YES. However, be sure to note this on the entry form when you list that book. 6. Can supplemental reading books to beginning reading series be counted for the contest? YES. 7. What constitutes a Braille page? EACH side of an embossed piece of paper is considered one page. If you read both sides, then you have read two pages. This is true even if there are only two Braille lines on one side. On the other hand, you can only count the pages you have actually read. If a book has 35 pages, but you just read 10 of them, then you can only count 10 pages. Also, you CAN count title pages, tables of contents, Brailled descriptions of illustrations, etc. as long as you really read those pages. CONTEST ENTRY FORM NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND GUS GISSER MEMORIAL BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS CONTEST November 1, 1992 to February 1, 1993 [ ] YES...I am a deaf-blind or hearing impaired Braille reader. I verify that this participant meets the criteria for the deaf-blind awards for this contest.(signature of certifying authority) [ ] YES [ ] NO Did you enter last year's contest (1991-92)? [ ] YES [ ] NO Have you been a winner in a previous Braille Readers are Leaders contest? Student's Name Age _______ Grade___________ Address ______________________________________ City________________________ State_______ Zip__________ Parent's Name _________________ Phone (Home) (Work) Certifying Authority:Position:Parent [ ] Teacher [ ] Librarian [ ] Name_________________________________________ Address______________________________________ City_____________State_______Zip_______ Phone(Home) (Work) School Name/Address___________________________________ Mail entry to: Mrs. Sandy Halverson, 403 West 62nd Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri 64113 Category: (Check one) [] Beginning Print to Braille [] Kindergarten and First Reader (This is for children who have [] Second through Fourth been primarily print readers, but have begun to learn and use Braille [] Fifth through Eighth within the past two years.) [] Ninth through Twelfth One of the prizes for the contest is a special T-shirt. If you should be a winner, what size would you require? (Check one) Children's S (6-8) ______ M (10-12) ________ L (14-16) _____ Adult S(34-36) ______ M (38-40) ________ L (42-44) _____ Name ______________Category ______Total Braille Pages ______________ Please use this form when turning in the list of books, magazines, and articles read. If additional paper is needed be sure to put the student's name and his/her contest category at the top of EACH page and staple the papers together securely BOOKS 1. Title:______Author:___Number of Braille pages read:__________ 2.__ 3.-- MAGAZINES 1. Name and date of magazine:_____ Number of Braille pages read:_____ 2. -- Total Braille Pages : _________________ To the best of my knowledge, this student did read these Braille pages between the dates of November 1, 1992, and February 1, 1993.________________________________________________ Signature: Certifying Authority Mail entries to: Mrs. Sandy Halverson 403 West 62nd Terrace Kansas City, Missouri 64113 For more information, call Mrs. Halverson evenings at: (816) 361-7813; or Mrs. Barbara Cheadle days at: (401) 747-3472 ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 15, 1993