McAllen ISD Students to Compete in National Braille Challenge Finals in Los Angeles

McAllen, TX – Ranking in the top 10 in their respective divisions, McAllen ISD sophomore Ashton Peña and freshman Randy Vargas are set to compete in the Braille Challenge Finals in Los Angeles from June 26-29.

The McAllen duo qualified for the competition after competing in the Region One Braille Challenge in March, with their scores ranking in the top 10 out of 1,100 students across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

According to the Braille Institute, the Braille Challenge is an academic competition for students who are blind or visually impaired. The competition motivates students to practice and hone their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success. Contestants are tested on fundamental braille skills, such as reading comprehension, spelling, proofreading, speed, accuracy, charts and graphs.

The award ceremony will be livestreamed via the Braille Institute’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@BrailleInstitute).