COLUMBUS (May 26, 2023) – An Ohio teenager will represent the state in the 2023 Braille Challenge Finals – a global competition for blind and visually impaired (BVI) youth in grades 1-12. MaKenzie Love, 15, qualified after placing in a statewide competition.
Love, of Commercial Point in Pickaway County, was recently recognized during an awards ceremony held at the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus. She was the Varsity Division winner at the Ohio Regional Braille Challenge hosted by Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired at the Cincinnati Museum Center on February 23. Love will advance to the Braille Institute’s Braille Challenge Finals taking place June 23-25 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The annual competition celebrates BVI students in braille reading and comprehension, speed and accuracy, spelling, proofreading and tactile charts and graphs.
“I like competing in the Braille Challenge because it enhances my braille literacy skills,” said Love. “I have improved my reading and writing when practicing for it. It’s extremely rewarding to know my hard work has paid off.”
