Noble silver medalist in Braille challenge exceeded expectations

Apr. 3—NOBLE — A sophomore from Noble who attends the Oklahoma School for the Blind took home second place in regionals for the Braille Challenge Competition.

Maria Komers, 15, earned a silver medal in the Freshman Transition category, which took place on campus in Muskogee.

The three-day regional event brought together students from throughout Oklahoma and surrounding states.

Maria was tested on spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading.

Faye Miller, orientation and mobility specialist at OSB, said her feat was more impressive considering that Maria had only learned braille last year.

"With Maria, she just started learning Braille this year, because as she's getting older, she realizes that she may not have the same level of vision all the time, so we've started teaching her braille so that she can always have access to it," Miller said.

She said students with no vision, or little-to-no vision learn to read braille about the same time students with vision learn to read print. Because Maria has had some vision throughout her life, she only recently started to learn.

Maria experiences optic nerve hypoplasia, which means the optic nerve is underdeveloped or absent with possible brain and endocrine abnormalities. She said she had a procedure as a baby to tighten her eye muscles, which exacerbated the problem.

She said she felt caught off guard after learning that she had performed so well at the braille event.

"The very first test was kind of scary because we were timed. We only had a specific amount of time we were given to do the test and get it done. I was lucky enough to have one of my favorite teachers [Christy Hargrove] with me," Maria said. "It's just a cool thing that we get to do, and I was really happy to be a part of it."

Miller said it is important for everyone to be aware of the needs of those who are blind or visually impaired.

"For those who don't have access to print, it is so important to have braille on signs in rooms, in buildings, and in public spaces," she said. "We need to understand that not all kids learn the same way, and they might need different types of access to materials."

Braille is a lettering system used by people experiencing blindness or visual impairment which is an arrangement of six raised dots, two across, and three down, resembling the number six domino.

Each combination of raised dots corresponds with a different letter of the alphabet, so braille readers can feel the letters with their fingertips to read text.

Miller, who has coordinated the competition for 22 years, said the Oklahoma Braille Challenge also brings together a community of braille learners.

"The Oklahoma Braille Challenge motivates contestants to practice their braille skills because they want to win medals and improve their performances from last year," she said. "Contestants also are building a community with other people who read and write braille as they celebrate their braille skills and make lasting memories," she said.

Maria is a residential student, which means she lives on campus from Sunday to Thursday. The OSB shuttles students in a van between Muskogee and Oklahoma City where her family picks her up or drops her off.

Miller said a little more than half of attendees are residential students.

"I want to thank my grandma and parents for making sure I got enrolled and had these opportunities," Maria said. "I also want to thank Mrs. Hardgrove for her patience for really helping me to learn braille."

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.