A technique that’s brought confidence to a Ponder 15-year-old has made her a finalist in a national academic competition in Los Angeles.

Taylor Durrett

Taylor Durrett, who will enter the 10th grade at Ponder High School this fall, will be one of 60 finalists competing today in the ninth annual National Braille Challenge. This is Durrett’s first time to represent her school and state in the competition, which tests the Braille skills of the some of country’s best students.

Born totally blind because of a condition called optic nerve hypoplasia, Durrett picked up Braille at age 3, and she said she’s found it comes naturally to her.

She said she can read and write Braille pretty fast, and she’s always been interested in putting her skills to the test and showing others what she’s capable of.

“I feel like my chances are great to be one of the winners in the contest,” she said. “It feels great. I’m just vey proud to know that I’m competing with the elite.”

The National Braille Challenge, sponsored by the Braille Institute of America, is a competition for first- through 12th-graders who are blind or visually impaired. It started as a regional competition in Southern California, but has grown into a contest for students from the U.S. and Canada.

“They are the best and brightest of the Braille readers in the country,” said Nancy Niebrugge, director of the Braille Challenge.

She said the challenge is designed “to reinforce the academic Braille skills the kids need for success.” Niebrugge said it also motivates students to become efficient in Braille because without it, they are “truly illiterate.”

Sixty finalists were chosen from more than 650 students who competed in preliminary testing.

Students participating in the national challenge are tested in reading, comprehension, spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading and Braille speed and accuracy.

Contenders are divided into five academic divisions based on their age and grade level and all are required to transcribe, write and read Braille using a device known as the Perkins Brailler.

Tammy Durrett, Taylor’s mother, said Braille has opened doors for her daughter and removed her limitations.

Taylor is the only blind student at her high school, and Braille puts her life “on a level playing field” with her peers, Durrett said. She said she’s both excited and anxious to see how her ambitious daughter will fare in today’s contest.

Janet Brewer, who teaches visually impaired students with the Denton County Special Education Co-op, has taught Braille to Taylor since childhood and has served as her orientation and mobility specialist.

She said Taylor reads Braille above her grade level and reads passages just as fast as her sighted peers, if not faster. Taylor’s progress, she said, is overwhelming and “an incredible accomplishment.”

Brewer, who entered Taylor in the preliminary testing for the challenge, said this will be her first student to advance to the national competition.

Brewer will attend today’s competition to cheer Taylor on.

“I’m so proud of her that I just can’t even stand it,” Brewer said.

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com .