                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