Nine-year-old Cricket Bidleman, who was adopted from China at 4, learned English in a month and Braille in three months. She won second place in her age group.
On July 4 National Public Radio covered what it calls "the competition to top all competitions for blind and visually impaired students: the Braille Challenge."
Finalists from across the United States and Canada competed in local and regional contests to make the cut for the final Braille Challenge in Los Angeles over the weekend.
NPR says, "the event is more intense in some ways than a spelling bee. Students compete in up to four categories — including the dreaded 'speed and accuracy' test, which requires typing hundreds of words correctly in Braille."
The kids compete for thousands of dollars in potential prizes against top Braille readers. You can read the full story and see video here.