Feeling is believing

COEUR d’ALENE — Reading comprehension, spelling, speed, accuracy, proofreading, charts, graphs.

And doing it all in braille?

For Bradyn Sefick, it's no sweat.

"He’s such a smart little kid," his mom, Lizzy Lawson, said Friday. "He’s in the advanced learning programs for reading and math. He’s always liked to read and is interested in braille and likes the feel of braille.

"He’s like a walking encyclopedia," she said. "Even though he's blind, he teaches the teacher things."

The incoming Ramsey Magnet School of Science fifth-grader is the only North Idaho student and one of just 50 in North America to qualify for the the Braille Institute's 2021 Braille Challenge Finals. These competitors achieved the highest scores in the braille literacy testing competition, out of more than 1,000 youths across the U.S. and Canada.

Finalists are placed into five categories based on their age: apprentice, freshman, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity. The 10 best scores in each category qualified for finals from the regional competitions that took place all around North America earlier this year.

Bradyn qualified as a freshman. This is his third year competing. In second grade, he placed first in the state of Idaho. In third grade, he was in the top 10 in the entire challenge.

"His reading comprehension is stellar," Lawson said. "He’s always done pretty good."

Bradyn, 10, has been blind since birth. He has Leber's congenital amaurosis, or LCA, an extremely rare eye disorder that primarily affects the retina.

That doesn't keep him from enjoying being a kid. He uses echolocation to listen for sound waves as he makes his way around on his bike. His trusty dog, Rio, is also a loyal sighted companion.

"He’s super outdoorsy," Lawson said. "He hikes long hikes and his dog guides him through the trails. He rock climbs. He doesn’t let being blind stop him in any way."

Lawson said she was thrilled when they learned Bradyn will be competing in the Braille Challenge Finals. He will compete remotely on Wednesday.

The Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind held January through March each year in North America for students who are blind or visually impaired. The Braille Institute developed the challenge to motivate students to practice and refine their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success.

Braille Challenge Finals winners are expected to be announced July 30.

As a finalist, Bradyn will receive a swag bag, an annual yearbook, tactile portrait, engaging activity kits and other goodies.

"How neat to celebrate all the hard work he’s put in and his love of learning," Lawson said. "He's definitely a college-bound kid."