Braille Challenge

The story is written by Beatrice Lozada on September 3rd, 2026.

Braille Challenge is an annual competition in which blind and low-vision students under 18 test their dictation and reading comprehension skills.

The documentary is called Brailled It traces the events of this challenge, relying almost entirely on footage captured by GoPro-like cameras mounted on three young competitors.

It's impossible to see the world exactly as our subjects perceive it, but that doesn't mean we can't feel what they're going through.

Though conceived and assembled by David Gravas and Brendan Schultz, the documentary gives director credits to its three subjects.

Salome Cummins, a chatty high school student from Missouri who is competing at the junior varsity level for the first time.

Christopher Morgan, a levy-headed Braille Challenge winner from Atlanta.

And Isaiah Gother, 11-year-old from Canada.

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Every year, the top under 18 braille readers and writers from across the English-speaking world gather in Los Angeles to compete in the Braille Challenge.

In a new feature film called Brailled It! In a new feature film, Brailled It!, blind and low-vision young people take you on their competition journey and record their experiences.

Designed with integrated audio description and accessibility at its core, Brailled It! lets young people tell their story.

And you reached out to the Braille Institute to create this documentary.

What sparked this, and why was it important to let the young people be the directors?

The Braille Institute, which runs the Braille Challenge, is based here in Los Angeles, and I used to actually have an office around the corner from them and would walk by their building and wonder, "What happens at the Braille Institute?" And looked into it and learned about the Braille Challenge and just thought it sounded so amazing, and they offered me the opportunity to come and just sit and, and observe one year.

And I was just blown away by not only how brilliant and charismatic and charming the kids were, but the power of community, how wonderful it was for these kids to have the opportunity to be in a room where, for many of them, you know, it's one of the few times a r- a, a year when they're not the only blind kid in the room, when they're surrounded by others like them.