Freehold Student Enters National Braille Challenge

On Tuesday afternoon West Freehold Elementary School fourth grader Kaliegh Brendle was sitting at one of her favorite places in the house, the piano. 
Her mother Heather said the 10-year-old can spend long periods of time playing her favorite instrument and even composing her own music. What sets her apart from other musical maestros her age is the fact that Kaliegh cannot see the keys or read the music after being born with a condition that has left her severely visually impaired. She may not be able to read the notes but she can see colors in music which her mother said helps her create beautiful songs. 
On Friday Kaliegh will leave for a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles for the Braille Challenge where she will compete in a series of grueling tests against other visually impaired students from across the country and Canada. Both Kaliegh and her brother Cody were born with Lebers Congenital Amaurosis, but their mom said that has not stopped them from learning and developing their own hobbies and passions. 
Her daughter, she said, has always had an interest in books. "She came out of my belly reading," she said with a laugh." At a young age she was introduced to braille which has helped her read since she was 3-years-old. "She tries to read a little bit of print but it's mainly in braille," Heather said. "I believe in reading books and that's what we did with her and it was the same with my son."
An avid reader Kaliegh has already read the entire Harry Potter series as well as the Hunger Games and is tackling the Twilight books now. "Her comprehension is amazing," her mom said. "Her memorization is phenomenal and the way she looks at the world is incredible to watch."
This is Kaliegh's third trip to the national competition and said she is looking forward to going back. "I've been studying a lot," he said of the daunting task ahead of her. "I still get nervous, but I am used to it." With the competition in Hollywood's backyard all the contestants get to walk the red carpet which Kaliegh said is one of her favorite parts of the weekend.
Kaliegh's musical talents go beyond the piano as she has also found a passion for singing. She recently tried out for the Westminster Children's Choir which allowed her to perform at the governor's mansion and meet Governor Chris Christie. "She just loves Governor Christie," her mother said. The two have exchanged braille letters which she said made her daughter very happy. 
The weekend will consist of a spelling test and a proof reading test and a reading comprehension test to see the competitor's skills in reading braille. Heather said there are many rules that come with reading and writing in braille and the competitors need to know all of them in order to be successful. 
More than 1000 students took the test and only the top 12 from each age group were invited to California and Kaliegh is the lone representative from New Jersey.
Competition is the name of the game in California, but Heather said it is more than just who wins that matters to the students. "It's wonderful to see the camaraderie," she said. That includes a talent show they put on between the tests and the time it gives the parents to talk about their experiences and see the latest technological advancements available to them. 
Nancy Niebrugge, the Director of the Braille Challenge said the event has grown from only involving students in southern California to an international competition since it started 13 years ago. "We strive each year to put the challenge in the challenge," she said of the difficult task facing the students. 
Niebrugge also agreed that the social part of the weekend is important for everyone involved. "Many of these kids are mainstreamed so they are with sighted kids who may not understand what they're going through," she said. "They are also sort of cut from the same cloth. They're academic kids who are tracking to go to the good colleges and seek higher levels of success."
In her first two years competing Kaliegh has finished in third and fourth place respectively and said she is looking forward to trying to improve on that with this trip out west.