MSB Outreach

🌟The time has come: Braille Challenge Finals! We know how excited and proud you all are of your students and their achievements. Please join us Saturday, June 27th at 6:30pm PST for our Braille Challenge Finals Awards Ceremony livestream. Please also share the link with colleagues and supporters who may be interested in tuning in.

https://youtube.com/live/AbNppXV138E

Braille Challenge Finals 2026 - Award Ceremony | June 27, 2026 Braille Challenge is the only annual academic competition of its ki...

https://youtu.be/CxpyON7jE9E?si=9YDArb9OLbuxAgVg

DBAW 2026 Message in #ASL Here's Ashley Benton, Director of Field Services at Helen Keller Na...

The 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week campaign is live. HKNC is proud to unveil this year's poster and theme, "Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,"
This year's theme highlights the fundamental role of touch in communication, connection, and access for DeafBlind individuals.
Read the full announcement: https://www.helenkeller.org/helen-keller-national-center.../


Visual Description: The 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week poster, “Connected By Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” is a horizontal layout with a white background flowing into layered light blue and navy wave shapes across the lower half. The title runs across the top in bold navy and red type, with the subtitle directly beneath it.

Five photographs are arranged collage-style across the upper portion, each capturing touch as a form of connection. From left to right: a person crouches to place a hand on a black Labrador guide dog; two people engaged in tactile sign language; a seated participant works with a braille display while an instructor’s hand rests on his shoulder; a medical professional gently touches a patient’s arm while an interpreter beside them signs in tactile communication; and a self-defense student uses a white cane in a move with an instructor.

The supporting text reads: “Touch is the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community. Through Protactile language, tactile sign language, haptics, braille, and assistive technology, DeafBlind individuals communicate, navigate, learn, work, and thrive. Touch can also build bridges with the broader world. When we connect through accessible communication, barriers break down and doors open to meaningful participation and genuine belonging.”

A braille passage of the title and subtitle appears below. The HKNC logo sits at the bottom center, with a QR code linking to helenkeller.org/dbaw2026 in the lower right.

DeafBlind awareness week is June 25th-July 1st. We would love to bring awareness by sharing your DB story! If you would like to participate, please click the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9V23BKC

Check it out 👀

Online registration for the 2026 SHCN Family Partnership Parent and Caregiver Retreat is now live!

Register to attend the Retreat by clicking the link: https://redcaphcbs1.azurewebsites.net/redcap/surveys/?s=ENMYAYARE8ATMLA7

Theme: Trip Around the Sun

Dates/Times: Friday, August 14th, at 1:00 p.m. through Saturday, August 15th, at 1:30 p.m.

Location: Margaritaville Lake Resort, Osage Beach, MO

2026 Special Health Care Needs Family Partnership Parent & Caregiver Retreat Registration SHCN Family Partnership will be hosting the 2026 Parent and Caregiver Retreat at Margaritaville Lake Resort, in Osage Beach, MO. The Retreat activities will start at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 14th, and end at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 15th.

Congratulation to Garrett and the rest of our talented MSB Mules!!

Congratulations to the Braille Challenge finalists! There’s a couple of Missouri names on the list 👀

The wait is over—meet our 2026 Braille Challenge Finalists!

2026 has been a record-breaking year for international participation. This year, we had participants from six different countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Our finalists earned the top scores out of over 2,000 total competitors across the globe.

Congratulations, Finalists! We can’t wait for you to join us at Finals next month.

Find the list of Finalists on our website here: https://bit.ly/4whBL3M

Image Description: Graphic featuring a celebratory colorful confetti background and the headline "Meet our 2026 Braille Challenge Finalists!" above the Braille Institute logo.